Robin Achen
Paying it Forward
Robin Achen is determined to pay it forward. It’s a decision she traces back to her time as an undergraduate at USC Dornsife, when she received a Trustee Scholarship and was honored as a Renaissance Scholar. “It was really critical and life-changing,” she said. “It made my education possible and it impressed on me the importance of giving back.”
Soon after earning a bachelor’s degree in English at USC Dornsife in 2009 and finishing law school at Harvard University in 2013, Achen began giving back to USC Dornsife, contributing to key initiatives and priorities such as scholarships, faculty hiring and research through USC Dornsife’s Dean’s Fund for Excellence. It’s a practice she intends to continue well into the future.
While at USC Dornsife, Achen says she developed habits of thought and problem-solving skills that have served her well in her career as a lawyer. In particular, she says that she learned to tackle problems from an interdisciplinary perspective. “I learned to adapt my thinking to different contexts,” she said. “And I learned to be intellectually flexible in ways that definitely have helped me as a lawyer.”
As an undergraduate, Achen also committed to service organizations such as the national co-educational service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, the national senior honor society Mortar Board and the Joint Educational Project, which is based at USC Dornsife. “Getting involved in service while I was a student made me feel invested in USC as a community,” she said.
From Alumna to Mentor
In addition to giving, Achen intends to support USC Dornsife as a mentor in the Gateway Internship Program starting this summer, helping student interns prepare for careers as lawyers after they graduate.
For Achen, it all comes back to her own memories of her time as an undergraduate, and her appreciation of how USC Dornsife has continued to go from strength to strength since then.
“I think that most people who graduate from USC feel that their time here was a great experience,” she said. “And I also think that most graduates understand how important it is for us to support the university as it grows and develops.”