You're Invited!

The benefit is the biggest TJA event of the year and it's the one chance for members to show friends and family what the group is all about. Here's who some of the ladies have invited ...

"I’ll be inviting all of my close family and friends, who have been converted to Trojans for life.  They are always so supportive of TJA and the wonderful things we do for USC.”

- Mary Jayne

"I've invited a group of friends from USC, including six of my sorority sisters and their significant others. They've all come in years past and had a great time. Looking forward to another fun evening this year!"
-Brenda

"Every year, my invite list shows the breadth of the Trojan family. Friends of USC in my life include  family, colleagues, friends and my husband's colleagues. It's always fun to bring everyone together on this night!  I'm hoping to get a few Bruins there this year too!"- Maggie

"Each year, I invite friends from college, past and present co-workers and family. Even though some of them live far away, they appreciate the invitation and often buy opportunity drawing tickets so that they can still contribute to the event! My parents and brother are steadfast supporters, having attended the Benefit for the past six years. They enjoy being able to support an organization that I care so much about, and always end up walking away with a few awesome silent auction items!"- Ashley

"Every year I invite my core group of friends (all 'SC alums) and they always make it to the event. It's nice being able to rely on the Trojan Family (and friends!) to support you and your causes."

- Janine

Upcoming Young Alumni Events!

March 24th, 2011

BevHo Mixer at The Newly Renovated Les Deux
Sponsored by USC Alumni Club of Beverly Hills- Hollywood

7:00PM - 10:00PM PT

Les Deux
1638 N Las Palmas Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 462-7674
Les Deux 

Come check out the reopened and new Leux Deux.
Drink specials and happy hour food all evening!

Drink specials include:

• $5 beer
• $5 wine
• $5 specialty Trojan drink

And there's a DJ! - KCRW's Dan Wilcox will be spinning in the courtyard from 9pm to 1am

Here's what's on the menu:

• $4 Soup du Jour
• $4 Fresh California Roasted Almonds
• $4 Spicy Jalapeno Hummus (Fresh Cut Vegetables/Herb Grilled Bread)
• $4 Grilled Cheese
• $6 Honey Fried Chicken Wings
• $6 Macaroni and Cheese (Artisan Cheeses/Tomato Fondue)

RSVP here

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April 6th, 2011

The Secrets of Self-Starters
How Their Personal Traits and Attitudes Led Them to Greatness in Business and Helping Others

6:00PM - 8:30PM PT

La Jolla Country Club
7301 High Avenue
La Jolla, California 92037
(Business Casual/No denim please)

A Panel Discussion

Moderated by Dr. Julie Miller

Author, The Secrets of Self-Starters
Served with distinction for 8 years on USC Board of Governors

The Panel

Rob Ukropina
Founder Overnight Express, Principal Black Diamond Ventures and USC Marshall School graduate

Jeffrey Sapp
Navy Captain, co-captain of the Naval Academy Football Team and member NCAA Hall of Fame

Sunny Kobe Cook
Founder of Sleep Country, USA and Inc. Magazine’s Northwest Woman Entrepreneur of the Year

$25.00 per person

Dessert hosted by Marshall Partners, San Diego.

Wine hosted by Northern Trust.

RSVP by April 2. Send a check for $25 per person made payable to TLASDC.

Attn: Jenn Buckner, P.O. Box 7250, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067

Please enclose attendee name(s) for check-in.

For more information contact: Jenn at 858-756-7819 or jhbuckner@gmail.com 

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April 14th, 2011:

Young Alumni Series Part 2: Employer Networking Mixer
Presented by the USC Career Planning & Placement Center and the USC Alumni Association
 6:00PM - 8:00PM PT

USC Career Planning & Placement Center

Student Union 110

The USC Career Planning & Placement Center in partnership with the USC Alumni Association is pleased to host: Young Alumni Series Part 2: Networking Mixer. Please join us for an exclusive Trojan networking reception with employers and fellow Trojans. Price: $10 For more information about the event and to register, click here

Getting to Know U: TJA Membership Chair Michelle Ann Maestas

Michelle Ann Maestas

NAME: Michelle Ann Maestas

HOMETOWN: Wasilla, Alaska (I'm asked 'is it cold/what’s it like?' And 'Do you know Sarah Palin?' in that order, all the time.)

USC GRAD YEAR/MAJOR: 2006, Bachelor of Music, Saxophone Performance; expected 2012 Master of Communication Management, Entertainment

WHAT ARE YOUR CAREER GOALS?  My whole life I’ve wanted to work in music. Particularly, live music. I’ve been a performer and a producer. I have an amazing job at present, living every part of live music production for the USC Thornton School of Music as the concert manager. I know that I love live performance and working in a live entertainment environment. I’m always working to develop new skills and I am currently pursuing a Master’s Degree at USC Annenberg School. I’m not sure what is next, but I’m always looking and I’m always ready for an adventure.

DESCRIBE YOUR BEST USC MEMORY: The first football game I stayed all the way through to the end. I went to school during the majority of the Bush-Leinart years and winning by more than 25 points was the style – most people left at half-time or just after. I had just met this guy who played trumpet and he told me I should stay and watch the half time show. I actually told him I never did and I had no interest in staying. He said you should really stay. So, I did stay. At the top of the half time show he was introduced by Dennis Packard (voice of the Coliseum) as the featured soloist with the Trojan Marching Band. It was quite a shock! I stayed for the whole thing. We’ve been together 6 years since – he is now Dr. Walt Simonsen, an Assistant Director for the Trojan Marching Band, Music Faculty at East LA College, and is still a world class trumpet player (he’s played everywhere and still does). After the game I was on the field to see the post game show up close near Dr. Bartner.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE LA HOT SPOT? Urth Caffee, Inteligensia, Jones Coffee, The Counter, Whole Foods, Wurstkuche, La Grande Orange, Café Linda’s, Russell’s, Dish, Marston’s, Dumpling House, Full House, Verdugo Bar (my last 3 birthdays were spent here), Lucky Baldwins, Library Bar, Varnish, Wine Detective, and the Staples Center (for Lakers' games).

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? Yes! I have an adorable pup named Duple (short for Duple-Meter). For all of the music nerds out there – it’s funny, right? His name is a musical term. We adopted him from the Pasadena Humane Society, which I can’t say enough good things about as we had an amazing experience there. 

FINISH THIS STATEMENT: I'D RATHER BE ... golfing, performing, sailing, wine tasting, traveling and seeing the world.

TJA'S MOTTO IS FRIENDSHIP, LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP ... HOW ARE THESE IDEALS A PART OF YOUR LIFE? I spend time helping students I meet at USC work on their resumes, and give career advice. Some of my concert assistants have gone on to be producers for local music festivals and others have followed their passion for teaching. One is teaching AIDS education in Tanzania.

Women Dominated at the 2011 Women's Conference

Last Friday, March 11th marked the 3rd Annual Women's Conference held at USC.  A whole day dedicated to expressing, encouraging and inspiring the women who attended, Trojan Junior Auxiliary was lucky enough to have several ladies participate in it's message.

The day started off with check-in and a very well-stocked breakfast in front of Bovard Auditorium.  Ladies were treated to a gift-bag featuring a Trader's Joe bag made up in USC colours, a bottle of water, a beautifully bound journal, pens, mints and an assortment of other coupons, flyers and pamphlets.  TJA was able to secure a place in those gift bags too, with a flyer detailing our group, and more importantly, our Benefit coming up on April 29th.

TJA President Janine was asked to be on the host committee for the Women's Conference this year and as a result, she got to work behind the scenes and help plan the event.  Above, you can see her working the gift-bag table with a fellow host committee member.

The event began with a wonderful key-note speaker, Janet Evans.  Janet, an Olympian long-distance swimmer, gave a compelling and inspirational speech on her time at the Olympics and what it took to become a champion.  Her speech was very well-received by the 700+ women attending the event and started off the day on a great note.

Attendees of the conference then attended one workshop session during the morning.  Sessions included topics like Leadership, Career Development, Women's Health, Financial Strategies, and Beauty, Nutrition and Wellness.  After a healthy lunch at Town and Gown (where attendees were presented with a super-cute bracelet courtesy of Cookie Lee), it was time for the afternoon session of workshops.  Finally the day ended with an inspiration panel followed by a champagne reception.

Above are just a few of TJA's attendees enjoying the lush dessert buffet and drinks as well as a beauty station featuring product from L'Oreal and a live band.  Then came the highlight of the reception, the raffle.  Women could fill out a survey on the details of the conference or a networking Bingo sheet and were rewarded with a raffle ticket in which they could try and win items such as a leather handbag, an eBook, or an HD Flip Camera.

Well.  Needless to say, TJA cleaned up:

TJA Member Nancy was the first to win the coveted HD Flip Camera, which was beyond awesome!

And Membership Chair Michelle managed to snag an awesome makeup kit with a Mardi Gras theme!

All in all, the Women's Conference was a very memorable time and the ladies that participated deemed it a good experience.  Thanks to Danielle and the entire staff at the Alumni Association for pulling off what was an extraordinary task!  We hope that you'll join TJA again next year in attending this event!

The USC Alumni Career Fair

The USC Career Planning & Placement Center and the USC Alumni Association, in partnership with MyWorkster, a national collegiate networking firm, are proud to host the very first alumni career fair at USC, designed to place you face-to-face with nearly 50 top employers.

Friday, March 18, 2011 • 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

USC Ronald Tutor Campus Center, Grand Ballroom (lower level)

3607 Trousdale Parkway • Los Angeles, CA 90089

Click here to register.

Save the Date!

It's hard to believe but TJA's annual benefit is almost here. To raise funds for scholarship and celebrate our 75^th Anniversary, the Diamond Jubilee is set for April 29, 2011, 8PM, at Yamashiro Hollywood (1999 Sycamore Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90068).

The gala event will feature dinner, casino-style gaming, including Blackjack, Poker, and Craps, a silent auction and exciting prize drawings, all highlighted by the unique atmosphere of Yamashiro Hollywood. Past auction items have included theme park tickets and premium gift baskets. All proceeds will support the academic careers of outstanding USC Junior and Senior women.

Janine Coleman, TJA president called the event “the highlight of our year.” “We put so much time and effort into the event, and the amount of money we raise varies anywhere from $4,000 to $14,000,” she added.

For ticket pricing, to purchase tickets, or for more information, visit usctja.com/benefit by April 15.