Dear Trojan Family,

A few years ago, I returned to USC to discover that my alma mater had become one of the world's leading private research universities.  Beautiful new buildings and fountains now highlight the campus, enhancing the overall feel of vibrant college life.  Today, 26 years after I graduated from USC, our impressive student body learns from world-renowned professors, including a Nobel laureate. Many students have dual majors spanning diverse disciplines; others take advantage of opportunities to study abroad in 52 different countries. Yet the tradition of a national champion football program has remained.

I want to share some important facts that are relevant to both my Asian Pacific (AP) American heritage and USC. One in four USC undergraduate students is of AP descent. The AP alumni base is the largest of all ethnic groups in the Trojan Family, and many have become prominent and successful professionals. Since nearly two-thirds of USC's undergraduate AP students rely on financial aid, the Asian Pacific Alumni Association (APAA) is therefore committed to providing scholarship assistance to these deserving Trojans.

As a longtime member of APAA, I welcome and encourage you to get involved with our close-knit alumni organization.   In addition to two signature events - the Scholarship and Awards Gala and Scholarship Golf Classic, APAA offers a wide range of programming and services, running the gamut from networking events to a speaker series.  So if you have not returned to USC in awhile, I urge you to come back to campus and share in the excitement. I promise you that your next visit to campus will not be your last.

Mitchell Lew
President, APAA Board of Directors