For Taylor Wong ’19 (CS), blending a career in cybersecurity with a passion for music isn’t a contradiction — it’s a calling. Now a senior product manager at Microsoft, working on the Customer Experience Engineering Team for Microsoft Threat Protection, Wong lives in Vancouver, Washington, and spends her days navigating complex technical landscapes. But when the workday ends, she steps into a different spotlight: one filled with microphones, melodies and meaning.

When Anthony Shao ’18 first considered his career path, health care was not at the top of his list. As a double-major electrical engineering and finance student, he spent a summer interning with a defense contractor, grateful for the opportunity but struck by a roommate’s blunt question: “Do you realize you’re working in an industry built to harm people?”

Sunrise over the bay is an awesome sight, but for rower Annika Goodwyn, the true beauty is the synergy inside the shell as she and teammates slice through the waters in perfect harmony.

Sometimes the most unlikely path leads to the greatest personal fulfillment. It’s a sentiment Trishika Tabuena ’22 (MS) knows well as she carefully pipes delicate buttercream petals onto perfectly baked cupcakes.

In 2013, Dr. Ricardo Valerdi ’00, a proud electrical engineering alumnus of the University of San Diego (USD), had a radical idea: what if we used the universal language of sports to teach kids math?

San Diego Magazine recently released its “50 People to Watch in San Diego, 2026” issue, featuring people from across the county who are working on projects and changes that will support the region for years to come. 

"Running to the fire."  The phrase is central to the mission and ethos of the international aid organization, Samaritan’s Purse, and a personal motto adopted by Gabriel Richardson ’25 (MS).

University of San Diego faculty light the way forward through teaching, research, and scholarship. Nikolas Behar, professor of cybersecurity at the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, teaches courses in information security and applies his real-world knowledge in “ethical hacking” to teach students how to protect the integrity of data and information.