USD Magazine Spring 2021

S t ud e n t op t s t o f i gh t f i r e s du r i ng p and emi c [ h e r o i c ] A L L I N A D A Y ’ S WO R K

continue to be persecuted by injustices in our society.” Navigating a job market during a severe economic downturn is a challenge, but Victoria Holmes ’20 (BA) was undaunted. Her goal was to work as a journalist, but her mother suggested that given these times, she might consider a job in public relations or marketing. Holmes wasn’t so sure. “It wasn’t about finding a job, it was about finding a job I absolutely loved,” she says. After interning at the National Hispanic Institute, whose alumni include New York City Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, she was hired by WNCT-TV, a CBS/CW affiliate in Greenville, North Carolina. “Almost all of my classes pre- pared me to work really hard, to do my best and really take pride in my work,” she says, adding that she particularly appreciated class- es taught by former journalist and Communication Studied Profes- sor of Practice Gina Lew. “USD didn’t prepare me for a job. They prepared me to be a re- al Changemaker in the world,” says Holmes.

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by Mike Sauer

n what has become one of the most eventful years in … well … ever, Claire Graziano ’21 (BS) may have had one of the most eventful summer breaks in … well … ever. Having school and work plans turned completely upside down by a pandemic? Check. Evicted from her San Diego residence because classes were shutting down? Check. Getting food delivered by helicopter while on top of a mountain in North- ern California fighting a blazing wildfire? Check. Wait … what? Strange as it may seem, the last event was by choice. Graziano, an environmental and ocean sciences major who is also a member of USD’s Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, wasn’t going to let COVID-19 prevent her from doing something meaningful with her sudden abundance of downtime. “When I realized I wasn’t really going to be doing much over the summer, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to do something worthwhile,” she says. That “something” was heading north to Oregon to join the Greyback Forestry service, where she would train to become a type-II firefighter in order to help combat the forest fires ravaging the Pacific North- west and California at the time. It’s hard to imagine someone being more capable of handling the challenges of fighting acre- charring infernos in the Califor- nia wilds than the even-keeled Graziano, but she doesn’t see it as a big deal. “There’s always a

C O U R T E S Y O F C L A I R E G R A Z I A N O

fire was. How hot it was when you were close to it. You have to learn to trust the people you’re working with immediately. Not just to get the job done, but to keep each other safe.” Those formative moments left a lasting impact on Graziano, who is ready for her next chal- lenge following graduation: flight school in Pensacola, Flori- da, where she’ll receive the train- ing to hopefully become a heli- copter pilot for the U.S. Navy. “I grew up in a Navy family, and I really loved moving around and seeing new places, and meet- ing new people. Building a career where I can do that for a living sounds amazing.”

need to help. My schedule cer- tainly was open, and I was look- ing for a challenge, so I figured, ‘Why not me?’” Training to fight fires is challenging in the best of times, but Graziano was unable to receive any hands-on training in advance of joining her crew on the fires’ frontlines. That, understandably, can lead to one heck of a stressful first day on the job. “All of the training was virtual, and even in normal circumstanc- es, nothing can prepare you for the first time you come face to face with a fire,” Graziano ex- plains. “The first day I went out, I couldn’t believe how big the

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Spr ing 2021