By Cristy Lytal
Brigid Kelly, a senior at the USC Price School of Public Policy, has earned a coveted position: President of Society 53, the leadership board for the Student Alumni Society (SAS) and the official student outreach program of the USC Alumni Association.
“As the leadership board for the Student Alumni Society, I truly believe that this is the best way that I can give back to the Trojan Family,” she said. “And being president is something that has been a goal of mine since I was part of the new member class.”
Named in honor of the 53 students who formed USC’s first student body in 1880, Society 53 organizes programming and events for SAS, the student organization dedicated to strengthening Trojan Family ties with the more than 380,000 alumni worldwide. Members of Society 53 also serve as the official student ambassadors to the USC Alumni Association. By learning about campus life and history, Society 53 members also serve as stewards of USC traditions and represent the student body at a variety of USC Alumni Association and university events.
“One of the main reasons why I love Society 53 is we’re a really diverse group of students,” said Kelly. “So we have student representation from schools and organizations across campus. It’s a really incredible group of students that are all passionate about giving back to the Trojan Family.”
A native of St. Paul, Minn., Kelly’s own passion for the Trojan Family inspired her to travel nearly 2,000 miles across the country to come to USC. The daughter of an attorney and a teacher, she attended high school at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. Her older brother and sister both went to college at Arizona State University, and she always knew that she wanted to go somewhere with a passionate student body.
“I did the trip from San Diego to San Francisco visiting basically all the schools in between, and a year plus after visiting USC, I couldn’t get it out of my head,” she recalled. “The campus itself and the opportunities, particularly within Price, were very attractive to me, and I could very much picture myself being happy and really flourishing at a place like USC.”
During that first visit to USC, she and her parents took the time to relax at a table at the Ronald Tutor Campus Center. Her parents encouraged her to pause and listen to the conversations around her.
“It was in that moment that I realized I wanted to see myself being part of those conversations at this incredible university,” she said. “Every time my parents visit, we grab a cup of coffee and return to that table in the Campus Center. It’s a really special tradition for us.”
After being awarded USC’s prestigious Trustee Scholarship, she found a home away from home at USC Price.
“I often joke and say that Los Angeles is my very own study abroad experience because it’s so different from the Midwest,” she said.
Kelly is pursuing the Public Policy and Law track of the Bachelor of Science in Policy, Planning and Development, and a progressive Master of Public Administration degree. Her academic interests focus on the issue of homelessness and community structures, inspired by professors including Todd Gish, Pamela McCann, Art Auerbach and Diane Yoder.
“Price has provided this incredible home base for me to really be able to understand how communities work and how teams work together, which has then encouraged me to take on different leadership positions as well,” Kelly said.
Putting those leadership skills into action, she began attending SAS events as soon as she arrived at USC, and applied and won a spot in Society 53 during the spring semester of her freshman year. She quickly distinguished herself as a leader of the organization, which has rapidly expanded its programming over the past several years.
As a sophomore, she served as director of mentorship, responsible for pairing students with alumni mentors and planning and executing the events associated with the mentorship program. As a junior, she took on the role of vice president of membership development, overseeing everything from the mentorship program to member-based events. During her senior year, she will serve as president, having been selected and hired by the Alumni Association.
“It’s extremely difficult to get into Society 53,” said Carl Alameda MPA ’05, MPL ’06, current chair of the USC Board of Governors Student Outreach Committee, who works as a senior management analyst for the City of La Canada Flintridge. “It’s the university’s brightest and most involved students. This is a big honor to be elected as president of the group.”
According to Carol Rush, associate dean for student affairs and enrollment management at USC Price, it is also an honor for not only Kelly, but also Kelly’s school.
“We are thrilled at Brigid’s election as president,” Rush said. “It reflects the caliber of students in the Price School and the ability Price students have to work with multiple constituent groups. The leadership, organization, presentation and community building skills that students learn in the Price School are the skills that would make a student an effective leader of Society 53.”
As the incoming president, Kelly plans to enhance the organization’s existing programming, including Alumni Life Chats, Trojan SCuppers, speaker panels, networking nights, and mentorship and education programs.
“I think that it’s going to be important for us to really focus on growing the programming that we do have and to further engage more people as a part of the Student Alumni Society,” she said. “One of the best ways to show people and help people engage with the Trojan Family is through a lot of our events. That is, of course, one of my goals: To make sure that the people who are interested in participating have access to those programs.”
Kelly has also served as co-leader in the hunger and homelessness initiative for the USC chapter of CalPIRG, a group dedicated to research, education and advocacy around policy issues affecting the lives of Californians. And, she worked as a tour guide in the USC Admission Center, as well as a vice president in USC’s chapter of Delta Gamma.
Kelly will put this extensive leadership experience to good use as the president of Society 53, which embodies her favorite qualities about USC.
“I wanted to help lead this organization because it really has shown me the breadth and the depth of the very real and very genuine Trojan Family,” she said. “One of the greatest things I’ve taken away from being part of the organization and attending the events is just seeing the strength and the generosity of the Trojan Family. I’m very excited to serve as an ambassador to our incredible USC Alumni Association and to continue to help students connect with alumni.”