USC’s First Latino Law Dean Welcomed by Latino Alumni Association

MEDIA ADVISORY

USC’S FIRST LATINO LAW DEAN WELCOMED BY LATINO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

WHAT: Andrew Guzman, the first Latino dean of USC Gould School of Law, will be honored at a reception sponsored by USC’s Latino Alumni Association. Guzman, whose father was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, began his term as dean on July 1, 2015. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Guzman was formerly associate dean of Berkeley Law School’s international and executive legal programs.

Guzman served as a law clerk to the Honorable Juan R. Torruella, Chief Judge of the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Guzman received a doctorate in economics from Harvard University the same year he earned his law degree there. His scholarship is in international law, international trade, international business, and contracts.

WHO: Guzman will be joined by Andres Cantero, presidentof the USC Gould Latino Law Student Association; Judge Dalila Corral Lyons and Frank Cruz, a USC trustee. Others in attendance include: Miguel Espinoza, USC Gould alumnus; Gil Cedillo – Los Angeles councilman; Ruben Smith, USC alumnus; David Lizarraga, TELACU; Rebecca Aragon of the Latina Lawyers Association; and Fernando Aenlle-Rocha, president Mexican American Bar Foundation.

WHERE: USC Town and Gown, 665 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90089

WHEN: Tuesday, November 17 at 6 p.m.

MEDIA INTERVIEWS: Dean Guzman will be available for media interviews (in Spanish, if requested) beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Please call Gilien Silsby to arrange times: 213-500-8673.

BACKGROUND: Dean Andrew Guzman is committed to strengthening the law school’s diversity, assisting first generation professionals, and building international programs.

As the first Latino dean of USC Gould, Guzman said his father’s struggles are always at the forefront of his mind. “My father was sent to boarding school in Canada at age 13, by himself and not speaking a word of English,” Guzman said, explaining that a repressive dictatorship made it dangerous to stay in the Dominican Republic. “My father had to adapt to a completely alien country and way of life while barely a teenager. His story motivates me. You can see his pride when he recounts the story of not only learning English from scratch, but winning the school’s English literature award when he graduated from high school.”