Get to Know Our Valedictorian

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Good morning! Congratulations to the Class of 2024.

In this edition of The Price Post, our valedictorian makes an impact on gun policy, the USC Price School is named one of the best public affairs schools in the country, and a professor explains the ins and outs of election polling.

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Keaton Dickinson, this year’s USC Price School valedictorian, is motivated by personal experience to create change in the world.

After an armed robber ran through her high school, she started a Students Demand Action chapter and testified before Washington state lawmakers, who ultimately passed a gun safety bill she supported.
“It was very meaningful to be able to take a negative experience and turn it into something positive that will hopefully help people for generations in Washington state,” Dickinson said.
When she later witnessed Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis, she decided to add a minor in Real Estate Development and worked on housing projects that serve low-income and vulnerable populations.

What’s next: Dickinson, who will earn a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy. is mulling over a few job offers but wants to continue working in housing post-graduation.

“The Price School has given me the resources and the opportunities to make some tangible change in the housing crisis,” Dickinson said.

She will deliver a speech at the Price School’s Commencement Ceremony on May 10.

Read more about Dickinson – the “Lebron James” of students, as one professor put it.

U.S. News & World Report ranked the USC Price School No. 4 among the nation’s public affairs schools for the 2024-2025 period.

The USC Price School ranked No. 4 among 271 schools for its graduate programs in public affairs and administration.
We have been ranked among the top 5 public affairs schools since 2016 and among the top 10 since 2008.
This is the second straight year that we have been ranked No. 4.

In his words: “This ranking is a testament to our faculty, students, graduates and staff and the work they do to make a positive impact in communities worldwide,” said Dana Goldman, the school’s dean and C. Erwin & Ione L. Piper Chair.

Read more

Recent elections have made many Americans question the accuracy of public polling, especially after surveys in 2016 and 2020 underestimated support for Donald Trump.

While pollsters do face new challenges, polls are still often accurate and insightful, according to USC Price School Professor Christian Grose, our latest guest on the PricePod.

In his words: “In general, polling is harder than it used to be. There are less people who are willing to respond to surveys,” Grose said. “There are some concerns around polling. I do think a lot of the concerns are overblown, though.”

With a presidential election approaching, Grose – who is academic director of the Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy – joined the show to explain how polling works, how it’s evolved, and how pollsters are approaching the 2024 race.

Take a listen.

Four USC Price School students won first place and $5,000 at this year’s Sunstone Economic Development Challenge, a competition that tasks students with helping local governments create jobs in their communities.

The winning team – Giselle Jazmin Melendez-Cruz (MPA ‘25), Adriana Morales (MPA ’25), Melissa Sarahi Morfin-Acevedo (MPA ‘25) and Manuel Muñoz (MPA ‘25) – developed a plan to help the city of San Bernardino foster a vibrant startup ecosystem.

The students toured San Bernardino, interviewed stakeholders and examined demographic, economic and educational data to learn more about the city, which is home to 220,000 people and located approximately 60 miles east of Los Angeles.

They found that much of the city’s population is disadvantaged, including many who live below the poverty line. That informed their strategy of nurturing startups to drive equitable economic growth.

In his words: “We saw entrepreneurship as a way to provide that social upward mobility,” Muñoz said. “You might have a street vendor who wants to expand the business or a TikTok influencer who wants to expand their platform. Utilizing those existing seeds of entrepreneurship and letting them grow within the community was a big part of this.”

Congratulations to the winners!

New York Times quoted Michael Thom for a story about state governments offering tax subsidies to lure film productions. Yahoo Finance, Kansas City Star and AOL.com also quoted Thom in an op-ed arguing against the tax incentives.

Wall Street Journal spoke to Richard Green about what drives some families to continue renting. The Los Angeles Times also quoted Green about how fewer apartment projects in California could raise rent prices in a few years.

STAT published an op-ed co-authored by Dana Goldman arguing that Medicare coverage of weight loss drugs could save the U.S. billions of dollars.

Los Angeles Times covered the publication of Geraldine Knatz’s book about Terminal Island.

Huffington Post interviewed Mindy Romero about voting trends among young people in presidential elections.

Rhode Island Public Radio quoted Wändi Bruine de Bruin about actions Americans can take to address climate change.

Yahoo News mentioned Dowell Myers in an op-ed education for immigrant children. Las Vegas Sun also quoted Myers in an op-ed arguing that building more luxury housing could alleviate the housing crisis.

Mass Transit magazine talked to Genevieve Giuliano about delays to a rail transit project that would serve the Los Angeles International Airport.

This represents only a portion of recent USC Price faculty media.

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