Ashley Prosper
When Ashley Prosper graduated from USC in 2007, she left with a laundry list of achievements. In addition to being crowned Miss USC and named to the Order of the Laurel and the Palm, Prosper received Tommy Awards for Student Governor of the Year and Volunteer Organization of the Year. She was a presidential scholar and Black Alumni Association scholar, vice president of the Mortar Board, and a member of the Blue Key Honor Society and African American Honor Society.
“Looking back on the four years, I am really glad I was so involved out of the classroom, especially now that I am in the classroom so much,” says Prosper during a break between finals for her first year at the Keck School of Medicine. A graduate of the Baccalaureate/M.D. program, Prosper took full advantage of the opportunity to study a variety of disciplines, and also minored in business.
One of many activities Prosper was involved with while an undergrad was Going for the Goal, an outreach program that sends USC students into local elementary schools to teach the students life skills. “A senior in my dorm had started the program,” Prosper says, “and I took it over as a sophomore.” Prosper led the program for the next two years, before overseeing the transition to new student leaders her senior year.
“What really struck me about going into the elementary schools, and particularly in the schools closest to campus, was that the students didn’t see USC as attainable,” Prosper says. “It was nice to be able to show them that there are programs that will support them, and that USC, this big school almost in their backyard, is something they can attain with hard work. Watching that revelation in the students was great.”
Now that she is in medical school, Prosper still manages to find time to get involved in outside activities. “I’m co-president of my first-year class at Keck, and was elected president of the Student National Medical Association for next year,” she says. “A big component of the SNMA is going into elementary schools, and I’m really excited about that.”
Despite her schedule, Prosper eagerly finds time for outreach. Her dedication is an example of how the leadership qualities that students develop as undergraduates remain with them after graduating.