University of San Diego Magazine 75th Anniversary 2024

inspired and meaningful lives

S tudents who attend classes taught by Leeva Chung, PhD, learn much more than communication and theory. They walk away with lessons they can apply to their future employment, relationships and personal growth. Calling it a shark-tank approach, or organized chaos, Chung incorporates experiential learning into her classes, where students develop solutions for real-world clients. A professor at the university since 1998, Chung’s teaching style began to evolve when she served on the board as a founding member of the San Diego Asian Film Festival. The festival started at USD in 1999. Six years later, Chung wanted to market the event back to USD and the greater San Diego community. With the help of Lee Ann Kim, former executive director, her small group communication class took on the challenge. “My biggest mantra is how do we support, understand and respect others whose lives are different from our own?” she said. To facilitate that, she divided the class into five groups. Each team then created marketing ideas for the film festival. The winning slogan, Go Asian, played on Go Greek, a popular slogan at the university at the time. That experience inspired Chung and her students. “I ended up working closely with my alumni

who were part of that class,” she said. Her former students now act as mentors, sounding boards and advocates, bringing new projects to her classroom. And her current students learn what it feels like when actual stakes are involved. It’s a lot like real life — success often comes from not getting it right the first time. And collaborating with others reveals the good, the bad and the ugly. Over the years, Chung’s students have tackled many more projects, such as data collection and campaigns for the City of San Diego’s Pure Water San Diego program. The project idea came from Daniel McArdle Jaimes ‘05 (BA), a former student of Chung’s, at Katz and Associates, a public relations firm that helps the City of San Diego raise awareness about water usage. When the project wrapped up, the winning team received a paid internship at the PR firm. It was also a resume boost for every student who participated; each got a signed letter of appreciation from the City of San Diego. “My goal, in every single class I teach, is there has to be some form of talking with, because it’s really about the self first and students understanding who they are,” Chung said. “It’s an inspiring challenge to make sure that what students are learning can be used not just in the classroom, but also for the rest of their lives.” •

We are committed to preparing our students to lead inspired and meaningful lives. We work closely with students — in the classroom and beyond — to expand their capacity to think critically, to solve complex problems, to use data and technology responsibly, and to express informed insights with courage and conviction.

– Bonnie Nicholls