Chris Allen named chief financial officer of Keck Medicine of USC
CFO of Keck Medicine of USC, Chris Allen
Experienced health care executive previously served as interim CFO (Photo / Ricardo Carrasco III)

“Chris’ presence is a true source of pride for our entire leadership team, and we are confident that his strategic thinking and business acumen will propel our organization to even greater success.”

‘Game’ Changer: IYA Alum Turned PhD Student Explores the Influence of Video Games
IYA alum, Amanda Curtis, on a bridge overlooking a river.

“[IYA] was that blend of the practice-based making of things, whether that’s designing or programming or actually making something with your hands, but there’s this central interest in information and knowledge and having some sort of impact on our society. I thought it would give me the space to explore myself, and it really did.”

Gould education, global opportunity
USC Gould alum, Jimmy Nguyen
The career trajectory for Jimmy Nguyen (JD 1995) started with digital entertainment, moved to fintech, gaming and now, to blockchain advocacy.

“You are more than a law degree…I am now positioning myself more broadly to work in AI, the metaverse, ‘smart cities’ and the Internet of Things, and it’s time to go even bigger. There’s constant growth possible from a legal education, and I’m glad I got it at Gould.”

New communication major creates fan edits to bring people together
Photo of Jill Ofodu holding her USC acceptance letter.
Jill Ofodu will study communication at USC Annenberg beginning fall 2023. (Photo courtesy of Jill Ofodu)

“The difference between college and high school is no one’s holding your hand to tell you what to do…Obviously, there are people that guide you on the way, but you have a lot of accountability for your choices and goals.”

Jennifer Cohen named USC director of athletics
Photo of Jennifer Cohen, USC's Athletic Director
Jennifer Cohen has led the University of Washington athletic department since 2016. (USC Photo/Gus Ruelas)

“USC is a national powerhouse in every measure of college athletics, and I look forward to honoring the Trojan heritage while working alongside the incredible USC Athletics team as we embrace both the opportunities and challenges of this complex moment.”

Kaitlyn Yang, USC School of Cinematic Arts alum, encourages Trojans to constantly set new goals
Photo of Kaitlyn Yang
Kaitlyn Yang worked on acclaimed television shows, started her own visual effects company and launched a nonprofit organization all before the age of 30. (Photo / Betsy Newman)

“Instead of being enamored with the USC brand, ask what you can accomplish as a Trojan. What’s your next goal? It’s all about collecting your own data, your own trials and errors, to accelerate your life forward.”

USC Computer Science Student Makes Strides in Queer in AI Movement
Photo of Nathan Dennler
Nathan Dennler is one of 50 international co-authors from Queer in AI were awarded best paper at the ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (ACM FACCT) (Photo Levi Zheng).

“Despite the setbacks that often happen, I am hopeful that the future generally gets better. I think it is becoming easier for marginalized communities to participate in AI in general, and I believe that the future will be even more inclusive.”

USC appoints alumna Melissa Just as new dean of libraries
Photo of Melissa Just
Melissa Just has been named dean of USC Libraries. (Photo/Michael Maguire)

“Not only are we responsible for collections, spaces and services — the things we are traditionally known for — we are now managing those functions in a constantly evolving environment.”

Stem Cell PhD student Alma Zuniga Munoz wins USC’s first Gilliam Fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Photo of Alma Zuniga Munoz and Albert Almada
Alma Zuniga Munoz and Albert Almada (Photo / Cristy Lytal)

“[My parents] are very supportive of school, which is great because a lot of families are very traditional, as in they expect a woman to get married, have children, take care of the house. But my parents wanted to break that cycle that they grew up in, and they wanted to empower me to chase whatever dream I had.”

Undergraduate will use rare, prestigious Truman Scholarship to springboard career as civil rights attorney
Photo of Michael Solomon
USC Dornsife student Michael Solomon encourages undergraduates to apply for the Truman Scholarship. (Photo / Courtesy of Michael Solomon)

“I’m a firm believer in the potential of scholarship and shared knowledge as vehicles for change…Through my organizing work on the issues of school segregation, gun violence and civic engagement, I’ve come to recognize legal advocacy as an imperative avenue for justice.”