USD Magazine Spring 2026

AUTHOR E. HUGHES CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Matthew Dominick ’05 (BS/BA) NASA Astronaut and U.S. Navy Commander Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering When Dominick came to USD as an ROTC student, an instructor gave him an assignment: take a look at the course catalog, and plan out your next four years. Dominick was considering political science, but his instructor suggested, based on his test scores, that he look into engineering. The incoming first-year was puzzled. He didn’t want to be an engineer. “I said ‘I don’t want to drive trains,’” Dominick recalled. “I didn’t have that touchpoint in my life to explain that [being an engineer] was a thing.” He went back to his dorm, began looking up electrical engineering classes and fell in love immediately. The next week, he said, he was an electrical engineering major, and never looked back. “Had that person not jumped into my life at that point, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Period.” Today, he’s back on Earth, months after piloting a rocket into space, where he and his crew had an extended stay aboard the International Space Station. As he visits his alma mater, though, he’s transported back to that time of excitement and exploration as an engineering undergrad. His favorite part of coming back to USD is connecting with students. “Taking my jacket off, going up (to a student) and saying ‘Hey, dude, what are you working on?’”

Kathy Shadle James ’85 (MSN) ’91 (DNSc) Family and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, Researcher and Retired Professor of Nursing Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science When James graduated from the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science in 1991, it wasn’t long before she was presented with a unique opportunity. “We were just beginning the Nurse Practitioner program at USD, so the dean asked me if I would be interested in teaching,” she recounted. “I ended up teaching for 25 years.” James, a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and an international fellow of the World Obesity Federation, has dedicated her career to health education and improving the quality of life for underserved families. While working as a USD faculty member, she was also able to start her own practice, which helped patients dealing with the challenges of obesity. There, she was able to combine her passions. She treated patients in need and mentored the many USD students who walked through the clinic’s doors. “That was very important to me,” said James, who, in retirement, still mentors USD’s nurse practitioner students. “As you’re developing yourself along the way, don’t forget that you were mentored one time and how important it is to make that person feel supported.”

Frederick Schenk ’78 (JD) Managing Partner, Schenk Law Firm School of Law

Many USD alumni look at their network of peers as an extension of their family. For Schenk, though, it’s more than figurative. He’s the managing partner of a law firm he formed with his son, Benjamin Schenk ’20 (JD), and with his sister, the Honorable Lynn A. Schenk ’70 (JD). One of his daughters received her master’s from USD’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences, his other daughter is a second year student at the School of Law and his late brother-in-law was a professor at USD. “We are truly a Torero family. I’m deeply honored and moved,” he said. Schenk loves what he does. Growing up and watching Perry Mason , he dreamed of being a trial lawyer. Since graduating from USD, he’s taken great pride in fighting for the people he represented. One of his proudest achievements was taking on Big Tobacco and coming out on top. That lawsuit, filed on behalf of then-Lt. Gov. Gray Davis, helped achieve a multi billion dollar settlement for Californians. “Take advantage of your opportunities, and use them for good,” Schenk said.

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