Rising Scholar

USC Davis School of Gerontology Ph.D. student Jeff Laguna wins two academic honors
By Jonathan Riggs

Jeff Laguna

It’s been a good autumn for USC Davis School of Gerontology doctoral student Jeff Laguna.

First, the USC Graduate School and the National Science Foundation (NSF) EDGE Program chose him to attend October’s 2011 Compact for Faculty Diversity, Institute on Teaching & Mentoring in Atlanta.

“I have long been aware of the value of the Institute on Teaching & Mentoring and I am absolutely thrilled to have been selected for this wonderful opportunity,” Laguna said. “The Teaching and Mentoring Institute helped to illuminate the day-to-day duties and responsibilities of university faculty and provided me with the tools necessary to secure a competitive faculty position at a Tier One institution after I graduate.”

More than 1,000 students from around the country attended the national-level Institute, which is the largest gathering of minority doctoral scholars in the country, to discuss research, enrichment opportunities, teaching and long-term career planning with an eye to celebrating and increasing diversity among faculty as well as furthering the development of minority scholars at every academic level.

Laguna received even more good news from the USC Graduate School and the NSF EDGE Program when they awarded him (along with fellow USC Davis doctoral student Seungyoun Kim) a Conference Travel Grant to aid his participation in November’s 2011 Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) in Boston.

“It is an absolute honor be selected for a competitive university-wide award,” Laguna said. “GSA provides a rich opportunity to network with key leaders in the field of aging, gain new ways of thinking about my own research and continue to build the important relationships that will enable me to achieve my goal of becoming a research-conducting faculty member following my pre-doctoral studies.”

Having the opportunity to represent USC and its Davis School of Gerontology around the country has made Laguna even more proud of being a Trojan—and grateful for these invaluable professional experiences.

“I would like to thank USC EDGE, particularly Dr. Richard Andalon, and the National Science Foundation,” he said, “for their continued support of minority pre-doctoral scholars.”