The 117th USC Mann commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 11, was a time for joy and celebration as graduating students—surrounded by family and friends—gathered together at the USC University Park Campus to reflect on the past, honor their academic accomplishments and consider what lies ahead.
Welcoming the graduates to the ranks of USC alumni, the ceremony charged the Class of 2024 with using their hard-earned degrees for the greater good.
“Welcome to the mission of changing the world for the better,” said Vassilios Papadopoulos, dean of the USC Mann School, presiding over the ceremony. “No matter which aspect of our varied but related fields you are entering—whether you are graduating with a BS, PharmD, master’s degree, PhD, doctorate in regulatory science—you will be involved in the most important endeavor, improving human health.”
Academy Award-winning actor, filmmaker and philanthropist Sean Penn delivered the keynote address. “You have all chosen a field so full of purpose,” he told the graduates.
“No matter how tough things get, this world you’re inheriting is one awesome and mysterious, beautiful place. And the journey you’re about to take is perfect, if you let it be.”
-Sean Penn, Academy Award-winning actor, filmmaker and philanthropist
2024 Commencement keynote speaker
After the catastrophic Haiti earthquake in 2010, Penn co-founded the nonprofit Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE), which later played a key role in vaccine distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic, working with volunteers from the USC Mann School, the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, Los Angeles Fire Department, Carbon Health and numerous other organizations and agencies.
“We all know what an unpredictable world we live in,” Penn said. “We know the anguish so many have suffered. We know our environment is critically ill. Division is threatening democracy and encouraging unhappiness.”
“No matter how tough things get, this world you’re inheriting is one awesome and mysterious, beautiful place. And the journey you’re about to take is perfect, if you let it be,” he said.
For many of the USC Mann graduates, who missed their high school or college graduation ceremonies in spring 2020 due to COVID-19, the ceremony served as an opportunity to reflect on the challenges they overcame while pursuing their degree, and who helped them along the way.
“We are torchbearers of inspiration and agents of change. Let us never underestimate the power of our actions to inspire greatness in others.”
-Pooja Singh, PharmD Class of 2024 President
PharmD class President Pooja Singh, who began pharmacy school in 2020 after earning her bachelor’s degree in pharmacology and drug development from USC Mann, shared how inspired she was by her classmates’ focus and grit, and encouraged them to remember that they inspire others even in mundane day-to-day interactions.
“We are torchbearers of inspiration and agents of change,” Singh said. “Let us never underestimate the power of our actions to inspire greatness in others, to leave a legacy that transcends time and to shape the future of our profession for generations to come.”
Papadopoulos encouraged graduates to innovate, and not be afraid to change course. “Charting new paths is part of what defines leadership. It’s what makes a pioneer. And the world needs pioneers who can map new territories of healing—in the lab, at the patient’s side and in policy and regulation.
“Each of you faced some sort of disruption of your education because of the pandemic,” Papadopoulos added. “You learned to be resilient in the face of disappointment and uncertainty. You experienced the incredible power of interprofessional collaboration to improve human health. You demonstrated tenacity, courage and innovation in countless other ways.”
James Turner, BS, pharmacology and drug development, shared his story as a student who spent the first year of USC remotely from a small town in Texas. “Despite the odds, we fought on,” said Turner, an aspiring psychiatric pharmacist who will start the doctor of pharmacy program at USC Mann in the fall.
Graduate Student Government Vice President Elisa Stephens, PhD, pharmaceutical sciences, spoke on behalf of the PhD and master’s graduates, and noted that research efforts are needed now more than ever.
“We are at the forefront of knowledge in the field and, without our efforts, there would be no vaccines or medications for the doctors, nurses and pharmacists to administer,” Stephens said. “We work behind the scenes to ensure that these modern-day heroes have the most potent and specific artillery to fight the war with disease and sickness.”
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the 163 PharmD graduates joined other pharmacists in attendance in reciting the Oath of a Pharmacist, led by Melissa Durham, associate professor of clinical pharmacy and associate dean for organizational success and well-being.
The USC Mann Class of 2024 includes 411 individuals, from undergraduates to PhDs, residents and postdoctoral fellows:
4 PhD, Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics
3 PhD, Health Economics
1 PhD, Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology
3 PhD, Pharmaceutical Sciences
163 Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
7 Doctorate in Regulatory Science (DRSc)
13 MS, Biopharmaceutical Marketing
6 MS, Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics
36 MS, Healthcare Decision Analysis
17 MS, Management of Drug Development
1 MS, Medical Product Quality
7 MS, Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology
33 MS, Pharmaceutical Sciences
3 MS, Regulatory Management
30 MS, Regulatory Science
2 BS, Biopharmaceutical Sciences
36 BS, Pharmacology and Drug Development
26 Residents
34 Fellows
After the recessional, Trojan families gathered at a post-ceremony reception—juggling bouquets of flowers, leis, cameras and commencement programs—to take photos and watch a performance by the Trojan Marching Band.
View photos from the 117th USC Mann Commencement:
Congratulations to the remarkable Class of 2024. Here’s to a bright future ahead and a lifetime of trailblazing achievements. Fight on!
Watch the livestream at mann.usc.edu/commencement.