Trojans, Trojans everywhere

All around the world, Trojans roll deep, and that was no exception when more than 300 Trojan alumni gathered at a scenic rooftop bar in late April for an unforgettable gathering.

Only this party wasn’t taking place in Los Angeles, where these Trojans spent their college years. It was in the heart of New York City, with the Empire State Building and other Manhattan landmarks in full view.

The high-energy occasion was the much-anticipated launch of the USC Alumni Association’s Regional Trojan Networks, with New York being one of 10 regions leading the way.

“Everyone was so excited to be there and meet fellow Trojans,” New York Trojan Network Co-Chair Juliana Roger ’17 said after the event. “The turnout was incredible. It included a wonderful mix of people who were super involved in the past, alumni who hadn’t attended a USC event in years and others who were at a Trojan alumni event for the first time.”

USC President Beong-Soo Kim and Associate Senior Vice President for USC Alumni Relations Erika Jordan ML ’18 announced in the fall that the university was officially launching its Regional Trojan Networks in key cities.

“What makes the Trojan Family lifelong and worldwide is our alumni, who are tethered to the university and to each other,” Jordan says. “The networks are our opportunity to have that infrastructure — a web of Trojans supporting each other and also supporting the university and its students.”

In addition to New York, Regional Trojan Networks have launched in Chicago; Colorado; California’s East Bay; Portland, Ore.; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.

The networks will expand further near the end of 2026 to Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Dallas, Honolulu, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Philadelphia and Phoenix.

The groups aim to raise money for scholarships for local USC students, deliver high-impact career development experiences and volunteer their energy and expertise to community service and other projects.

The networks have also been busy planning and hosting engaging events this summer, including a USC/UCLA rivalry mixer in New York City, a meetup at the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival in Portland, a salsa dance night in Chicago and a summer picnic in Colorado.

“It’s about ensuring that alumni who live in areas with a lot of Trojans are able to connect in a formal way,” Jordan says.

Alumni engagement as a presidential priority

At the New York event, Kim joined Mark McMaster ’86, global head of mergers and acquisitions at the financial advisory and asset management firm Lazard, for a conversation about the university and its future.

“The USC experience extends well beyond graduation,” Kim said. “Our alumni provide an unmatched network that continues to open doors, create opportunity and support lifelong growth.”

He shared how alumni involved in the Regional Trojan Networks can demonstrate to current students and the broader world the lasting value of a USC education.

“The regional networks strengthen the Trojan Family as a lifelong, global community that is more connected, active and locally rooted,” Kim said. “They create real hubs of engagement where Trojans support one another, mentor across generations and stay meaningfully connected to USC.”

Jordan says the networks are designed to create more intentional, structured ways for alumni to contribute their time, expertise and leadership for greater impact through raising funds for scholarships, engaging in community service events and opportunities for networking and socializing.

“Bringing the networks back is going to be one of the crown jewels of the Alumni Association,” Jordan says. “We want to make sure that they are alive and strong for decades to come.”

The critical role of network leaders

Dana Brandsey, the Alumni Association’s director of regional and engagement programs, is working closely with Jordan on the relaunch effort. Brandsey’s team helps volunteers turn their passion into action by providing the resources, support and organizational framework needed to create meaningful impact in their communities.

“We’re helping to create an infrastructure that’s not only scalable, but also creates a program that’s long-lasting,” Brandsey says.

“Trojans show up for each other,” Jordan says. “Trojans hire Trojans. Trojans answer the call when they’re called upon.”

Volunteers are key to network success

Jordan points out that the success of these first 10 networks and the next 10 will depend on strong volunteer leadership.

“We welcome people to raise their hand to be engaged and involved,” she says.

Network leaders are also serving as university ambassadors, as East Bay Trojan Network Co-Chair Stacey Weinberger ’80 recently experienced when she helped welcome guests during a visit by Kim. She had a similar role a few weeks later when Dean James Bullock of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences came to town.

A self-described “shy introvert,” Weinberger says her new role has challenged her to step outside her comfort zone.

“I’m working the room and greeting parents and other alumni, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Where is this coming from?’” says Weinberger, who is making a career pivot from scientific journal publishing to biotech. “I get there, and suddenly I’m very gregarious, I’m very welcoming, I’m on. It’s just been amazing.”

Weinberger began hosting football game watch parties at a local pub in 2022. Last summer, she began hosting hikes for Trojan alumni led by naturalists from the East Bay Regional Parks Foundation.

“The Regional Trojan Networks being formed basically opened up the floodgates for me to do more events,” she says. “I feel like we have more credibility with the Alumni Association behind us.”

The lifelong Trojan Family

Washington, D.C., Co-Chair Samuel Ortega ’16 moved from Seattle to the nation’s capital last fall to work for the U.S. Department of State.

“I felt it was more important than ever to get involved in the USC community in D.C. to show representation matters,” Ortega says, adding that the Washington, D.C., area has been hungry for this kind of official Trojan connection.

“People are craving human conversation in this era of technology, to be a part of something,” says Ortega, an L.A. native who grew up near USC. “When we had our Day of SCervice, we had a lot of people show up who were trying to figure out how to get involved.”

The Washington, D.C., group has the benefit of being in the vicinity of the USC Capital Campus, where they hold their board meetings and connect with other Trojans.

Ortega feels like his current involvement is an extension of the fond memories he has of his time as a student at USC, where he was a resident advisor at the Troy East apartment building and involved in what is now known as the Latine Student Assembly.

“Some of my best friends I made at USC, the ones who I am still in contact with today,” he says. “They are the smartest people, the most networked individuals, hardworking. Every time you meet someone from USC, there’s an immediate bond.”

Learn more and tap into the Regional Trojan Networks here.