Half Century Trojans (6) Candygrams
Half Century Trojan 2020 Scholar Jordan Evans, who is from Los Gatos, Ca, is majoring in Dornsife's Narrative Studies and minoring in Entertainment Industry and Screenwriting. She wrote that, "I chose USC because it is the culmination of truly everything I was looking for in a college. I haven't found a major like mine at any other school, which made USC the place where I could pursue my exact academic interests. I also wanted a place with vibrant campus life, intense school spirit, and close proximity to a major city with strong alumni ties. Quite obviously, USC was the school for me!"
After graduation from USC, Jordan wrote that she, "...wanted to move to Los Angeles specifically because I hope to work in entertainment someday. I'd love to work as a television network executive developing creative content – anything to do with a script, I love! I also love how LA is a hub for other forms of culture and entertainment." Good luck in achieving all your dreams, Jordan!
More personally, Jordan's favorite television shows are Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Modern Family. As for music, Jordan wrote, "My favorite band, AJR, performed at the Shrine Auditorium last fall, and it was so convenient (and fun!) to have that experience just down the street from my apartment. Music is an integral part of my life. I learned to play the flute in fifth grade and have been performing ever since. I'm a devoted member of the Trojan Marching Band; there's nothing I cherish more in the world than cheering on our football team alongside my best friends in uniform. The picture I've included is from the band's trip in November 2019 to Chicago to support the Trojans against Notre Dame." Jordan also volunteers as the Recruitment Analyst and Music Education Chair for her sorority Alpha Delta Pi.
Jordan's grandfather William Winegar is also a member of the Trojan Family. Here is Jordan's description. "My grandfather, William Winegar, graduated USC in 1949 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He was a member of the USC men's gymnastics team, competing in pommel horse and parallel bars! My grandfather and I are quite different; I'm a total artist, and he was a scientist, through and through. After USC, he worked for Aerojet and was on the Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application (NERVA) Project team that developed the first nuclear rocket engine, which is housed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum." KEEP FIGHTING ON, William!
What an outstanding Trojan! FIGHT ON, Jordan!
Half Century Trojan 2020 Scholar Justin Kawaguchi, who is from Thousand Oaks, is majoring in Global Health and minoring in Public Relations and Consumer Behavior. Justin wrote, "I chose USC for the Trojan Family.... Visiting campus as a high school senior and interacting with tour guides and student ambassadors revealed how special the community is. I was unsure of what career I would ultimately pursue---medicine, law, business, or politics. Yet I was confident that USC would provide me with the education necessary to be competitive and prepared for any opportunity that life throws at me." Justin is preparing to work as a healthcare consultant after he graduates from USC. Good Luck in your future endeavors, Justin!
As for volunteering, Justin said, "I volunteer in a number of capacities both on-campus and in the community. On-campus, I've served as a member of the Volunteer Leadership Council for the Friends & Neighbors Day Initiative, volunteered with Visions & Voices on-campus events and am an active member of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. In the community I am a volunteer facilitator at the Japanese American National Museum and frequently support events within and for the Asian Pacific American community." What an avid volunteer! An additional "fun fact" about Justin's volunteerism: he was the first Building President of the McCarthy Honors Residential College in its inaugural year in 2017!
Even more personally, Justin's favorite food is street tacos. As for music, his favorite is electronic dance music (EDM) and rhythm and blues (R&B), and his favorite artists are Bazzi, Gallant and Illenium. Justin likes the book On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong the most. For entertainment, the movie The Half of It and the television sitcom show Kim's Convenience Store are his favorites.
Justin's grandfather Tsukasa Saneto is also a Trojan Family member. Tsukasa majored in Business at SC.
FIGHT ON, Tsukasa! FIGHT ON, Justin!
Half Century Trojan 2020 Scholar Grace Fogel, who is from Yucaipa, CA, is a Senior majoring in Accounting. In her own words, Grace chose USC because of her family's legacy at USC. Grace wrote, "I grew up learning about Trojan traditions and felt confident it would be an excellent fit for me. USC is actually the only school I applied to, as I was admitted to the Resident Honors Program. I skipped my senior year of high school to start at USC a year early – at the age of 16. I couldn't be happier with this choice, as I have been able to grow and learn very much at USC. Grace has enjoyed, "...engaging in interdisciplinary conversations through the Thematic Option Honors Program and Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study. Trojan Candy is happy that you chose to be a Trojan, Grace!
Grace serves as a Resident Assistant in the USC Village and will mentor the new RAs when classes begin in August. As a volunteer on campus, Grace is the President of Teach for Los Angeles, which is an on-campus K-12 tutoring organization that provides services to students in the local community. She also volunteers through USC Volunteer Income Tax Assistance to prepare free tax returns for low-income residents in the Los Angeles area. Grace has also held multiple mentor positions for academic organizations she is involved in. What an outstanding volunteer! This summer, Grace completed a virtual audit internship at Deloitte, and she will start full-time at Deloitte upon her graduation in May 2021. Congratulations, Grace!
On a more personal side, Grace's hobbies include attending shows, plays, and concerts; exploring museums; and reading. Her favorite musical artist is Taylor Swift, and she loves the show Survivor. Grace said that she has seen every episode of Survivor with her family!
Now about Grace's family. Three of her relatives are part of the Trojan Family. Her grandfather Victor Quan earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1960 and his Ph.D in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering in 1965. Grace's mother Lisa Fogel received her B.S. in Business Administration in 1993, and her aunt Janet Quan also earned her B.S. in Business Administration in 1995.
FIGHT ON, Victor! FIGHT ON, Lisa! FIGHT ON, Janet! FIGHT ON, Grace!
Half Century Trojan 2020 Scholar Garret Nourse, whose home town is Newport Beach, is majoring in Applied Mathematics. He said, "Since a young age, I have always been enamored with puzzles and problem solving, which naturally drew me to math." Garret is minoring in Finance.
Trojan Candy asked Garret why he chose USC. Garret replied, "I chose USC because of the world-class professors, small class sizes, unrivaled alumni network, and the all-encompassing social experience. I have already seen the benefits of these elements – I have been able to cultivate personal relationships with my professors (in math, philosophy, finance, etc), some of who have become key mentors in my life, and the Trojan Family has helped me tremendously with my career and internship goals."
After graduation, Garret will be working in investment banking. He has accepted "an offer to join Credit Suisse next summer in its financial sponsors and leveraged finance office in Los Angeles. My propensity for puzzles, strategy, and logic has instilled in me a deep passion for investing, so I am excited to step into an investment banking analyst position where I can work closely with private equity firms, be a part of originating and syndicating leveraged buyout financings, and gain a rigorously technical modeling experience." Furthermore, Garret wrote, "I owe a great debt of gratitude to my mentors, and the least I can do is offer the same advice and mentorship to younger Trojans when I am in a position to do so after graduation."
Now, let's find out more about Garret's personal life. For his hobbies, Garret is a scratch golfer who has played competitively all of his life. Trojan Candy wonders if he would be willing to join the USC Men's Golf Team. Garret is also an avid surfer and skier. As for volunteering, Garret is the President of the Value Investing Group and Vice President of Moneythink USC. Each week Garret mentors local high school students at the Jackie Robinson School and Foshay Learning Center on financial literacy and investing.
Even more personally, Garret's favorite food is New York steak. He likes 80's and Alternative/Indie music the best. The Beach Boys and Blondie are Garret's favorite artists. Now for a favorite book, Garret wrote, "It's too hard to pick just one! Thinking Fast and Slow (Kahneman), Intelligent Investor (Ben Graham), The Outsiders (Thorndike), 1984 (Orwell), and Plato's Republic to name a few. For entertainment, Garret's favorite movie is Hacksaw Ridge, and his favorite television show is The Office.
Last, but not least, Garret has two more relatives who are Trojans. His grandfather Franz Worth earned his Bachelors and Masters in Electrical Engineering in the 1950s and also taught at USC; he went on to work for NASA and co-developed the fuel system that sent the first rocket to the moon. Then his father Jerome Nourse graduated from USC in the 70s with a degree in Electrical Rngineering.
FIGHT ON, FRANZ! FIGHT ON, Jerome! FIGHT ON, Garret!
Trojan Candy participated in "Going Back to College Day" at the USC University campus.
Now, all of the attendees were dismissed to attend two of four workshops. The workshops were "The Science of Happiness" by John Monterosso, "The Stem Cell Revolution: Future Therapies for Bone Diseases" by Amy Merrill, "Sustainability, Climate Change and the Oceans of Tomorrow" by David Hutchins, and "Fact or Fiction: Human Emotion in Artificial Intelligence" by Jonathan Gratch. Unfortunately, Trojan Candy couldn't really attend a workshop, because I was doing double duty. I had to walk across campus to my Trojan Guild of Los Angeles (TGLA) meeting to take pictures. I was able to take pictures in two of the workshops.
Now, Trojan Candy had to go to take pictures at my TGLA meeting at the Davidson Center. CLICK HERE to see those pictures.
As everyone was eating, Trojan Candy walked around the room taking pictures of our Scholars who were sitting with Half Century Trojan board members.
The luncheon ended with an interview of four current USC athletes by luncheon speaker Denise Kwok. She is the Director of USC's Student-Athlete Academic Services (SAAS). The student athletes were John Jackson III, Tee Tee Terry, John Thomas and Bayley Weber.
To view the HCT program featuring the four USC athletes, please see my blog entitled "Student-Athletes at the Half Century Trojans Event" that is posted at www.trojancandy.com. CLICK HERE to go to it.
FIGHT ON, Half Century Trojans!
I went to the Town and Gown meeting today at the Town and Gown. Before the meeting, the Town and Gown Scholars and their Donors were asked to step outside onto the patio for picture taking.
After going inside Town and Gown, Trojan Candy found three Scholars who are also Half Century Trojans (HCT) or Trojan Guild of Los Angeles (TGLA) Scholars.
Next, it was time for one of the Town and Gown Scholars to speak. Senior Jason Yamashita delivered an excellent speech to the Town and Gown members about his USC experiences. He spoke fondly of playing and traveling as a member of the Spirit of Troy.
FIGHT ON Forever, Dr. Bartner!