Coming from a dedicated family of Trojan alumni, I was destined to become a Trojan. Beginning my search for a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential/Master’s in Teaching combination program, I knew that finding a program that fit my time constraints would be difficult. I was coaching high school basketball, working two other jobs and going to school. When I first learned …
Archive for the ‘Student Voices’ Category
Graduate Spotlight: Shayna Markwongnark | Covina, CA
I am a 28-year-old Trojan who never thought she would hold a master’s degree from a school as prestigious as the University of Southern California. Raised by my traditional Mexican mother and strong-spirited Thai father, my childhood was everything but dull. My youth was filled with rich cultural experiences and surrounded by love. As a first generation college student, my …
Graduate Spotlight: Karla Pasos | Los Angeles, CA
It’s hard to believe that my journey through the MAT@USC has reached its end. It seems like only yesterday I was sitting in a cubicle working as an Account Executive for an advertising agency in Los Angeles contemplating how much more fulfilling it would be to pursue my passion for teaching. Admittedly, the thought of starting a new career was …
Student Spotlight: Lee DiGeorge | Queens, NY
Frustrated with online universities, I wanted to get my master’s from a brick-and-mortar school. This would be tough. I’m currently a New York City public school teacher, a new father and an overall man about town; going to a brick-and-mortar would lead to some incredible sacrifices — ones I was not going to make.
Serendipity called my name. One of my …
Student Spotlight: Jenny Ma | Detroit, MI
Shortly after earning my bachelor’s, I felt a tremendous urgency to join the fight against the achievement gap by becoming this battle’s strongest soldier: a teacher. I stepped into the inner-city Detroit classroom that I would call home for my first year of teaching as a Teach for America corps member. I came to appreciate the notion that the quality …

