A gift from the Epstein family opens opportunities for students at the nation’s capital
When USC President Carol Folt and others pursued the idea of the new USC Capital Campus, they knew it could offer life-changing experiences for USC students.
Now, thanks to a generous $10 million gift from the Epstein Family Foundation, more undergraduate and graduate students from low- and middle-income families will have opportunities to travel to and learn in the nation’s capital. The experiences will prove invaluable to students exploring careers and purpose.
“Seeing the benefits of a law degree while working in a city like D.C. showed me that that’s what I want to do,” said Abigail Rawlinson, an undergraduate in communications at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism who spent a Maymester at the capital. “It also showed me that D.C. is a place where I could see myself one day.
Sarah Schornstein, a USC Annenberg public diplomacy graduate student, learned how to step out of her comfort zone to build her professional network.
“The value of making connections was resonant for me—and taking initiative,” she said.
That’s the kind of experience that Julie Epstein Bronstein and Michael Epstein, the children of USC Life Trustee Daniel J. Epstein and his wife, Phyllis, had that changed their lives.
“It was this experience that both my brother and I had the opportunity to do; spending a semester in our capital learning about government, policymaking, and democracy—that inspired us to give others the same opportunity,” Bronstein said.
The gift creates the Epstein Family Student Experience Endowment, which will provide stipends to students to support a full semester at the USC Capital Campus, a Maymester, or a brief trip to attend a conference or program.
The family’s significant gift also bolstered the USC Shoah Foundation’s education to combat antisemitism in three new ways at the USC Capital Campus—a leadership summit for students, graduate student scholarships within the Countering Antisemitism Laboratory, and supporting a government affairs program that will offer training for civil servants with international influence on policy decisions.
This philanthropy will fund the Student Leadership Fund and Government Affairs Program Fund for two years while USC and the USC Shoah Foundation seek additional support from other donors. It is a hallmark of the Epstein Family philanthropy to encourage others to match and exceed their support. Phyllis has been an active member of the USC Shoah Foundation Board.
“It is our hope that this gift will inspire others to step forward and support USC’s efforts—creating student experiences in Washington, D.C., where they can both engage in the democratic process and work with our national leaders to combat antisemitism,” said Daniel Epstein.