Kash Amos will speak during the university’s main commencement ceremony Thursday in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It’s a familiar venue for Amos, a member of the USC football team. (Photo/Courtesy of Kash Amos)
Student commencement speaker ready to show his ‘superpower’: ‘Making other people happy and bringing in the energy’
COMMENCEMENT: Football helped USC Annenberg senior transfer student Malique “Kash” Amos become a charismatic leader.
The first time Malique “Kash” Amos walked onto USC’s University Park Campus, the then-Fullerton College freshman immediately began visualizing himself as a Trojan.
“I remember thinking, ‘Oh, this is the real deal,’” Amos said. “I began having this whole conversation with myself and wondering what I could do with all the resources that USC provides. If I was fortunate enough to come here, I could just imagine what I could become.”
One thing the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism senior has become is this year’s student commencement speaker at the universitywide ceremony to be held Thursday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
“It was like a waterfall of emotions when I found out that I was chosen,” said Amos, a defensive tackle on the USC football team.
Making the most of his Trojan experience
Earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication and playing on the football team have only been two aspects of Amos’ remarkable Trojan experience.
He has served as a USC Annenberg Ambassador, a Student-Athlete Senate liaison and a Dean’s Transfer Scholar, and is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society. Amos has also partnered with USC Athletics and USC Shoah Foundation to advance mental health awareness, student-athlete well-being and social-impact initiatives.
He plans to return to USC in the fall to begin work on a master’s degree in social entrepreneurship from the USC Marshall School of Business in hopes of someday building platforms that merge athletics, media and service.
“I feel like my superpower is making other people happy and bringing in the energy,” he said. “I want to do everything. I want to be on TV. I want to be on a billboard. I want to give back. I want to have a nonprofit. I want to do every single thing.”
Andrew T. Guzman, USC’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, said Amos “embodies the spirit of what we hope every USC graduate strives to become: an accomplished scholar, a dedicated leader and a force for positive change.”
“From his remarkable academic journey to his commitment to mentorship, mental health advocacy and community impact, Kash has consistently used his voice and experiences to uplift others,” Guzman added. “We are proud to have him represent the Trojan community as this year’s commencement speaker, and we look forward to the inspiration he will share with our graduates and their families.”
Learning to find his voice
While he has established himself as a rousing public speaker and even hosted last year’s Juneteenth celebration at USC, Amos was so quiet as a child that preschool teachers were quick to categorize him as nonverbal.
His mother, Monique Amos, knew better and was steadfast in her belief in her son’s ability to communicate.
“I just didn’t talk, and there were some of these labels being thrown around,” Amos said. “My mom was like, ‘No. He talks to me.’ As I got older, I eventually realized people cared what I had to say and that my voice matters.”
Amos gained confidence in his ability to connect with others by playing sports — especially football — while growing up on Chicago’s South Side.
“Being in sports, I was always a leader,” he said. “People were listening to me whenever I did decide to talk.”
Honoring his late brother
When Amos delivers his commencement speech inside the Coliseum on Thursday, his circumstances will be far different from two years ago, when he served as the student speaker at the Fullerton College commencement.
That 2024 ceremony took place on the same day as the funeral in Chicago for his older brother, Eric, who passed away from a brain aneurysm. Amos ultimately chose to give his speech.
“People said, ‘[Eric] would want you to speak, and if you do it, you honor him,’” Amos said.
Now that he has a chance to make his family proud once more, Amos hopes to make the most of his speech to his fellow Trojans.
“There are many people in my class, and we might look different and have different backgrounds or cultures, but I want to say something that relates to them and resonates,” he said. “If I can impact somebody’s day and make it better, that’s a good thing.”
A nontraditional path to USC
Amos moved to Southern California from Chicago to play football at Whittier College. Early into his first semester at the private college, the school canceled several of its athletic programs — including football, which had been a sport there for more than 100 years.
Amos was stunned, but he remained focused on his coursework and developed a new plan.
“I had moved my whole life to California with six suitcases and a lot of baggage fees, and they cancelled football,” he said.
Amos switched to Fullerton College for the spring semester of his freshman year and joined its football team. His new coaches allowed him to skip one of his spring practices to take a tour of USC that would change his life.
“If you wait your turn and be patient, keep your head down and be consistent, you will get your flowers one day,” he said. “You may not know when it’s going to come, but keep watering your flowers. It’s going to happen.”
