Fall 2014 Class Notes
Alumni - Fall 20141960s
[1961]
MARY DUGAN (BA) celebrated one year as a grant writer at College & Community Fellowship, which supports formerly incarcerated women in attending college, achieving degrees and developing leadership skills. Since 2000, women benefiting from the program have … Read More
Ms. De Lara Goes to Washington
Alumni, Student Success - Fall 2014WHAT ONE OF USD’s FIRST D.C. INTERNS LEARNED
When Michelle (De Lara) Ibarra arrived in the nation’s capital, the sweltering heat registered in the 90s. The air was heavy — not just with a humidity that … Read More
Changemaking. Personified.
Alumni - Fall 2014The art of written correspondence lives on. Last February, USD President Mary E. Lyons, PhD, received a missive that epitomized the spirit of a true Changemaker:
Dear Mary:
I received the USD Magazine … Read More
The Ocean, So Blue
Alumni - Fall 2014SHARK CONSERVATION PARAMOUNT FOR ALUMNA
Jill Hepp’s love affair with sharks began in the crystalline waters of Belize. There, less than a year removed from USD — and in the midst of a Peace Corps stint — she was … Read More
Meet Kim Cupini
Athletics - Fall 2014AGE: 33
HOMETOWN: Rochester, NY.
SUPERLATIVES: A five-time West Coast Conference (WCC) coach of the year in women’s rowing, Cupini led the Toreros to the program’s first-ever NCAA National Championships appearance in 2014. As a three-time … Read More
Exactly Opposite
Athletics - Fall 2014EXCEPTIONAL USD RECEIVERS THRIVE ON THEIR DIFFERENCES
If you’ve spent any time at Torero Stadium over the past few seasons watching USD football’s prolific passing attack wreak havoc on opposing defenses, consider yourself fortunate. After all, … Read More
Closing the Gap
Student Success - Fall 2014VETERAN’S CENTER SERVES THOSE WHO SERVE US
For the better part of three decades, Laura Paquian earned her stripes as an educational counselor and career coach in the United States Navy. Along the way, she learned how … Read More
Family Legacy
Academic Excellence - Fall 2014Martin Dickinson links generations through civic pride
For some, retirement brings long-anticipated time to rest and reflect on a life well lived. For Martin Dickinson, retirement definitely opened up time, but not for rest. In fact, after more … Read More
Curious Beasts
Academic Excellence - Fall 2014MAJOR PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN BRITISH MUSEUM AND USD
The British are coming! And they’re bringing rhinos, tigers and all manner of beasts with them to USD. This fall, the university will begin a five-year partnership with the revered … Read More
Idealism Into Practicum
Alumni, Student Success - Fall 2014CAMPUS CONSORTIUM LAYS GROUNDWORK FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
The ideas were plentiful, the energy was intense and the collective mood was downright ebullient. Colorful post-it notes covered the walls, making a sort of inspirational patchwork quilt: “Watching students grow/… Read More
Step One: Save a 204-year-old financial icon
Alumni - Fall 2014STEP TWO: BOW OUT GRACEFULLY
The day Liam McGee took charge at Hartford Financial Services Group — Oct. 1, 2009 — he was facing one of the toughest rescue operations in the annals of the financial crisis. The job was to save … Read More
Into the Amazon: Up Close with the Achuar People
Alumni - Fall 2014The Pastaza and Kawapi Rivers in Ecuador come together near the border of Peru. At their confluence, fresh water pink dolphins rise to the surface and nod their heads, as if to say hello. Nearby, toucans and parrots eat clay … Read More