Hometown: Granite Bay, CA
High School: Granite Bay HS
What made you decide to attend USC: For me, USC was the total package. I had been to a couple USC football games growing up with my Grandpa, who is an alumnus, and knew that I could be happy at USC. I was admitted to a number of universities throughout California, but nowhere had the balance of academics, athletics, social life and location that USC had to offer. I truly believe I couldn't have had a better college experience anywhere else.
Best experience/interaction with a professor: As a Mechanical Engineer, there is a heavy emphasis on Physics during freshmen and Sophomore year. Viterbi offers an honors track for students looking for more in-depth study and an extra challenge, and I decided give it a shot. The work was difficult, but Dr. Gene Bickers, the professor, dedicated an incredible amount of time to helping me understand and apply the material. Late nights and early mornings in his office were bearable because he was so genuinely interested in seeing me succeed. His passion for Physics inspired me and my classmates to put in the extra time needed, and that work has certainly paid dividends in my upper division ME courses.
Favorite Class: BAEP 423: Management of Small Businesses. This was hands-down the best class I have taken at USC. It gave me the opportunity to hear first-hand from numerous successful entrepreneurs including Kinko’s founder Paul Orfalea, Olympic gold medalist volleyball coach Huge McCutcheon, tech-industry billionaire Torin Pavia, world-class sports agent Scott Boras, and many others. This class was inspiring and engaging, and it was clear from the start that the grade was the least valuable take-away from the course. It was designed to make the student think about their future in the business world, and certainly got me excited about mine.
Involvements/extracurricular activities: Tau Kappa Epsilon Social Fraternity, Campus Crusade for Christ, Pi Tau Sigma, Alpha Lambda Delta, ATPS
Favorite on-campus event: Gameday. Six Saturdays every fall, USC completely transforms into a sea of Cardinal and Gold where every corner of the campus is filled with a USC EZ-up, a BBQ, refreshments, and plenty of loyal USC football fans. It's amazing!
Best off-campus experience: USC @ Notre Dame in October of 2009, USC @ Hawaii in September 2010. My fraternity retreats each semester in Big Bear, Palm Springs, San Diego, or somewhere else in Southern California. Campus Crusade for Christ semester retreats in San Luis Obispo, Big Bear, and Mammoth. Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, CA, April 2010. There are too many to name here...
