Scholarships!

Scholarship is a central mission of TJA. Every year we give out a number of scholarships to USC women with outstanding achievements in the classroom and community. "We received 105 applications for 2012-2013, representing a wide cross-section of the student body with many majors and involvement in numerous student organizations.

Here's a look at the process of selecting this year's finalists, from Scholarship Chair Katie K.

"The process of selecting the recipients got underway last month. A group of TJA ladies came together to read through each application. The application read-throughs are a wonderful way for the TJA membership to not only be a part of the scholarship process, but to learn about what current USC women are involved with. Every year the applicants impress us with their awards, activities and accomplishments, and this year was no exception. Special thanks to TJA member Maggie Habib for hosting the event in her home!

"The scholarship read-throughs continued at our February meeting. Once all the applications were read by the Scholarship Chair and two other TJA members we narrowed the pool down to 15 women who we invited to come in for an interview.

"Interviews took place over three nights on the USC campus in the Alumni Association offices. During these interviews candidates shared what they were doing at USC. Each of the 15 women we spoke with was very impressive! We definitely had our work cut out for us in deciding which of the 15 women would get a scholarship.

"It was so inspiring to hear what these women are doing at USC and makes us all want to be undergrads again. Good luck to all our applicants and big THANK YOU to the TJA members who participated in the scholarship read-throughs and interviews."

March Meeting Madness

Last week's meeting was another busy one for TJA.

The annual benefit is coming up May 5, and planning for our Casino de Mayo on the rooftop at TENTEN Wilshire is well underway. Members were inspired to get to work on the Cinco de Mayo inspired event with dinner from Freebirds World Burrito. Plans for refreshments and decor are moving forward along with PR efforts, so stay tuned as details are finalized!

Also at the meeting, some of the ladies who attended the USC Women's Conference shared their experience and Scholarship Chair Katie K. announced that the final TJA Scholarship recipients have been  selected, pending approval from the university. More details to come on both the Women's Conference and scholarships.

Finally, the process of selecting the 2012-2013 Board is underway. Nominations were due March 16.

TJA 2012-2013: Calling Potential Board Members

It's that time ladies. Nominations for 2012-2013 TJA leadership are due. Here's a quick look at some of the board positions. More details are available in the TJA bylaws. Which position are you interested in?

A. President: The President presides at all general meetings and represents the organization as liaison between the Alumnae Coordinating Council (“ACC”) and TJA. 

B. President-Elect: The President-Elect is essentially the right-hand-woman for the President, set to fill the role of President in the next term. If an office of the board is vacant, she is responsible for the duties of that office, or delegating them to other board members.

C. Vice-President in Charge of Benefit(s): The Vice-President in Charge of Benefit(s) is the lead in planning the annual benefit.

D. Vice-President in Charge of Programs: The Vice-President in Charge of Programs handles planning for all meetings and programs, including arranging speakers and meals.

E. Treasurer: The Treasurer handles all financial matters.

F. Secretary: Keeps meeting minutes and handles all corespondence and history for the group.

G.Public Relations: The Public Relations liason handles coodinating all outreach including maintaining the TJA Blog, Facebook page, and all other social media and press releases when applicable.

H. Scholarship Chairperson: The Scholarship Chairperson oversees the scholarship selection process.

I. Patrons Chairperson: The Patrons Chairperson maintains communication with Patrons and potential donors.

J. Special Projects Chairperson: The Special Projects Chairperson selects, organizes and supervises all fundraising activities, most notably Homecoming.

K. Membership Chairperson: The Membership Chairperson maintains an active list of members and attendance, and oversees recruitment events.

L. Social Chairperson: The Social Chairperson organizes all "fun" events for the group.

L. Parliamentarian: The Parliamentarian (Past President) is a sounding board for the President and serves as the Chairperson of the Bylaws and Nominating Committees.

Trojan SCupper Success!

Last month marked an exciting new experience for TJA; our first opportunity to participate in Trojan SCuppers!

Organized by Society 53, the student outreach program of the USC Alumni Association, SCuppers are an annual series of dinner parties that match current students with alumni volunteer hosts. Dinners usually include 10-15 students and have grown since their inaugural year in 2009 to now include 41 locations and and over 650 students in attendance.

Since this was our first one, we opted to partner the USC Alumni Association's Young Alumni Council, which was established in 2008 to keep alumni connected, engaged and involved in their first 10 years after graduation through sponsoring programs and events that promote interaction with other alumni and the wider university community. Together with the Young Alumni Council, we hosted a group of current USC students for dinner at the beautiful Widney Alumni House on Sunday, February 12. Twenty-five current USC students joined with 5 TJA members and 10 representatives of the Young Alumni Council for a wonderful evening of networking, conversation, italian food and cardinal and gold cupcakes!

TJA members Carina Jacob, Ashley Cooper, Megan Scott, Katie Kramer and Jaymie Robinson enjoyed participating and getting to know the current students. Carina shared that many of the students were seeking career advice and really wanted to know how to maximize the Trojan network to secure a job upon graduating. Megan felt that it was a great way to stay connected to the university by knowing what current students were involved in, and to be accessible as a future resource. All of us shared our unique experiences as USC alumnae and of course conveyed our enthusiasm for Trojan Junior Auxiliary!

We all agreed that it was a wonderful event and that Trojan Junior Auxiliary should host our own SCupper for 2013. We're looking forward to it already!