5 USC Alumni to Inspire Your Grind
Ellice Ellis ‘20
IT’S HOMECOMING WEEKEND! Midterms are over and it’s time to be on your finals grind. So much is going on!
Photo from USC Price
On top of finals, you may be searching for Spring and Summer internships or planning on starting your next venture. With all these tasks on your plate, you might be searching for some inspiration to get you going.
Personally, I love hearing the stories of people like me, whether female or black or USC alums, to inspire my work ethic.
So, in the spirit of Homecoming and to inspire you to apply to that job, get that degree or start that homework; here are 10 USC alumni to look up to.
Kilee Hughes, Founder of Six One Agency and former Public Relations Director At Net-A-Porter
photo from kilee hughes (@kilee77)
In 2014, Kilee Hughes was named one of the “30 of The Most Powerful Black Women In Fashion, ” by Hello Beautiful. If that is not enough to get you going Kilee has worked in the PR and brand strategy space for over 15 years. She has been featured in fashion magazines from Essence to Vogue Australia.
The USC alumna studied Communications at USC Annenberg and played on the volleyball team.
In an interview with FashionBombDaily, she gives advice to those wanting to break into the fashion industry: “Be patient. If you possess a certain skill or knowledge, make sure you finesse it so that you can stand out amongst your peers.”
Dan Bane, Chairman, and CEO, Trader Joe’s
The 1969 graduate gave us the USC Village’s greatest gem. Dan Bane was named one of America’s Most Powerful People In Food, so his success speaks for himself.
Bane received his B.S. in Business Administration and has worked in the industry ever since.
He is the leader behind the cult supermarket aggressive expansion program, particularly in the Sun Belt.
For all my future business leaders out there take note from this grocery and USC legend.
Tom Morey, Innovator in the Surf World
The 81-year-old San Clemente surf icon invented the foam Boogie Board back in 1971. Morey took up surfing as a hobby while at USC and graduated with a B.A. in mathematics in 1957.
Morey used his composite manufacturing and engineering background to develop several surf-related innovations. In addition to the Boogie Board, Morey developed the Trisect, a three-piece travel surfboard.
He went on quit his stable job and founded multiple own companies including the world’s 1st surf competition with cash prize money, with the waves as a background inspiration for business.
LeVar Burton, former Host of Reading Rainbow and Actor in the 1977 award-winning ABC television miniseries Roots
If you don’t know who LeVar Burton is… shame on you.
He is not only a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Theatre but a renowned actor, director, and author. In addition to starring as the host of the long-running PBS children’s series Reading Rainbow, he played Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the young Kunta Kinte in the ABC television miniseries Roots.
Burton now hosts a podcast entitled: LeVar Burton Reads which will capture the attention of any book nerd or person having Reading Rainbow withdrawals.
He serves on the board of the Directors Guild of America and directed a Disney Channel classic; Smart House.
Aja Brown, Mayor of Compton
Compton Mayor Aja Brown made history as the city’s youngest elected mayor at the age of 31 in 2013. Brown is a 2004 USC graduate and earned her bachelor’s degree in Policy, Planning & Development.
After graduating, Brown worked for the city of Inglewood which kickstarted her ten-year stint in urban planning and economic development L.A. County.
Ultimately she decided to focus and work with Compton, a city badly in need of urban planning and economic development.
Back in June she ran for reelection and won.
She has also been profiled in Vogue, focusing on her history in politics and female leadership.
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