Now working for Google, a recent Admission Center alumni talks about the most important Google-search he's ever made: the one for college.
“I can dream, but I can’t afford a four-year university,” is how Dru Anthony Chavez’s USC story began. A native of Long Beach, CA, Chavez grew up in a working class family that neglected sleep during the week and barbecued in between snoozes on the weekend. He earned high grades in the classroom and loved performing in school theater productions. But at the end of the day, the hours spent in his father’s mechanic shop painted a clear picture of what his future would look like. Until, that was, he visited USC during fall open house.
Though time didn’t stand still for him that day, Chavez felt a palpable shift in the direction of his life. He met another Southern California native who wasn’t sure she could pay for college, an admission counselor who would later read his application and admit him, a financial aid advisor who told him his dream was possible, and a tour guide who told him about various scholarship opportunities.
“We’re not selling anything. I’m not living the dream; I’m living my dream. And you can make yours come true at USC, too.”
Fast forward five years and we find Chavez sitting happily in his Boulder, CO Google office. Having left USC with ten-years worth of student loans, he’s paid them off within six months of graduating. In speaking with him now, you’ll find he wants to make one thing clear: “We’re not selling anything. I’m not living the dream; I’m living my dream. And you can make yours come true at USC, too.”
Chavez is just one of the over 13,000 to have received financial aid from the university. Most people assume that private institutions equate to higher tuition—which may hold some validity—but when tempered with the largest privately funded financial aid pool in the country, the school’s sticker price isn’t so scary. Last year alone, USC awarded $550 million in financial aid. That’s a lot of dreams becoming realities.
You might think that, as a Google employee, Chavez wouldn’t have much to miss, but he does. “The people in the Admission Center are special. It’s a place to make a buck, but it’s also a place filled with go-getters and move-makers. They’re always up to something—always spreading love for the school and their peers wherever they go.”
So don’t take it from us—take it from him. Along his AC journey, he met his best friend Noah, gave a tour to Oprah, and found a job at Google. His days of walking the walk backwards might be over, but he’ll still be the first person to ask, “So what’s your story?”
If you’ve got a good answer, drop him a line at dru.chavez@gmail.com, or just come straight to us and apply.
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