USC Alumni: Where Are They Now?
Alexia Garland (Annenberg ‘12) and Matt Tako (Dornsife ‘09) embody what it means to be Trojans for life.
I sat down with Alexia Garland and Matt Tako to reflect on their time at USC and explore what they’ve been up to since graduating. Their commitment to integrity, excellence, and open communication reflects USC’s unifying values, making them the perfect alumni to learn from.
What initially drew you to USC, and why did you choose to enroll?
Alexia Garland:
My dad. We grew up within USC’s backyard. We were always going to campus and knew the tradition of the marching band before football games, plus a sense of pride in the school. My grandpa played basketball for USC, so I can say it was always a family dream. I remember getting my acceptance and driving to my brother’s little league baseball game to show my family in person. We freaked out. From that moment, I knew that is where I was going to go.
Matt Tako:
I am not from USC’s backyard. I had various criteria for schools in that I wanted to go to a really good academic school but also big time sports and school pride. USC obviously fit that mold. I’m a first generation student, and only one of my parents graduated high school. I come from a small, farming community in the Midwest where where my high school counselor told me there was no way I was getting accepted. Not because I didn’t have the grades, but they thought USC would not accept students from my school. Then, I enrolled at USC with a merit scholarship.
What did you study, and how did your academic experience shape your path after graduation?
AG:
I was in the Annenberg School as a Communications major. I took a breadth of different communications and public relations classes while at Annenberg. I entered as a Comm major, yet I did not fully understand what it meant. I wanted to be a broadcast journalist initially, but ultimately knew that is not what I wanted to do. Through different internship portals that Annenberg offered, and having USC on my resume that got me through many doors, I found my interests. I also started auditing different classes. I took a Terrorism and Genocide class because I was always drawn to current events, and now I have to be up to speed on current events for what I currently do. Being able to explore courses outside of my major also helped inform where I am at today.
MT:
My major was International Relations. I had a minor from the Roski School in digital design. I was always interested in anything within social sciences, which sparked my interest in law as well. I always liked art as a kid and when I was initially applying to USC, I wanted to be an architect. I wasn’t a hundred percent sold on that five year degree, and I was able to pivot to International Relations.
What was your favorite part of student life at USC?
MT:
I kept looking for organizations and events that seemed to interest me. I went with the mindset that if I’m attending what is interesting to me, the people there are probably going to have similar interests! There were some duds, but I kept trying. Dorming Freshman year I was open and talked to so many different people to see what they were up to. I joined the Trojan Knights soon after.
Football was a huge part of my student life. I attended during our 2005-2008 football seasons, we lost one home game my entire time there. I didn’t miss a home game. I scheduled the LSAT for a day we were having a night game, I took it in the morning in Redlands, got in my car and drove straight to the tailgate for the Oregon game.
AG:
Being from LA, it can be harder to push yourself to be involved because it’s easy to fall back to what you know. Once I stopped doing that, I opened myself up to my roommates and floormates. I joined different activties like movies at the “plunge” and study groups, then a sorority. Essentially, I realized that I was letting this college experience pass me by. So, I put in effort to find community, and it became the best experience of my life.
I loved walking around campus, especially growing up in LA, USC is an oasis. A little, hidden jewel in this big city with trees and buildings, being able to sit out read and run into people. As a student, calling my mom while walking by the track never got old. The community within those walls is so different than when I attended, but it still feels like coming back home. We go back to campus for this feeling, and recently took our eight month old because we love this campus so much.
Where you involved in any clubs, organizations, or traditions that stood out?
MT:
I was a Troy Camp Counselor multiple times, and working with kids during this time inspired me to join Teach For America after graduating. I was part of the Joint Educational Project (JEP), where I interned with a Spanish-language tenant rights group. In the Teaching International Relations Program (TIRP), I student-taught at Venice and Leuzinger High Schools. With the Trojan Knights, I guarded Tommy Trojan during rivalry week and sat front row at football games, ringing the victory bell. I was a student-athlete tutor and was still able to study abroad for a semester in Cape Town.
AG:
I operated the camera for Annenberg News a semester. I was a student worker, and worked the football center desk (pro tip for future students: free merch) on game days. That is what’s great about USC, you can try different jobs and roles. I also rushed my first semester at USC, became a DG (Delta Gamma) and those girls are still my best friends. I am a first generation student, my parent’s didn’t attend college and I didn’t have a lot of adults in my life at the time that attended or graduated college, so this was such a foreign concept to me. What I knew about rushing is what I saw from movies, but I went in entirely being myself and these girls were the community I was looking for. That was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
What are you doing now, and how did USC help you get there?
AG:
I am a publicist at Netflix. I have been there for seven-plus years, and before that was a publicist at Sony Pictures for almost eight years. That was my first job out of college, through our alumni network. I actually had another offer from UTA right after college, also from our alumni network. Previous to that, I had so many different internships through Annenberg, including Golden Boy Promotions. Funny enough, now Netflix is in the boxing world, which became full circle for me. I also now work with publicists that I interned under as a USC student.
MT:
I am now an attorney, Matt says, as his wife chimes in, “Baller!” I moved back to LA after law school because of my time at USC. My friends from college all lived here. I never would have even looked at LA roles had I not gone to USC. While at USC, I interned at the LA Mayor’s Office and at the California Board of Equalization. I was interested in government and found these roles through USC postings. Right after USC I spent three years in New Orleans with Teach for America, inspired by my work at Troy Camp and being a student teacher. My government internships and public service goals led me to attend Harvard Law School. My career goals were ultimately driven by my involvement and experiences at USC.
Are there any professors that made an impact on you?
AG:
Professor Stacy Smith is so renowned for the work she is doing, with the equalization of representation in media. I found it so inspiring, so now I work in multicultural media. It is so motivating to hear her being referenced in my business all of the time. Dan Durbin was such an engaging professor, and his was the first time I took a class and felt we were talking about real things. I didn’t know school to be this way until USC. Dr. Dekmejian taught one of my favorite classes, Terrorism and Genocide, a class that had nothing to do with my major. USC allowed me to explore all of my interests with expert professors.
MT:
Dr. Lamy, every International Relations student had to take his IR 210 class their first semester. This course pushed me to be a better student during my time at SC. Dr. Glass, who had a background in public policy was one of the kindest professors. I actually have a photo with him from my graduation day and kept in touch after college. His dedication to public service nurtured that in me. Professor Napoli’s entrepreneurship class at Marshall, and being able to take a class at Marshall with business students, inspired me and offered me different perspective of the world.
Written by: Allegra Gutierrez, Assistant Director – USC Office of Undergraduate Admission