Torero Tidbits: Plethora of USD Virtual Events to Choose from on Oct. 29-30

The world of virtual events seems limitless. At the University of San Diego, for the next two days, Oct. 29 and 30, there are several prime examples of educational, historical, futuristic and fun events for everyone among the campus (and off-campus) community to check out.

Let’s start with Thursday’s offerings …

8-10 a.m. — The Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate’s Breakfast at the BMC lecture series will examine the “Changing Landscape of Life Sciences in San Diego.”  Guest speakers are IQHQ President Tracy Murphy and CEO Stephen Rosetta to learn more about the San Diego-based life sciences real estate developer’s acquisition and rebranding of the San Diego Research and Development District on the waterfront. This event is open to the public. Register now.

9 a.m.-3 p.m. — The eighth annual State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy Summit will take place throughout the day with the theme being “Together: Stories of Strength, Resilience and Innovation.” Two summit highlights are the release of two vitally important reports: The Nonprofit Institute’s 2020 State of Nonprofit and Philanthropy Report and the 2020 Equinox Project's San Diego Regional Quality of Life Dashboard Report. Tickets prices range from $75-$150. Register now. The summit’s full-day programming schedule is here.

11 a.m. — The United Front Multicultural Commons, Black Student Resource Commons and USD Votes are hosting a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Voting Informational event on InstagramTV (IGtv) at @USDUFMC to provide some tips to keep in mind when filling out a mail-in ballot.

12:30-1:30 p.m. — The second event in the eTrack Initiative’s Ignite Innovation Entrepreneurship Series takes place with guest speaker Mara Aspinall, managing director and co-founder of BlueStone Venture Partners LLC and CEO of Health Catalysts Group. She will tell a pioneering story of her leadership and commitment to the growth of health information technology and healthcare diagnostics. This event is open to the public. Register now to get Zoom link. This is a Career Readiness Program-approved event for undergraduate students in Connect, Compass or Passport.

12:30-1:30 p.m. — The final guest speaker for the Fall 2020 semester’s Lindsay J. Cropper Memorial Writers Series is fiction writer Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, who will do a reading/craft talk via Zoom. Among many credits, Adjei-Brenyah is a New York Times best-selling author of Friday Black. Register now for this free event that’s open to the public.

5:30-6:30 p.m. — Want to listen and learn from a 1966 San Diego College for Women alumna? Join the conversation as one of the university’s first Black graduates, Ellissia Price-Fagan, will be the featured guest on this USD Alumni Association virtual event. The conversation will be moderated by Kelsi Dantu ’19, chair for USD’s Black Alumni Network. Register now and obtain the Zoom link for this free event.

There’s several top-tier student events and a great alumni panel on Friday, Oct 30 …

1:30-2:15 p.m. — The annual USD Changemaker Hub’s Changemaker Challenge, where students create a short video idea based on a specific social justice theme, will announce the winners in a virtual ceremony. This year’s theme was addressing homelessness by way of questions posed by two of USD’s community partners, PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) and Think Dignity, to generate ideas on raising awareness and acting regarding homelessness. Videos have been up this past week and the deadline to vote is 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29. Ten finalists are vying for a percentage of a $5,000 prize money pool based on the amount of votes a video receives. To view the videos and vote, please visit the Changemaker Challenge Public Voting page.

3:30–5:30 p.m. — The second Fowler Business Concept Challenge, where students with a business idea vie for a piece of $45,000 in scholarship prize money, will host its virtual awards ceremony. The program has 16 USD student semifinalists giving a 60-second pitch of their business ideas. Audience members will vote to award two $1,000 prizes. Hosted by USD School of Business’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Catalyzer and benefitting from the generosity of Ron and Alexis Fowler, equally impressive is that the students’ ideas have been judged by high-profile business leaders, including Caroline Winn, CEO of San Diego Gas & Electric; Chris Sichel, President and CEO of Make-a-Wish San Diego; Mike Fasulo, President and COO of Sony Electronics; Ron Coughlin, CEO of Petco; and Ronda Sedillo, CFO of the San Diego Padres. This event is open to the public. Register now.

4-5:30 p.m. — The USD Latino Alumni Network invites all to tune into Testimonios from Graduate and Professional School, a conversation with three distinguished USD undergraduate alumnae. Daniela Conde '15, Tatiana Lopez-Rogers '14, and Miranda Stratton '14 will share stories of their journey to graduate and professional schools. Stephanie Siordia ’09, vice president for the Latino Alumni Network, will moderate. Register now to get the Zoom link.

4-5 p.m. — Close out the week by enjoying the virtual version of the always entertaining annual United Front Multicultural Commons’ Multicultural Nights. Entrants have submitted videos that have been posted to the UFMC's YouTube channel since Tuesday to showcase Torero talent. Awards will be given in various categories on Friday. Check out the show on @USDUFMC IGtv and root on all Torero participants.

— Compiled by Ryan T. Blystone