From Price staff reports
USC Price School of Public Policy graduate student Thomas DeLorenzo was honored at the 2013 USC Community Service Awards Dinner at Town & Gown in April, receiving the Extraordinary Engagement Award in recognition of his exemplary work in the community.
After 15 years as an entertainment publicist, DeLorenzo – a master of public policy student at USC Price – decided that there was more to life than red carpets. He also decided that celebrities were not the only ones who could use freebies, and so Swag For Good was born.
Swag For Good collects products that would have been given to celebrities, and instead gives them as Christmas presents to residents of the hospice at the San Antonio AIDS Foundation. This caught the attention of the New York Times, and DeLorenzo was named Unsung Hero in the Battle Against HIV/AIDS.
DeLorenzo was recently appointed to the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV. In addition, he speaks regularly at various colleges, and is a contributor to both the HuffingtonPost.com and the HIV/AIDS site, TheBody.com. In 2011, he was appointed by the City of West Hollywood to its Disability Advisory Board. DeLorenzo’s other awards include the San Antonio AIDS Foundation’s “Angel of the Year,” Instinct Magazine’s “Inspirational Man of the Month,” and Hofstra University’s Alumna of the Month.
Since starting at USC, DeLorenzo has interned for the multinational law firm of Holland & Knight, and is currently an intern at Inner City Law Center, working with their HIV-positive clients. After graduation, DeLorenzo plans to work in government and help change the healthcare system.
DeLorenzo credits the Price School with providing him “inspiration and motivation.”
“My fellow colleagues continue to amaze me and constantly expand my knowledge in ways I never expected,” he said.
DeLorenzo was one of six Extraordinary Engagement awardees, who were selected independently by each participating school.