The USC community will celebrate the 50th-anniversary of the Latino Alumni Association with a gala at Warner Brothers Studio with family and friends on Saturday, March 2.
The event will honor alumni and scholars for bother leadership, as well as community service in remembrance of every scholar’s many years at USC. The honorees for the Alumni Visionary Award and USC LAA Legacy Award include: Oscar Munoz, CEO of United Airlines and graduate from 1982 and Martha Escutia, retired state senator and graduate of 1979.
The Visionary Award is given to alumni for “their exceptional achievement in any field,” while the Legacy Award is presented to an alumnus/a for their “contributions to USC and the LAA, professional achievements and philanthropy.”
Founded in 1973, the LAA was once known as the Mexican-American Alumni Association. Though a different name, the association maintained the same mission of assisting all Latino students with the cost of college and creating a community. It was established to support the growing number of Latino scholars at USC.
The association for the past 49 years has awarded more than $22.4 million in academic funds to about 9,400 Latine students in a variety of fields.
For those interested in learning more about the LAA and its 50 years of supporting Latine students, check out their collaboration with USC DÍMELO who created a yearbook with alumni of the past 50 years.