Gould alumni provide inside perspective at annual Mentor Lunch
The USC Gould alumni who gathered for the annual mentor lunch knew what would be of foremost concern for the first-year students assigned to them. That’s because all of the alumni had been there themselves when they were students, seeking the same guidance.
“One way or another, these alumni have experience that you can gain,” Dean Andrew Guzman told the nearly 300 students and alumni who attended the Feb. 24 event at Town & Gown. At the luncheon, alumni are matched with students based on their professional interests and often stay in touch long after the lunch concludes. “This is how the Trojan network works,” Guzman said.
For the Hon. Diane Arkow Gross ’93, a supervisory administrative judge at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), it was important to share the long view with the students, who are in the middle of their first year of law school. “I reminded them not to lose perspective and to look beyond their first year,” said Judge Gross, who has attended the lunch for the last 10 years. She added that she enjoys sharing “words of wisdom” with 1L students, recalling how attending as a student helped to place her on her ultimate career path.
“At my mentor lunch, I met an alumna who was reviewing habeas petitions for the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California,” she said. “When I realized a few years later that I wanted to become a judicial clerk, I contacted her for advice on which judges would be a good fit for me, as she worked in the federal court system.”
Gross ended up clerking for two years for U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. in Houston before joining Richards, Watson & Gershon in L.A. She has been with the EEOC since 1999.
As a 1L at this year’s lunch, Krista Topete got a chance to glean “useful feedback” from Gould alumni working in her field of interest, entertainment and business law. Topete met alumni, from Sony Pictures, KOAR Institutional Advisors as well as law firms Reed Smith and Robertson & Olsen (represented by Jon Robertson ’87, president of the USC Gould Alumni Association).
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| This year’s mentor lunch was the first for Dean Andrew Guzman. |
“I received some good advice on how best to take advantage of my time in law school, she said. “The alumni I spoke with encouraged me to sign up to do mock interviews through the Career Services Office, to prepare me for job interviews. We also discussed interviewing skills and tips for applying to jobs after law school.”
Hovanes Margarian ’06, founder and lead counsel of the Margarian Law Firm, estimates that he has attended five mentor lunches since his own graduation from the law school. At the lunch, he offered practical insights applicable to both law school and post-graduation.
Margarian, who also serves on Gould’s Alumni Association Board, emphasized that students sustain their relationships with faculty and classmates even after they graduate. “Your classmates often end up being partners at the best law firms or lead counsel at preeminent corporations,” he said. “USC is the best source to build these connections.”
Crucial to sustaining these connections is following up after the lunch. Taylor Ashton ’18 sent thank you emails to each of the alumni he met and also to the others he has met at the various firm receptions and mixers hosted by the law school throughout the year. “I believe that networking is extremely important, and a simple and personal ‘thank you’ goes a long way,” he said. “The alumni who replied have been willing to answer questions or be a resource, so as the semester ends, I plan on following up with them again.”
Margarian recalled that as a Gould graduate, he stayed in touch with alumni, which proved crucial when he struck out on his own. “From time to time I would reach out to them for guidance and reassurance about the process of growing my law firm,” he said. Now Margarian often mentors students himself, welcoming them to stay in touch and possibly visit his firm “to get an inside look.”
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