Academic Honors and FellowshipsValedictorian and Salutatorian
At USC, it is the custom to name one student to serve as the University Valedictorian and one or more students to serve as University Salutatorian. The USC selection process recognizes the very highest levels of academic achievement, but it is also more holistic and takes into consideration service and leadership as well.
Eligibility
Eligible candidates will be invited to apply and interview for consideration. A panel of senior faculty drawn from across the university serves as the Valedictorian and Salutatorian Selection Committee. The committee members are tasked selecting the Valedictorian and Salutatorian(s) based on the following seven factors:
- grade point average (at least a 3.980 or higher)
- number of course units completed at USC
- breadth of the academic program, taking into account the widely varying degree requirements of individual majors
- challenge of the academic program considered as a whole
- contribution to university and community life
- quality of essay submission
- willingness to accept the award and, in the case of the Valedictorian, ability to deliver a short high-quality commencement address
Past Valedictorians and Salutatorians
| Name | Honor | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Asna Tabassum | Valedictorian | 2024 |
| Elizabeth Tchitchkan | Salutatorian | 2024 |
| James McColl | Salutatorian | 2024 |
| Isha Sanghvi | Valedictorian | 2023 |
| Liam Tsao | Salutatorian | 2023 |
| Carina Robles | Salutatorian | 2023 |
| Adam Karelin | Valedictorian | 2022 |
| Andrew Binder | Salutatorian | 2022 |
| Shreya Daniel | Salutatorian | 2022 |
| Tianna Shaw-Wakeman | Valedictorian | 2021 |
| Ashwin Bhumbla | Salutatorian | 2021 |
| Jake Bubman | Salutatorian | 2021 |
| Isabella Hauptman | Valedictorian | 2020 |
| Thomas Kim | Salutatorian | 2020 |
| Gavin Kress | Salutatorian | 2020 |
| Ivana Tú Nhi Giang | Valedictorian | 2019 |
| Diviya Gupta | Salutatorian | 2019 |
| Haochen Wang | Salutatorian | 2019 |
| Rosebud H. Campion | Valedictorian | 2018 |
| Josephine Andrews | Salutatorian | 2018 |
| Samuel A. Cohen | Salutatorian | 2018 |
| Cooper V. Nelson | Valedictorian | 2017 |
| Jordan K. Kondo | Salutatorian | 2017 |
| Amanda C. Semler | Salutatorian | 2017 |
| Sulekha Ramayya | Valedictorian | 2016 |
| Ryan Lindveit | Salutatorian | 2016 |
| Adrienne V. Visani | Salutatorian | 2016 |
| Alexander Daniel Yuen | Valedictorian | 2015 |
| Carrie R. Moore | Salutatorian | 2015 |
| Jana Hollis Shapiro | Valedictorian | 2014 |
| Brian A. Lentz | Salutatorian | 2014 |
| Jared Todd Sokol | Salutatorian | 2014 |
| Katherine A. Fu | Valedictorian | 2013 |
| Alexander Fullman | Salutatorian | 2013 |
| Julia Sabo Mangione | Salutatorian | 2013 |
| Genevieve Hoffman | Valedictorian | 2012 |
| J. Ryan Hill | Salutatorian | 2012 |
| Sonam G. Kapadia | Salutatorian | 2012 |
| Sarrah Shahawy | Valedictorian | 2011 |
| Samantha G. Ancona | Salutatorian | 2011 |
| Craig Western | Salutatorian | 2011 |
| Liana Ching | Valedictorian | 2010 |
| Natasha A. Naik | Salutatorian | 2010 |
| Lisa Werth | Salutatorian | 2010 |
| Paul VanWeiren | Valedictorian | 2009 |
| Brenda Nuyen | Salutatorian | 2009 |
| Sara L. Schlievert | Salutatorian | 2009 |
| William Zarifi | Salutatorian | 2009 |
| Julianne Yulan Gale | Valedictorian | 2008 |
| Reed Doucette | Salutatorian | 2008 |
| Andrew D. Horning | Salutatorian | 2008 |
| Colin D. Koproske | Valedictorian | 2007 |
| Shannon Bell | Salutatorian | 2007 |
| Joe Horton | Salutatorian | 2007 |
| Kavitha R. Sivaraman | Valedictorian | 2006 |
| Katheryn Neeper | Salutatorian | 2006 |
| Aaron Wong | Salutatorian | 2006 |
| Katherine A. Trefz | Valedictorian | 2005 |
| Brent Nash | Salutatorian | 2005 |
| David M. Chacko | Valedictorian | 2004 |
| Gene-Fu F. Liu | Salutatorian | 2004 |
| Rohit S Shah | Salutatorian | 2004 |
| Kevin C. Huoh | Valedictorian | 2003 |
| Deborah M. Lee | Salutatorian | 2003 |
| Dara E. Purvis | Salutatorian | 2003 |
| Stanley B. Chou | Valedictorian | 2002 |
| Sameer T. Amin | Salutatorian | 2002 |
| Scott L. Takano | Salutatorian | 2002 |
| Paritosh Prasad | Valedictorian | 2001 |
| Neelu Aurora | Salutatorian | 2001 |
| Jacob M. Chacko | Valedictorian | 2000 |
| Jenny H. Yiee | Salutatorian | 2000 |
| Alaina K. Kipps | Valedictorian | 1999 |
| Anna Kilsgaard | Salutatorian | 1999 |
| Alison Martinez | Salutatorian | 1999 |
| Heather M. Zachary | Valedictorian | 1998 |
| Alexander R. Small | Salutatorian | 1998 |
| Edward Welch | Salutatorian | 1998 |
| Jing S. Chen | Valedictorian | 1997 |
| William H. Hubbard | Salutatorian | 1997 |
| Christina D. Smolke | Salutatorian | 1997 |
| Kemal Demirciler | Valedictorian | 1996 |
| Clint N. Chua | Salutatorian | 1996 |
| Eileen L. Mears | Salutatorian | 1996 |
| Michael J. Banks | Valedictorian | 1995 |
| Darcy N. Bryan | Salutatorian | 1995 |
| Mukesh Swaroop | Salutatorian | 1995 |
| Laura A. Johnson | Valedictorian | 1994 |
| Julie A. Davis | Salutatorian | 1994 |
| Mark Ruzon | Salutatorian | 1994 |
| Lore A. Unt | Valedictorian | 1993 |
| Erik G. Luna | Salutatorian | 1993 |
| Nick Laurence Tan Lim | Valedictorian | 1992 |
| Stephen B. Novarro | Salutatorian | 1992 |
| William P. Schloss | Salutatorian | 1992 |
| Michael E. Williams | Salutatorian | 1992 |
| Kenneth T. Kiger | Valedictorian | 1991 |
| Chung-I Chuang | Salutatorian | 1991 |
| Julie S. Leach | Salutatorian | 1991 |
| Cynthia L. Palmer | Salutatorian | 1991 |
| Howard M. Rowe | Salutatorian | 1991 |
| Wendy J. Spangler | Salutatorian | 1991 |
| Carlyn R. Taylor | Valedictorian | 1990 |
| Charlene M. Chiang | Salutatorian | 1990 |
| Jerry H. Gilbert | Salutatorian | 1990 |
| Lori Beth Taubler | Salutatorian | 1990 |
| Eva C. Ihle | Valedictorian | 1989 |
| Peter J. Pacini | Salutatorian | 1989 |
| Kenneth L. Bacher | Valedictorian | 1988 |
| Kimberly L. Valentine | Valedictorian | 1988 |
| Guillermo Madariaga | Salutatorian | 1988 |
| Brian P. Scottoline | Valedictorian | 1987 |
| Ann Louis Chervenak | Salutatorian | 1987 |
| Debra L. DeVischer | Salutatorian | 1987 |
| Paul G. Floyd | Salutatorian | 1987 |
| Bryan J. Gushiken | Salutatorian | 1987 |
| Morteza Zarrabian | Salutatorian | 1987 |
| Samuel J. Wang | Valedictorian | 1986 |
| Michael P. Reilly | Valedictorian | 1985 |
| Fred L. Wehling | Valedictorian | 1985 |
| Patrick J. Grismer | Valedictorian | 1984 |
| Sally L. Meloch | Valedictorian | 1984 |
| Sharon L. Dolezal | Valedictorian | 1983 |
| Henry M. Honda | Valedictorian | 1983 |
| Stanley H. Koyanagi | Valedictorian | 1982 |
| Linda V. Kuglmeier | Valedictorian | 1982 |
| Ramona L Cappello | Valedictorian | 1981 |
| Craig S. Furniss | Valedictorian | 1981 |
| Alice P. Gast | Valedictorian | 1980 |
| John F. Weber | Valedictorian | 1979 |
| John A. Graham | Valedictorian | 1978 |
| Lawrence P. Chong | Valedictorian | 1977 |
| Cindy L. Eisley | Valedictorian | 1976 |
| John S. Uebersax | Valedictorian | 1975 |
| Carol A. Talkington | Valedictorian | 1974 |
| Glenn R. Wong | Valedictorian | 1973 |
| Linda J. Donovan | Valedictorian | 1972 |
| Ronald Palmieri | Valedictorian | 1972 |