University of San Diego Magazine - Fall 2025

TOREROS MAKING WAVES

“Living in the mountains, [climbing] definitely

Weaving Fashion, Sustainability and Social Impact Jessica Schwartz ’24 (MA) is only 25 years old, but has already made a name for herself in the sustainable fashion world. Schwartz is a graduate of the University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies and the founder of ReHumanize, an upcycled clothing brand that hopes to repair the relationship between people and the environment through sustainable fashion. The company reroutes textiles from landfills and transforms them into something new. Her first clothing collection was made from reworked, discarded neckties. ReHumanize emerged from Schwartz’s frustration with the amount of waste in the fashion industry. It was something she

witnessed firsthand during her visits to Goodwill bins. “Seeing the scale of clothes and waste was just beyond anything I could have really pictured,” she said. “The bins are the last stop before the landfill. That’s when I thought, I think I see a business model here.” Her interest in fashion, however, began much earlier. “My family is very scientific, and I was always the odd one out. I was very creative and kind of isolated in that,” Schwartz said. “But my grandma was an art collector — super creative and super into fashion, and very scrappy and thrifty. I really admired that. So, my dream was always to do something through clothes and fashion.” But it wasn’t until her time at the Kroc School that Schwartz realized she could merge her creativity with her desire to create social impact. Through her master’s degree in social innovation and her work with USD’s Changemaker Hub, she learned how business and social good can go hand in hand. “I wasn’t really sure it was possible, but the program was really transformational for me,” she said. “It showed me how businesses and big ideas of social change

resonated with me. I always thought it was cool that these climbers could almost touch the edge of space.” — Blake Higgins

can not only not be oppositional, but actually quite complementary.” From there, she began zeroing in on where she could make the most impact. “I really narrowed down on the issue of overproduction and overconsumption, and how it ties into our society in terms of our relationship with the planet or relationship with each other,” Schwartz said. Schwartz began experimenting with fashion by learning how to sew on her roommate’s sewing machine, and by buying secondhand fabric and clothing from Etsy and thrift stores. ReHumanize officially incorporated in January and quickly made an impact. A few months later, Schwartz debuted the brand at a Los Angeles Climate Week event, where her clothing collection nearly sold out. “It was great to see people really resonate with the mission of the brand, as well as the clothes themselves,” she said. As she grows her brand, Schwartz is driven by a larger purpose of using fashion as a platform for change. “I really want to show the potential of clothes to be more than just something we wear, but something with a social statement,” she said. “I think fashion holds that power to be the voice of a generation and to create social impact.” — Cameran Zech

Summit Goals Blake ’08 (BA) and Callie ’11 (BA) Higgins might not consider themselves explorers, but the list of mountain peaks they’ve summited together is impressive evidence of the Vail couple’s passion for undertaking some of nature’s most arduous physical feats. Together, the couple — both University of San Diego alumni — have climbed many 14,000-foot mountains in Colorado (14ers), volcanoes in South America and some of the world’s highest peaks, including Alaska’s Mount McKinley (Denali), the highest mountain in North America. And on May 23, Blake became one of roughly 900 Americans who have successfully summited the highest peak in the world — Mount Everest. Located in the Himalaya Mountain Range, the mountain’s tallest point stands at an elevation of 29,032 feet above sea level. “The experience was both incredible and horrifying. On either side of the Hillary Step the world falls away by one or two miles at a time. It is as breathtaking as it is disorienting and dangerous,” Blake said. Blake and Callie met at USD during Blake’s final semester of undergrad, a time when neither had yet discovered a passion for mountaineering. Blake, now a pediatric dentist, grew up in Vail, Colorado. Callie, a staff scientist and program lead at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), grew up in the North Idaho mountain town of Sandpoint. The couple’s first date was to a

climbing gym and soon after they hiked Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. In the years that followed, their passion for simply being outside led to countless backpacking trips, which turned into a deep love and appreciation for the mountains. “Since the day Blake and I met, we have continuously fed off each other and the fact we could share these experiences together is what has made each backpacking trip and summit so special,” Callie said. The couple married in 2017 and planned an unconventional South American honeymoon around climbing mountains, including Nevado Sajama — the tallest mountain in Bolivia. In 2021, they summited Denali, which stands at 20,308 feet. To date, the pair has summited roughly two dozen mountains. “When you find something so enjoyable and you have a partner to share it with, it’s a pretty incredible way to spend time together while accomplishing some awesome goals,” said Callie. Mentally, climbing mountains can feel like a slog, she admitted. You are walking, and walking, and walking. Our motto has become ‘settle into the suffering’. We never look or see how far we have to go and always underestimate.” With two young kids at home, there are no immediate plans for the couple to climb any mountains, but both Blake and Callie maintain that it’s an integral part of their lives. Next year, they hope to go backpacking in Bugaboo Provincial Park in British Columbia, Callie said. “How blessed are we to adventure on such a miraculous little blue dot — we just want to help encourage our kids, as much as possible, to develop their own deep love of the outdoors and the confidence it fosters.” — Matthew Piechalak

(Left) Jessica Schwartz wearing an upcycled tank top. (Above) Schwartz poses with Professor of Practice Juan Roche during commencement in 2024.

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