Pillars of Strength
Meet the Social Work Students
These are some of the new faces who will make a difference in the lives of others.
Spring 2017
Pillars of Strength
At Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab, students tackle global challenges. | ILLUSTRATION BY JOE CARDELLO
Point of Impact
Students Tackle Global Challenges Through Business
Students improve lives through sustainability and profitability at the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab.
The United University Church, completed in 1931, is a Presbyterian and United Methodist church on the north side of campus. | PHOTO BY NOAH WEBB
Spiritual Journeys
Spirituality and Secularism Get Along at an Interfaith USC
College is a time of exploration, and USC has more chaplains and faith groups for spiritual introspection than any other U.S. university.
Specially trained surgeons use the tiniest of tools to make people whole again. | ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS GASH
Medicine in Miniature
Microsurgery Rebuilds Lives After Trauma
Surgeons use the tiniest of tools to rebuild damaged arms, legs, breasts, faces—and lives.
Pillars of Strength
USC Empowers a New Generation of Social Workers
A $60 million naming gift from USC Trustee Suzanne Dworak-Peck supports USC’s drive to transform the profession of social work.
Lesley Adams Williams | PHOTO BY GUS RUELAS
Pillars of Strength
Student, Servicewoman and Social Worker
Lesley Adams Williams earns her master’s degree in the online degree program.
Barbara Solomon, left, and Dean Marilyn Flynn | PHOTO BY STEVE COHN
Pillars of Strength
Barbara Solomon’s Inspiring Career as a Social Change-maker
Today an endowed scholarship in Solomon’s name supports minority students studying social work.
Eric Chastain | PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC CHASTAIN
Pillars of Strength
From U.S. Soldier to USC Social Worker
U.S. Army Battalion Sgt. Maj. Eric Chastain watched 22 of his friends die. Then came a death he wasn’t prepared for.
This piece from USC Libraries’ special collections documents the conversion of Henrique Gilte, who gave up the Protestant faith of his parents for Roman Catholicism
at California’s Mission Santa Clara in 1839 | PHOTO BY PAULA GOLDMAN AND PROVIDED COURTESY OF USC LIBRARY ARCHIVES
Hands-On History
Students Immerse Themselves in the Past to Uncover Untold Stories
From traveling abroad to digging through treasures, USC undergraduates go beyond the book to interpret history.
Thousands of military officers have gotten their start as ROTC cadets at USC. | PHOTO BY STEVE COHN
A Call to Serve
USC and the U.S. Military: 100 Years of Fighting On
The university celebrates a century of service with the U.S. armed forces.
Ready to revamp tradition, a USC Gould professor champions legal accessibility and affordability. | PHOTO COURTESY OF USC GOULD SCHOOL OF LAW
Game Changer
A USC Gould Professor is Ready to Shake Up the Legal System
Gillian Hadfield champions legal accessibility and affordability.
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Trojan Trivia
Campus Quiz: Can You Identify These Arches?
Arches and arcades abound at USC.
At Potter’s Lane, repurposed steel shipping containers were converted to energy-efficient, sustainable housing units on a formerly vacant lot. | RENDERING BY SVA ARCHITECTS
Home Front
Housing for Homeless Vets—in Transformed Shipping Containers
A USC Rossier graduate student builds a community through her housing nonprofit.
With the help of USC Gould students, the Mashamba sisters have found safety and a new home in California. | PHOTO BY BRIAN VAN DER BRUG/LOS ANGELES TIMES
Against the Odds
USC Gould Students Help Bring Tanzanian Sisters to Safety
USC’s Immigration Clinic wins asylum for two persecuted girls born with albinism.
A Trojan defensive lineman tackles an issue close to his heart: helping people age with dignity. | ILLUSTRATION BY JACQUI OAKLEY
Improving with Age
Stevie Tu’ikolovatu’s Other Side—Helping Seniors Age with Dignity
A Trojan Football defensive lineman tackles an issue close to his heart.
Widney Society members’ generosity leads to life-changing opportunities for students and faculty. | PHOTO BY STEVE COHN
Patrons of Promise
Widney Society Generosity Enables Exceptional Student Experiences
Donors see giving pay off through opportunities for students to learn from top faculty.
Husband-and-wife pair Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky | PHOTO COURTESY OF WALTER REED NATIONAL MILITARY MEDICAL CENTER
One Step at a Time
A Boston Marathon Survivor Finds Support On the Road to Recovery
With the help of a USC occupational therapy alumna, a runner copes with double amputation and moves ahead with her life.
PHOTO BY DUSTIN SNIPES
Now and Again
Proud to Serve: USC’s Air Force ROTC at 70 Years and Counting
Today’s reserve officers in training draw on a long legacy of service.
USC Trustee Rick Caruso will receive the 2017 Asa V. Call Award, the university’s highest recognition for alumni. | PHOTO BY STEVE COHN
Building Success
Rick Caruso Honored with the 2017 Asa V. Call Award
The USC Alumni Association recognizes USC trustee and visionary real estate developer Rick Caruso ’80.
Getting in the Game
These Sports Broadcasters Do What They Love
If you follow L.A. sports, chances are you’ve seen Trojans Taylor Felix and Kelli Tennant on the field and in the booth.
Taking the Lead
USC Student Body Presidents: How the Role Changed Their Lives
Three Trojan alums from different decades reflect on their time as undergrad leaders.
A USC Gould alumna’s cold call launched her a career. | PHOTO BY PETER READ MILLER
A New Playbook
A Trojan’s Journey From Intern to L.A. Raiders CEO
Her cold call to the NFL team got her in the door and on her way to a career in sports.
USC Annenberg alumnus Justin Chang got his passion for film, in part, from his dad. | PHOTO BY EARL GIBSON
Critical Thinker
Trojan Earns High Marks as a Los Angeles Times Film Critic
Justin Chang’s first love was writing. Or was it film? Today he does both.
London Calling
Behind the Scenes at Westminster Abbey
Southern Californian Valerie Burdick Humphrey ’82 has surprises in store at London’s historic church.
Start Me Up
3 Student-Made Apps With a Fresh Approach to Business as Usual
Get some quick takes on enterprising Trojans who launched their own business ideas while still in school.
Welcome to the Board
5 Accomplished Community Leaders Join the USC Board of Trustees
Meet the dynamic women who joined USC’s governing board last fall.
Courtesy of the USC Thornton School of Music
Harmonious Partnership
Jeffrey Kahane is Latest Link Between USC and the L.A. Chamber Orchestra
The conductor and pianist joins USC Thornton full time this year.
Weird Science
4 Surprising Scientific Discoveries with Potential Health Benefits
USC researchers tackle topics from arthritic fish to the hive mind.
The house at 1175 29th St. in Los Angeles served as ground zero for scores of Chinese engineering students who came to USC seeking a better future.
Trojans Worldwide
Chinese Tech Pioneers Look Back at Their USC Years
More than 30 years ago, a nondescript Craftsman near campus housed scores of students from China. Few could have predicted what it would launch.