USC Marshall School of Business

My daughters and I play a game called "Two Truths and a Lie." The object of the game is to guess which of three statements about a person is a lie. Here are two truths and a lie about Matt Scanlan:

1. My parents are proud USC alumni, and growing up I always envisioned a life at USC and the great adventure that would await me.

2. For a time at USC I was a music major and played trombone in the Trojan marching band.

3. After graduation, I couldn't decide what I wanted to do, so I picked up a hammer, and earned enough money as a carpenter to travel to Europe, where I played the position of hooker for the Mumbles Lions, a rugby union team in Southern Wales.

Any guesses about my lie? Well, I grew up in the Bay Area and both my parents went to UC Berkeley. So the first statement is the lie. But when I entered USC as a freshman I did embark upon one of the greatest adventures of my life. The other two statements really are true.

What else is true is this: My family had struggled financially for several years before I was able to attend college. And none of my USC experience would have been remotely possible without scholarships. I was fortunate to receive a USC private student scholarship, and a California State Scholarship.

I came to USC a poor kid who discovered riches: caring, brilliant professors; great friends who have always been there for me; a Trojan family that has my back. Those are life's true and enduring riches. And at USC, they really exist. We've all felt the warmth of the family of this school. There were unseen hands helping me into college from day one - the folks who supported that scholarship fund.

I hope you will join me today in being the unseen hands for the next generation of kids who will find their lives blossom at USC - but who need a scholarship to open the door. Good decisions stick with you a long, long time. Like the one I made when I decided to apply to USC. If you support USC Marshall School of Business today, that good decision will just possibly stick with some kid who will be grateful for a long, long time.

Fight On!
Matt Scanlan
USC, Class of 1974