Support scholarships ... be a part of the heart of TJA

Its' that time again! Every year USC students apply online for scholarships from the various alumni groups. This year TJA received 84 applications.  

The scholarship process is at the heart of TJA. The annual benefit focuses on raising money to fund the scholarships and this is the part where members chose who will received it. A fresh round of TJA scholarship applications is waiting, and reviewing them is a fun and informative process. Learning what these amazing women are doing both inside and outside of the classroom is truly inspiring.

All available TJA members are encouraged to join Scholarship Chair Dawn Sirtak this Sunday, January 30th from 1:00-5:00 PM to review applications and begin the process of awarding scholarships.  

The more the merrier and don't worry if you can't be there the whole time. 

Details are on the evite sent out to all current membership. If you need any additional details contact Dawn at dawnesirtak@yahoo.com.

Hope to see there!

USC Orange County Speaker Series Begins Jan. 26

"Think of Entertainment Differently"

featuring

Professor Martin Kaplan
Norman Lear Chair in Entertainment, Media & Society
USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism

Wednesday, January 26, 2011 -- 7:00 p.m.
USC ORANGE COUNTY CENTER
2300 Michelson Drive, Room C, in Irvine
Tickets $15
Light refreshments will be served

Professor Martin Kaplan, founding director of the Norman Lear Center, wants us to think of entertainment not just as a leisure activity, but as the way messages grab and hold our attention. Not just as a sector of the economy, but as a driving force -- maybe the driving force -- of daily life. News, politics, education, religion, commerce, the arts -- today there is scarcely a domain of human existence unaffected by the battle for eyeballs, the imperative to amuse, the need to stimulate and titillate, to tell us stories, to play with us. The stakes for society are enormous. This is the terrain that the Lear Center is mapping.

Professor Kaplan, who recently spoke in Barcelona and Berlin, will talk about how entertainment has transformed journalism, and what that means for democracy; how entertainment can promote public health and save lives; and how USC research in all fields could accelerate if you imagine the university as a creative industry.

Get more information on our series and purchase tickets here.
Learn more about the Normal Lear Center here.

And join us for our upcoming Speakers Series presentations:

February 23, 2011
"Health Care Reform: What Have We Done...And Where To Now?"
A panel discussion featuring the deans of the USC School of Pharmacy and the USC School of Policy,
Planning, and Development as well as faculty members from the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center.

March 30, 2011
"The Library as Invention and Reinvention"
Catherine Quinlan, dean of the USC Libraries

April 27, 2011
"Engineering Empowering Society"
Yannis C. Yortsos, dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Purchase tickets here.

FIGHT ON!

Resolutions ...

It's mid-January and if you're like the rest of us, you're probably in need of some inspiration to stay motivated when it comes to sticking to those resolutions you made. Here's what some TJA members are striving for this year.

"Making great lunches to bring to work at least four times a week!" Michelle

"Using TJA member Jodi's budget worksheet to make a budget for myself.' Katie

"To have a LOT of fun and raise a LOT of scholarship funds at this year's TJA benefit." Maggie

"Trying to make more time outside of work for fun, social activities." Mary Jayne

"Making an effort to leave the office by 7PM on a consistent basis." Jaymie

"Listen better and build better relationships with those I already know and welcome new ones." Stephanie

"Wear every pair of shoes in my closet." Charlotte

"To broaden my circle of friends and have more fun this year." Janine

"To not eat quite so many Oreos. It might help if they weren't at TJA meetings! :-) Janel

"To stress considerably less!" LW

Thanks for sharing ladies!

What is Personal Branding and Why Does Your Career Depend On It?: How LinkedIn Can Help!

As Trojans do we really know what personal branding is and why it is so important to our careers?


Join the USC Career Planning & Placement Center, the USC Alumni Association, and LinkedIn, Inc. on Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. PST for our second career management webinar offered exclusively for USC Alumni and Friends of Trojans.

Join fellow Trojans in learning more about personal branding and how it can impact your career both short and long-term! The hour-long on-line presentation will share tips on how to develop and manage your unique personal brand, branding and networking etiquette, and using LinkedIn as a tool to help.

This webinar is being delivered on-line as a way to host alumni from all over the world simultaneously. 900 Trojans and friends from five different countries joined us for our first webinar in 2010, let's make the next one a success as well!

Sign up today @ http://lnkd.in/uscwebinar2011

January Meeting Minutes: Upcoming Events ... Don't Miss Out!

2011 is starting off with a bang and the January TJA meeting last Monday confirmed it!

Planning for the annual benefit continued over dinner from Subway, courtesy of TJA Scholarship Chair Dawn Sirtak, and our 75th anniversary gala event is shaping up to be one of the best ever! Mark you calendars now for casino games, great food and a silent auction you won't want to miss. The event is set for Friday, April 29 at the legendary Yamashiro's in Hollywood.

Also, stand by for details on the next members-only social and be sure to check out these upcoming events:

• USC Women's Conference  - March 11, 2011, USC University Park Campus
• Personal Branding and Your Career: A LinkedIn Webinar for USC Alumni - Jan. 27, 2011

Get Your Hands Dirty With the Arts!

At the meeting yesterday, Social Chair Jaymie tipped us all off to the neat Art and Humanities Initiative brought to us by Visions and Voices (fun fact: President Nikias introduced this initiative during his tenure as Provost to fulfill the goals set forth by USC's strategic plan).

So: http://www.usc.edu/dept/pubrel/visionsandvoices/gyhd_spring will take you to the website where you can sign up and take part in neat classes such as Pinhole Photography, Stomp, So You Think You Can Sing!, Create Your Own Digital Portrait and a lot more!

The event is free!  But many of the classes have filled up already- be sure to waitlist yourself so that you can be contacted in case a spot opens up beforehand or if there are no-shows on the day of.  Most of the classes take place around Taper Hall and the newly renovated Cinema School, so if you haven't had a chance to see it yet, this might be a great opportunity!

Party Time!

'Tis the season for holiday parties and Sunday December 5 was our Annual TJA celebration. Graciously hosted by TJA member and Corresponding Secretary, Mary Jayne Johnstone, everyone enjoyed the great food courtesy of a fantastic potluck, great company and spectacular festive decor. 

Of course, the best part of the evening was the mystery name game and white elephant gift exchange ... Chia Pet anyone? 

 

Everyone running around trying to figure out who was the name on their back!

 

Michelle holds up her highly-prized flying Tigger.

Ashley opening a Santa cookie jar.

All in all, it was a fun time to spend with TJA Members and their respective friends, partners, etc.  We had a great time and thanks so much Mary Jayne for opening your house to us! 

Happy New Year!

Have you RSVP'd yet for the first TJA meeting of 2011? It's coming up this Monday, January 10 at 6:30 PM in the Alumni Salon, Ronald Tudor Campus Center, USC University Park Campus.

Here's the January trivia question. Bring the answer to the meeting and you could win a prize :-)

Who was the first president of USC? (Hint: A prominent building on the USC University Park Campus bears his name.)