In celebration of Valentine’s Day, we asked Scott and Jo Ann East, to weigh in on their experience as MAT@USC students. As a married couple, they had the unique experience of learning and growing together in the program. 
Twenty five years ago on February 8th, we went on our first date as undergrads studying psychology and economics; we never thought we’d fall in love due to our equally slightly overbearing personalities and drive to succeed that did not seem to include each other in any long term capacity. However, there is no accounting for Cupid’s arrow. Today, as we both endeavor to explore the academics in the MAT@USC, the love we have for each other and for our two daughters continues to grow and is the basis for our academic and personal success. In retrospect, we realize that our love for each other is founded upon a strong trusting friendship tempered by patience and seasoned with an equal appreciation of each other’s large and small successes in life. Interestingly enough, these are some of the same characteristics the MAT@USC strives to imbue in its teachers.
We are still in the classroom in the MAT@USC on the anniversary of our first date. Our love for learning is just as strong as the first day we met and our passion for each other still burns as bright, perhaps even brighter as every class we take at USC helps us teach our daughters, Madison and Kennedy, the value in being a life long learner while making deadlines and handling stress in a positive way as a family and not a solitary person. Our investment in time and effort at USC is also an investment in our children’s future as they grow within our Trojan family to understand commitments towards helping others and adapting ideas to find creative solutions, whether in the classroom, community, or on the athletic field.
Although our relationship is far from perfect as we occasionally stumble through life, we know that when February comes we will be searching for that unique card for each other, trying not to buy too much candy, and getting ready to buy our USC season football tickets next to Delta Chi fraternity brothers as we have done for 13 years. Our family love is intertwined with our love for USC and the MAT@USC continues to grow in our hearts through friendships, experiences in the classroom, and laughing at the end of a hard day’s studies when we take a few moments to have some fun with our girls.
