USD Magazine Summer 2008

C H A M P I O N S

T H E S T O R Y A LWAY S O L D A N D A LWAY S N E W . CONTENTS F E A T U R E S

22 / PUP I L POWER A glimpse into the lives of wildly disparate undergradu- ates proves that variety is the spice of life. Meet Sum- mer Buckley, who takes an active STAND on campus against genocide; Joshua Hamilton, the comeback kid who’s overcome illness and turned his attention to help- ing others; and Hiermona Tesfamicael, a go-getter who thrives on multi-tasking.

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20 / THE WAY THE BALL BOUNCES Ruminations on this grand and glor ious season, when the men’s and women’s basketball teams kept Torero spir it alive across the nation and we were all so proud we thought we just might burst. And don’t miss our twin cut-out WCC trophies on the inside front and back covers.

C L A S S N O T E S

D R E A M J O B S A R E N O A C C I D E N T.

CLASS NOTES 32 / On Top of the World

Hanging out with celebrities and going to glitzy parties is all in a day’s work for MTV event planner Matthew Van Houten ’04.

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39 / Competition is Her Middle Name What makes Tara Ardalan ’02 leap out of bed with a smile on her face and a spring in her step? Horses, of course. 46 / Budgets Without Borders Is there such a thing as a glamorous career in number- crunching? You bet. Just ask Jason Orlando ’94, interna- tional budget nerd.

ALUMNI UPDATE 16 / That Attitude of Gratitude Forging a connection between alumni and students benefits both, leading to a synergistic give and take.

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