1 in 5 community college students report experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles, significantly reducing the odds of their success as they attempt to further their post high school education and build a future career. One community college district recently took action to reduce those odds. Cerritos Community …
Students Make An Impact: Building a South LA COVID-19 Support Network
“I learned about the value of connecting people and organizations with much-needed resources during times of crisis,” reported one student studying towards a master’s degree in preventive medicine and interning with a new south LA project. As the COVID 19 pandemic closed businesses and locked people in their homes …
Once homeless, USC neuroscience grad uses grit and determination to pursue his dreams
by Eric Lindenberg Tenacity and a belief in the power of education helped transfer student Nicholas Chapman build a better life for himself. He wants to become a doctor to give others the same chance. READ MORE.
USC Alumnus is Feeding LA
One USC alumnus from the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work has responded to the crisis of COVID – 19 in a remarkable fashion. Jose Ruiz (MSW’ 2017) had a vision of urban gardens sprinkled all over Metro LA and created an organization called CultivaLA, …
College Student Hunger and Homelessness: The Latest Data
by Matthew Lee A new report from the Hope Center, released this year, details data collected in the last five years from 227 institutions and 330,000 students. It notes that 39% of respondents reported experiencing food insecurity in the last 30 days, 46% of respondents identified housing insecurity in the last year, and …
Making a Difference: Occupational Therapy Fellowships Impact Homeless Healthcare in Los Angeles
by Matthew Lee Student Spotlight Occupational therapy, around for more than 100 years, has often been misunderstood by the public and undervalued by the healthcare industry. Nonetheless, professionally trained occupational therapists actively practice in healthcare and make vital contributions, ensuring patient capacity to live their …
USC Offers Class on Homelessness: How Can We Bring “Everyone In”?
by Kimberly Burwash Trinity, a freshman majoring in public policy, came to the class on homelessness on March 4 to “make sure that my four years at USC are not just about taking from the community, but also giving back.” Along with 25 fellow students …
USC Students Active in Homelessness Count
by Matthew Lee and Brenda Wiewel How it works Clementina Verjan, LA County Homeless Count Coordinator, reports that more than 8,000 volunteers signed up to participate in the largest homeless count in the nation last month (January 2020). Over 250 of them were from USC. …
USC Grad Arranges Food for People Experiencing Homelessness
by Matthew Lee Recent USC graduate, Garey Gan, found a way to turn unique graduation photos at the on-campus Panda Express restaurant into an event and act of service for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles. In May 2019, Gan decided to do something different …
Social Work Student Offers Holiday Treats for Kids
Social work is about helping others and no one can use that help more than children experiencing homelessness. This is the story of Kristie Allison (MSW ‘20), who is studying at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. She who took advantage of a …
2019 Student Excellence in Action Award
The USC tradition of excellence was enhanced in 2019 by remarkable student involvement and contributions, including two students who each invested countless hours toward volunteer work to help people experiencing homelessness. Alec Vandenberg is completing his studies with a dual degree at the Sol Price …
Miracle Messages; The Gift of Family
by Brenda Wiewel & Ben Pack For the past two years, USC students have been helping their homeless neighbors receive a special gift: reconnection to their lost loved ones. The students are part of the class Writing and Critical Reasoning – Community Engagement taught by …