My husband Jim and I were invited to the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX at Heritage Hall.
Congratulations, Women of Troy!
Next, Trojan Candy walked back into the Heritage Hall lobby.
I decided to walk outside where the dining tables were set up.
Right away, I saw two Women Tennis alumnae. Trojan Candy had interviewed both of them on April 2, 2022. They were Barbara Hallquist DeGroot and Gretchen Miller. FIGHT ON, Barbara! FIGHT ON, Gretchen!
Near Barbara and Gretchen, Trojan Candy saw a group of young ladies. I walked over to them and asked if they were athletes. It turned out that they were Women Basketball players. Trojan Candy attends all of the Women’s Basketball games, but I didn’t recognize all of them. There has been a big turnover on the team. No matter...I took their picture and wrote down their names in my notebook. From left to right were Bella Perkins, Asst. Coach Nneka Enemkpali, Destiny Littleton, Taylor Bigby, and Koi Love. Standing behind was Rayah Marshall.
I took this picture of Basketball Athletic Trainer Erin Tillman and Lauren Crawford, who is on the Beach Volleyball team. The basketball team was invited to the Title IX dinner to watch their coach Lindsay Gottleb participate in the program. FIGHT ON, Women of Troy Basketball! FIGHT ON, Women of Troy 2022 Beach Volleyball National Champions!
Trojan Candy decided to walk near the stage. It is a good thing that I did. As I approached the stage, I saw Athletic Director Mike Bohn, Barbara Hedges, and President Carol L. Folt. Luckily, I was able to take their picture before all of the other photographers rushed over.
Standing next to A.D. Bohn was another Women of Troy athlete. Talia Grossman was going to deliver the “Welcome Remarks.” Naturally, Trojan Candy took her picture and interviewed her. Talia Grossman is a Junior on the Women’s Soccer Team. She is the Goalkeeper. Talia, who is from Palo Alto, is majoring in Fine Arts in Photography. Her favorite food is her Grandmother’s Indonesian chicken fried rice. Her favorite book is Catcher in the Rye. Her hobby is singing. So nice to meet you, Talia, and FIGHT ON!
Standing next to Talia by the stage were Darcy Couch, Tim Tessalone, and Helaine Lopes.
As Trojan Candy walked to the buffet line I saw a very familiar face. Courtney Jaco and Taylor Bigby both posed for my picture. Trojan Candy interviewed Courtney when she was an undergrad on March 24, 2017. CLICK HERE to read her interview. KEEP Fighting ON, Courtney and Taylor!
Now, Trojan Candy went back to my table. Friend and Asst. Athletic Director Darcy Couch was there sitting next to Senior Associate A.D. Paul Perrier.
Sitting next to us was my brother-in-law Dudley and sister Patti Poon.
Then, Trojan Candy and my husband Jim smiled for this picture.
Sitting to Jim’s left was a new friend, Lori Okimura. Lori is from Maui, and she competed in Beach Volleyball at USC. Unfortunately, she got injured. Then she had an internship with Tim Tessalone. From there, Lori started working internationally. She organized the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, and she is organizing the para-Olympics now. FIGHT ON, Lori!
Lori posed with friends Monica Morita and Darcy Couch.
The program was informative and historical. Go to https://usctrojans.com/news/2022/6/23/usc-athletics-celebrates-50th-anniversary-of-title-ix.aspx to read about the Celebration and find a link to “Panel & Program Replay.” Guest speakers were A.D. Mike Bohn, Barbara Hedges, Janet Evans, Women's Basketball Coach Lindsay Gottlieb and Tennis star Eryn Cayetano (1/21/2022).
What a memorable evening.
KEEP FIGHTING ON, Women of Troy!