June is the season for graduations. Nestled between Fathers Day and summer, graduation stands as a right of passage for all those who complete their education. Higher or lower education alike, graduation stands as a ceremony of celebrating accomplishment.
Rachelle is graduating from USC with a degree in art. I feel like a mamma bird who is watching her baby bird take flight and soar into the world. Rachelle is one of those students who comes into your life and tugs at your soul. As a sophomore in high school, Rachelle joined my art class. She stayed with me for the next three years and finished with her AP portfolio in Studio Art.
Rachelle spent the two years at a junior college getting all her prerequisites out of the way. She stayed in contact with me during this time and I was able to assist her in putting together a portfolio for admittance into the art program at USC. Now after seven years of watching Rachelle grow as both an artist and young lady, I have the privilege of taking graduation photos of her and her friends which she played volleyball with.
Seven beautiful, smart and educated young ladies are graduating from USC this June and taking flight into the “real” world.
Now, as a graduate from Pepperdine University, I am able to not be caught up in the rivalry between USC and UCLA. When it comes to picking a side, I will have to jump off the fence and land into Trojan territory. My smarty, smart husband got his Doctorate in Educational Technology at USC. A little side note that not many people know: The Malibu property that Pepperdine University resides on was originally offered to USC, which they turned down.
So in my tradition of adding education to my blog posts, I am going to walk you down the road of some amusing USC history.
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1880:
USC formally opens, with 53 students and 10 faculty. A college of liberal arts, a university band and a debate team are established.
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1884:
USC holds its first commencement, with a graduating class of three students; a woman, Minnie Miltimore, is named class valedictorian.
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1888:
USC plays its first football game and wind the opponent 16–0.
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1895:
USC adopts cardinal and gold as its official colors.
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1904:
USC’s first Olympic athlete, Emil Breitkreutz ’06, brings home a bronze medal for the 800 meters
1912:
Freshman Fred Kelly ’16 becomes USC’s first Olympic gold medalist.
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1912:
Los Angeles Times sportswriter Owen R. Bird dubs USC’s spirited athletic team the “Trojans.”
Greek letter societies are established.
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1915:
Ten-year-old Teresa Van Grove enrolls at USC, making her the youngest Trojan.
1918:
Mrs. Amy Winship, a girlhood friend of Abraham Lincoln, attends USC at age 87 and is fondly nicknamed “the oldest co-ed in the world.”
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1922:
USC dental student Milo Sweet composes the music for USC’s official fight song, “Fight On,” as an entry in a Trojan Spirit contest.
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1923:
The first Rose Bowl game is played in the present Pasadena location, with USC winning against Penn State 14–3.
The USC Trojans play in the first varsity football game ever held at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, beating Pomona College 23–7.
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1943:
In the midst of World War II, some 2,000 military trainees add to crowded conditions on campus.
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1953:
University Avenue (today’s Trousdale Parkway) is closed to vehicular traffic, marking a major step in creating a self-contained, pedestrian-friendly campus.
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1977:
U.S. President Ford sends USC President Hubbard an autographed $10 bill to satisfy their wager on the Rose Bowl game in which USC defeated Michigan.
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1979:
Fleetwood Mac invites the Trojan Marching Band to perform on the title song for the album “Tusk,” which becomes the band’s first platinum album.
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1981:
USC’s Doheny Memorial Library celebrates the acquisition of its 2 millionth volume.
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1984:
The XXIIIrd Olympiad comes to Los Angeles, and University Park campus is the site of the largest Olympic Village.
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1997:
For the 1997-98 academic year, USC for the first time in its history accepts fewer than half of the students who apply as new freshmen.
1999:
Time magazine and the Princeton Review name USC “College of the Year 2000” in recognition of its outstanding community service.
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2004:
USC sends 35 athletes to the 2004 Athens Olympics and wins 17 medals: eight gold, five silver and four bronzes.
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2012:
For the third year in a row, The Princeton Review names USC the top school in the country for studying video game design.
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