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The University of San Diego's 16th annual Wine Classic provided alumni with an important opportunity to return to their alma mater and celebrate its 75th anniversary. It also provided them with a chance to reflect on the importance of scholarships.

"Without a scholarship, I wouldn't have been able to come here," says Juliana (Mascari) Jacobs, a double alumna who secured her undergraduate degree in 2016 and, in 2019, a JD from the law school. "It is the most life-changing decision I've ever had. It is where I met my husband, met so many of our friends, and where I grew in my faith and in academics. In all aspects of who I am as a person, USD is really special. It would have been very limited without the scholarship."

So it made perfect sense for Juliana and her husband, Austin Jacobs, a 2016 alumnus, to attend the event. Beyond being a nice event, it wasn't lost on them that this is a great way to raise funds to support student scholarships. Net proceeds from the Wine Classic support USD Alumni Association scholarships. Officials this week stated that the Wine Classic raised nearly $70,000 in net proceeds and that it will enable the USD Alumni Association's military veterans fund to be endowed.

"It's a real joy to know my opportunities came about because other people gave. That's why Austin and I give now. We want someone else to have the same opportunities we did," she says.

Austin, a USD Alumni Board member and Knauss School of Business mentor, says, "the ability to give, especially for scholarships, makes USD more accessible. Having the opportunity for USD to be a platform to leap off and do great things is important. A lot of Changemakers wouldn't be able to come here without scholarship support."

Tom Lupfer isn't a USD alumnus, but he and his wife, Margaret, reside in San Diego and the university has become the place for them to make a difference. Now on USD's Board of Trustees, Tom's earliest impact came within the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering. His Poway-based company, Clarity Design, is a full-service manufacturing firm. He's been on the Engineering Dean's Executive Advisory Board and a professor of practice since 2016. The Clarity Design Fund for Diversity in Engineering supports three USD student chapter organizations - National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Society of Women Engineers - with funds to attend national conferences.

"Attending those conferences can lead to internships, jobs, and networking. They are so powerful," Lupfer says. As a professor, he sees firsthand the kind of impact they can make.

"A distinguishing factor between USD and the other fine universities we have in San Diego is the world view students have here. In engineering, a lot of the students spend a semester, a summer or at least the January Intersession studying abroad. I've hired students from engineering, business and the College (of Arts and Sciences). I appreciate that they want to make the world a better place. They are excellent employees, they're team players, smart, willing to learn and they have a goal."

College of Arts and Sciences Dean Noelle Norton, PhD, has also been a USD political science faculty member and USD Honors Program director. The vital role scholarships play from her multi-level view is clear.

"I truly believe the education USD offers should be available to everybody who wants to come here. We want to grant access to those who like our core foundation of the liberal arts and want the ability to become an expert, whether it is engineering, business, psychology, physics or the arts. We need them all," she says.

To bring and keep students at USD, big and fun events to support student scholarships contribute mightily. In addition to Wine Classic, other upcoming events are the annual Torero Casino Night during Homecoming and Family Weekend in October, and the university's signature fundraising event of the 75th anniversary, Founders Gala, presented by US Bank, on Saturday, November 16 at the San Diego Padres' Petco Park.

"I love coming to the Wine Classic because it is about supporting scholarships. I'm excited about the Founders Gala. Fundraising for scholarships is critical and when we're doing this at Petco Park, it really brings home how important USD is to this community. Scholarships are critical and the celebration is magnificent," Norton says.

This year's Wine Classic earmarked funds to support a scholarship endowment through the USD Alumni Association to support military veteran students, part of a strong and growing military-connected population.

Addis Sansone, who graduated in May with a master's degree in finance, attended the Wine Classic and to him, attending the event was doubly special. Not only was it a way to savor the educational experience that Sansone, a Marine veteran had, but it was another visual to know how much the USD community cares.

"My experience at USD has been phenomenal. I was very blessed to come here through the GI Bill," Sansone says. "The education I got was top-tier, so were the professors, my peers, getting to work at the Knauss School of Business, doing an internship through the support of one of my professors. Being here at the Wine Classic and knowing it supports student scholarships, I want to support it and any type of USD event to keep fostering that environment."

Gary and Alexis (Dachs) Couch are both 2017 USD alumni and both were rewarded with life-changing scholarships.

Alexis took the USD campus tour knowing she had been awarded an Alcala scholarship, but during her visit, she was surprised to learn she'd been offered a full-ride Circle of Excellence Scholarship.

"It was incredible, I was shocked and it really upped the ante," she recalls. Graduating with a degree in architecture, minors in business administration and management, the scholarship enabled her to embrace USD's Changemaker designation. Alexis was in the Honors Program, philanthropy chair for Kappa Kappa Gamma, in the Honor Council, studied abroad on Semester at Sea, earned internships and more. "It was an incredible, life-changing experience I will forever hold close to my heart."

Gary, was a President's Scholarship recipient who majored in mechanical engineering and minored in accounting and math. He served as president of his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi and went on the popular University Ministry Search Retreat. But being a member of USD's Alcala Club, a group of students who serve as official representatives of the university and work with USD's President, raised the value of his scholarship to another level.

"When I was in Alcala Club, we worked at a lot of sponsorship donor events like Founders Gala and Wine Classic. As an active student I witnessed firsthand what a lot of other students never saw in terms of USD's fundraising. It really went a long way and endeared an amount of gratitude for me to see the lengths they went to raise money that directly benefits students, including me who was actively receiving it. That experience made me much more appreciative and, for both me and my wife, more enthusiastic about giving back."

- Ryan T. Blystone