Who are the Class of 2024 salutatorians?
James McColl III and Lisa Tchitchkan were recognized as salutatorians April 2.
By SYRA PATEL
USC announced its salutatorians for the Class of 2024.
On April 2, President Folt named James McColl III, a senior majoring in computer science, and Lisa Tchitchkan, a senior majoring in neuroscience as well as Spanish, as this year’s University salutatorians.
The University began the tradition of naming valedictorians and salutatorians in 1972. Every year, the Valedictorian and Salutatorian Committee composed of senior faculty members review applications and conduct interviews in order to select the new valedictorians and salutatorians.
In order to qualify to apply for the titles, applicants must have a 3.98 GPA or higher. The committee also evaluates additional factors, some of which include an applicant’s number of completed course units, the rigor of their academic program, their efforts contributed to campus culture and the quality of their personal essay submission.
Here are the salutatorians who demonstrated academic and extracurricular excellence throughout their time at USC:
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James McColl III
Theatre Showcase Group, an organization that James McColl III founded, hosts an end-of-semester performance to raise money for charity. (Jordan Renville / Daily Trojan)
When McColl was a sophomore, he and his friends were hanging out, sharing their mutual frustration with the difficulty of building a course schedule, when they were inspired to use what they learned in their data structures course to create a program that would input all possible class times and sections into an algorithm to generate a display of possible course schedule combinations that a student could have.
McColl acknowledged this as the moment he decided to pursue a major in computer science.
“It was this realization that if you’re able to build this algorithm by writing a few hundred or thousand lines of code, it can be applicable to so many different people and help solve really tangible problems that we have on a daily basis,” McColl said.
Although McColl has prioritized academic rigor throughout his time at USC, he still recognizes the importance of having a balance between work and leisure. When asked about a core memory that defined his character and goals as a student, McColl spoke about a surfing class that he took.
“It was a Friday at 9 a.m., and I was hanging out with classmates on the Santa Monica waves. And later that day, I had my Intro to Operating Systems computer science class, which was a brutal three-hour lecture.”
McColl said that taking this class made him realize that he wants to work to set large goals for himself, but also never stop having fun with life.
Outside of class, he founded the Theatre Showcase Group to support the arts community of Los Angeles. Every year, the group puts on an end-of-semester performance, and ticket commissions are eventually donated to charity. McColl also founded USC Professional Readiness Outreach Service, which partners with Chrysalis, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people secure employment opportunities. USC PROS provides resume building and interview preparation services to members of Chrysalis who are struggling to seek employment opportunities.
When asked to give lasting advice to USC students who hope to achieve their academic and career goals, McColl spoke about the importance of getting involved on campus.
“USC has so many incredible opportunities. My biggest advice is just take advantage of every single opportunity that you can during your four years here because it goes by quickly, and you will never be able to have this breadth of opportunities again.”
In 2023, McColl interned for International Marketmaker’s Combination Trading as a software engineer. After graduation, McColl plans to move to Chicago and return to IMC Trading as a full-time software engineer in Chicago.
Lisa Tchitchkan
Lisa Tchitchkan found her passion running marathons while searching for new hobbies to balance her time outside of her academic pursuits. (Jordan Renville / Daily Trojan)
As the daughter of two physicians, Lisa Tchitchkan has been surrounded by medicine from a young age. Tchitchkan’s family is originally from Belarus, but when they moved to the United States in 2008, Tchitchkan was able to witness her mother retrain as a physician in America.
“Medicine has always been a part of my life. I thought to myself, ‘Since my mom enjoys medicine so much, I would enjoy medicine in a similar way.’ So, I explored it on my own throughout the rest of my life,” Tchitchkan said.
Coming into USC, Tchitchkan decided that majoring in neuroscience would be the best fit for her because of her strong interest in the molecular mechanisms that determine the way people think and how they perceive the world.
“I’ve always been someone who likes understanding other people, so neuroscience allows me to do that from a more scientific standpoint, as opposed to an interpersonal standpoint,” Tchitchkan said.
In 2022, Tchitchkan took on a major in Spanish in addition to her neuroscience major. While volunteering at Los Angeles General Medical Center, Tchitchkan was inspired to major in Spanish to learn the language in order to create a deeper understanding and more personal connection with her patients.
Outside of class, Tchitchkan has been a member of USC InterAxon since her freshman year. InterAxon is an outreach program that aims to encourage young children to pursue neuroscience. Tchitchkan said InterAxon helped her realize her passion for helping children, which ultimately inspired her to pursue a career in pediatrics.
Tchitchkan has also participated in research positions, including volunteering in the USC Dion Dickman Lab since her freshman year. As a researcher at the Dickman Lab, Tchitchkan received the Brian Phillip Rakusin Neuroscience Scholarship Award in 2023 for her research on protein interactions in the presynaptic terminal using Stimulated Emission Depletion microscopy.
Like McColl, Tchitchkan is a firm believer in having a healthy work-life balance and exploring interests outside of academic pursuits.
“I think it’s really important to have interests outside of your academic passions, because pursuing other interests will allow you to come back more recharged and ready to tackle the academic pursuits you’re doing with a newfound sense of enthusiasm,” Tchitchkan said.
After graduating from USC, Tchitchkan will attend Harvard Medical School.
She gave a lasting piece of advice for Trojans on their academic journey.
“Establish a really solid foundation of strong academic practices, but at the same time, find a strong support system that will support you throughout the inevitable challenges that you’ll face throughout your time in undergrad,” Tchitchkan said.
