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2005-2006

Dina Bartoloni
Major: History (minor in English)
Hometown: Orange, CA

Campus Involvement:

• USG, Director of Academic Affairs (05-06)
• USG, Commuter Senator (04-05)
• Phi Alpha Theta, History Honor Society, President (04-06)
• Alpha Lambda Delta, Freshman Honor Society
• Omicron Delta Kappa, Leadership Honor Society (Secretary/Treasurer 2005)
• Student Assistant, Doheny Memorial Library Circulation (2003-2006)

Plans (or Ideas) After Graduation:

Will be in Graduate School for my PhD in History

Favorite USC Memory:
Just doing stuff with Undergraduate Student Government, because the people are great and the work we’re doing is so rewarding.

One Piece of Advice for Entering Freshman:
Get involved in as many things as you can. You obviously won’t end up staying incredibly involved in every organization, but it’s a great way to get to know people and get an idea of what you are really interested in.

Campus Involvement:

• President, USC Inter-Fraternity Council, 2005.
• Executive Vice President of Administrative Affairs, USC IFC 2004
• Director of Campus Affairs, USC IFC 2003
• USG Elections Committee, spring 2003
• USG Leadership Funding Board Officer, fall 2003 and spring 2004
• USG Elections Commission Officer, spring 2005
• USC Joint Educational Project, spring 2003
• Taking the Next Step – Co-founder, Spring 2005
• Habitat for Humanity, Los Angeles County – project coordinator, spring 2005
• Hurricane Katrina Response Exploratory Team Member, Bel Air Presbyterian Church, September 2005
• Youth Mentor, 32nd Street Elementary School, South Los Angeles, fall 2002 – fall 2003.
• USC Friends and Neighbors Day, Fall 2002
• USC Order of the Torch – “Mr. USC” 2006
• Order of Omega National Greek Honor Society, Team Leader, fall 2003 – 2006
• Golden Key National Honor Society, Alpha Lambda Delta National Freshmen Honor Society.
• Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, Executive Committee Officer, Ritualist Officer, 2002-2006
• Jesse M. Unruh Political Science Institute Summer Fellowship
• USC Tour Guide and Admission Intern, spring 2003 – spring 2006
• Pacific Council of International Policy, Intern, fall 2004 – summer 2005
• Eagle Scout with 3 pals and a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow

Plans (or Ideas) After Graduation:
II will be working for a few years and then either attending law school or business school. I will either work for a corporate leadership development program, an investment firm, or doing public policy for the government.

Favorite USC Memory:
Without a doubt, one of my fondest memories at USC was traveling to South Bend and watching our last second victory over Notre Dame with one of my best friends. A close second was giving a tour to young elementary students who were persistently holding up the Trojan Victory sign to everyone they saw and watching all the smiles as every person on campus answered them with the sign and a Fight On!

One Piece of Advice for Entering Freshman:
Take advantage of every opportunity, meet as many people as possible, take the classes you enjoy, get to know your professors and the faculty, and finally, carpe diem – seize the day while you are here!

Emily Fetting
Major: History
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

Campus Involvement:

• Communications Director for USG
• Orientation Advisor 2005
• Orientation Coordinator 2005-2006
• Peer Leadership Consultant
• PALM Funding Board Director
• Alternative Spring Break: Navajo Nation Team Leader
• Mortar Board and other assorted honor societies

Plans (or Ideas) After Graduation:
Working in Arkansas for the Director of Heath and Human Resources on educational assessment and welfare distribution policy research.

Favorite USC Memory:
Getting to re-live the excitement and butterflies of the freshman experience over and over again as an Orientation Advisor during Summer 2005.

One Piece of Advice for Entering Freshman:
Go to your professors’ office hours. They are required to hold them, and most professors just sit around waiting for students to show up. If you’re nervous, bring a book or an article that reminded you of class material – that will give you a jumping off point for a conversation. Don’t be afraid to talk about non-class issues, too! You’d be surprised how different professors can be outside the classroom. Most importantly, though, when professors know you personally, it makes class itself easier and more dynamic, and you gain allies that can help you navigate through your years at a big University.

Deep Grewal (Kamaldeep)
Major: Biological Sciences, Spanish minor
Hometown: Northridge, CA

Campus Involvement:

• Troy Camp: Co-Director of Yearlong Programming
• Troy Camp: Co-Executive Director
• Troy Camp: Co-Director of Yearlong Programming
• USC Helenes: Junior Helenes’ Chair
• Omicron Delta Kappa National Honor Society: President
• Order of the Torch
• Mortar Board: Co-Membership Chair
• Trojan Health Volunteer: (Served as a Spanish Interpreter)
• USC College Ambassador (LAS)
• Intramural Sports
• Peer Leadership Consultant
• Student Athlete Academic Services Spanish Tutor
• Testing Bureau Proctor
• USC Orientation Staff: Special Projects Assistant
• Orientation Advisor

Plans (or Ideas) After Graduation:
EMT Training/Certification, Volunteer Work and Medical School Application Process

Favorite USC Memory:
Coming on to campus on the first day of classes sophomore year was a very memorable day. Not only did I run into familiar faces all day long and feel comfortable maneuvering myself around campus, but that day I truly felt like I belonged on this campus and that USC had really become my second home.

One Piece of Advice for Entering Freshman:
Step outside of your comfort zone and take some risks that challenge you.

Jessica Lall
Major: Political Science & Social Sciences, emphasis History
Hometown: San Antonio, TX

Campus Involvement:

• Undergraduate Student Government: President, Director Minority Affairs, Asst. Director Leadership Fund
• Delta Delta Delta Sorority: President, Continuing Education Chair
• Youth’s Exploring Passion: Co-Founder, Director
• Pan-Hellenic Council: Vice President, Scholarship

Plans (or Ideas) After Graduation:
Graduate Political Fellowship

Favorite USC Memory:
Going to the San Francisco Weekender my senior year with all my roommates and best friends.

One Piece of Advice for Entering Freshman:
Do not be afraid to email, call and set up meetings with students involved in orgs. Your interested in or professors you really like. It will prove highly beneficial. And, maintain those relationships throughout.

Luke Peña
Major: Public Relations / Business Administration
Hometown: Kirksville, Missouri

Campus Involvement:

• Program Board – Public Relations Director
• Program Board Public Relations team – founder and director
• Undergraduate Student Government – Elections Committee graphic designer
• Phi Sigma Kappa – alumni (former president)
• Latino Honor Society – co-chair
• Lambda Pi Eta – member (former president)
• Public Relations Student Society – member (former treasurer)
• Order of Omega – member
• Annenberg Admissions team – student intern
• Annenberg Latino Student Association (ALSA) – member
• Daily Trojan – former contributing writer

Plans (or Ideas) After Graduation:
I will be working in public relations for one year to earn money so I can enroll in law school in 2007.

Favorite USC Memory:
Personal circumstances forced me to take a leave of absence from USC for the Fall 2002 semester. I had taken my USC experience for granted during my freshman year, but my time away opened my eyes to what an honor being a Trojan really was and is. When I returned in Spring 2003, I walked to campus and truly discovered what it was like to have pride in the school. To this day, I am thankful to have the privilege of being a Trojan at this university.

One Piece of Advice for Entering Freshman:
Live the college life on your own terms. College is unlike anything you’ve experienced before, and unlike anything you will experience afterwards. At USC, you will have the opportunity to determine your level on involvement in various organizations and activities that interest you. While it’s important to be flexible and adaptable, stay true to the terms that you’ve established for yourself. These are the years where you lay the groundwork for your professional and personal life – make sure you do it right!

Campus Involvement:

• Delta Gamma: President, Vice President of Programming, Director of Alumnae Relations, Junior Pan-Hellenic Delegate
• Student Senate: Chief of Staff, Treasurer, Co-Director of Elections and Recruitment
• East Coast Orientation Advisor
• Contributing Writer for the Daily Trojan
• Co-Founder of the Intercollegiate Leadership Exchange
• Order of Omega and Rho Lambda

Plans (or Ideas) After Graduation:
Moving to New York and looking for a job in politics!

Favorite USC Memory:
Interacting with incoming freshman while serving as an East Coast Orientation Advisor.

One Piece of Advice for Entering Freshman:
Try as many different things as possible and enjoy your time here – it goes by fast!

Nitin Sharma
Major: Economics-Mathematics, Computer Science
Minors: Leadership Studies
Hometown: Ludhiana, India

Campus Involvement:

• Parkside: Residential College Coordinator, Resident Advisor
• International Business Case Competition program: USC Team Member
• Students in Free Enterprise: President
• 24th Street Toy Library Program: Founding Member
• USC Social Science Panel: Student Representative
• What Matters to Me and Why Steering Committee Member
• Supplemental Instruction Leader
• Program Board 04-05: AHA Director
• Norman Topping Student Aid Fund: Governing Board member for two years
• Dept. of Economics: Research assistant
• Illumin (engineering magazine) editor
• Tau Beta Pi

Plans (or Ideas) After Graduation:
Investment Banking Analyst, Union Bank of Switzerland, San Francisco

Favorite USC Memory:
Playing pranks in Trojan Hall during freshman year; representing USC in competitions in Hong Kong, Montreal and New York

One Piece of Advice for Entering Freshman:
How about three pieces of advice?
Be more concerned with love of learning than with grades, with true leadership and service than with positions or your resume.
USC has EVERYTHING to give you the BEST possible university experience in the world; find out early and grab every opportunity
Stress and worrying is useless, enjoy the best time of your life

Kristen Taylor
Major: International Relations / Spanish
Hometown: Bellflower, CA

Campus Involvement:

• MDA 365: The Art and Adventure of Leadership, Course Assistant
• Resident Adviser in Troy
• International Relations Undergraduate Association, Executive Board (Co-editor of Perspectives journal, co-founder / chair of annual research conferences)
• Mortar Board
• Residential Student Leader Honorary
• USC Football, office assistant
• Academic Integration Model / Faculty/Staff Mentor Outreach committee

Plans (or Ideas) After Graduation:
I will be spending the summer at World Help, a non-profit humanitarian aid organization in Virginia, helping with international trips and a book project on the “forgotten children” of the Ugandan Civil War, and deciding whether or not I want to work there full time in the fall.

Favorite USC Memory:
Being at the 2005 Notre Dame game with my family and my boyfriend and going from sheer terror to utter joy – and back and forth and back and forth again – in the course of about 5 minutes. (Although I have to give a close second to being down on the field at the Coliseum for the National Anthem and flyover before the UCLA game…my final game in the Coliseum as a student! I almost cried.)

One Piece of Advice for Entering Freshman:
Find a mentor! Having a professor or graduate student who can encourage and challenge you in your intellectual and personal development is vital to getting the most out of your education.

Amy Tran
Major: American Studies, minor in Film
Hometown: San Jose, CA

Campus Involvement:

• Senior Resident Advisor (Radisson, Marks Tower)
• Resident Advisor (Marks Tower, Troy Hall)
• USC Tour Guide
• Leadership Coordinator for the Asian Pacific American Student Services department
• Assembly Chair for the Asian Pacific American Student Assembly
• Membership Co-Chair for Mortar Board Senior Honor Society
• Alpha Phi Omega, community service co-ed fraternity
• President, Asian Pacific-Islander Student Outreach
• Contributing cartoonist for the Daily Trojan newspaper

Plans (or Ideas) After Graduation:
II will be teaching 4th-8th grade English as a Second Language in Houston Texas as a Teach for American corps member. Yeehaw! :)

Favorite USC Memory:
II would have to say that one of my favorite memories was meeting my two best friends, Lindsay and Dina, and getting to know them at the Dive-In movie during my freshman year. It was the first time I started feeling like being at USC was going to be alright.

One Piece of Advice for Entering Freshman:
II would tell them to not be afraid to start exploring right when they get to USC. Students should really take advantage of all the different organizations, activities, and programs that USC has to offer. At the same time, it's important to balance this exploration with making friends in their community and getting a handle on the different workload that college often presents. Finally, I would say that college is a time to get involved in things because you care about or enjoy them, not because you want to fill your resume.

Jesselyn Yarish
Major: International Relations
Minors: Business
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

Campus Involvement:

• USC Helenes: former President and Jr. Helenes Chair
• Undergraduate Student Government: former Elections & Recruitment, current Discretionary Board
• Mortar Board Honor Society Secretary
• Spirits in Action Funding Committee Assistance
• Kappa Kappa Gamma

Plans (or Ideas) After Graduation:
Working in the Marketing/Sales department at General Mills in Phoenix, AZ

Favorite USC Memory:
II traveled all the way to South Bend, Indiana without tickets to the 2005 Notre Dame vs. USC football game. Having come to terms with the fact that I would not be going to the game, my 3 friends and I decided to go to Notre Dame to watch the game on campus. Waiting in line for lunch, we ran into a USC alumna. After talking to him for a few minutes, he decided to GIVE us 4 of his extra tickets for free! We saw one of the best college football games on record, for FREE! That is a true example Trojan family?

One Piece of Advice for Entering Freshman:
Dedicate yourself to what you are passionate about. There are so many organizations on campus that reach across many cultures, interests, and hobbies. Find one you love and plan to run it some day!