With our newest class of alumni branching out across the world post-graduation, we asked our SCU thought leaders, "How do Santa Clara alumni make the world a better place?” Here is what they said:

Passion and a Purpose
“Employers often tell us Santa Clara graduates really do have a purpose, a passion in life beyond getting rich and looking out for No. 1. SCU alumni are less full of themselves than the graduates of some other universities.” – Kirk Hanson, Business Ethicist

Santa Clara’s Three Cs Help Set the World on Fire
“People truly underestimate the power and influence of a Santa Clara education that underscores competence, conscience, and compassion. An emphasis on ethics, the common good, and efforts to help those who are marginalized is at the core of a Jesuit and Santa Clara education. We actually have longitudinal research on compassion development to demonstrate this too.” – Thomas G. Plante, Health Psychologist

Building the Social Enterprise Ecosystem
“Miller Center’s award-winning Global Social Benefit Fellowship (GSBF) alumni are building the social enterprise ecosystem to serve the poor and protect the planet. Five GSBFs won Fulbright Fellowships in 2018, bringing the total to eight since the program commenced in 2012; three Fellows have been named SCU Valedictorian. Alumni work with social enterprises, social enterprise accelerators, and pursue advanced degrees to create greater impact.” – Thane Kreiner, Global Impact Leader

Guiding Commercialization of the Most Challenging Technologies
“I’m proud to have worked with graduates who are at the forefront of commercializing cutting-edge technology, such as Shawn Lange in the area of robotics and automation, Carol Reilly with autonomous driving systems, and Sam Bertram in aeroponic agriculture. Rather than rejecting new technologies because they raise ethical, societal, and sustainability challenges, SCU graduates are leading these efforts.” – Christopher Kitts, Robotics Jedi

Making Impacts with Integrity
“Santa Clara alumni make the world a better place because they have a deep desire to contribute to the Common Good. They seem to have an innate ability to understand how the decisions they make and the actions they take will affect others—an attribute that is in short supply. Regardless of industry, our alumni work to create value in the community and make an impact with integrity.” – Drew Starbird MBA ’84, New Business Booster

Walking Catalysts
“Santa Clara alumni make the world a better place by finding where their passions intersect with what the world needs ... and having the courage to act upon it.” – Judith Martinez ’14, Millennial Moxie

Make the World Go Around
“There are two sayings about money, one that it makes the world go around and the other that it’s the root of all evil. While these are exaggerations, there is some truth to both, which is why we teach our finance students skills to help them ‘make the world go around’ and skills to help make the world a better place.” – Hersh Shefrin, Behavioral Commentator

Care of the Whole Person
“At Santa Clara Law, wellness matters. Taking care of the well-being of a law student leads to a healthy lawyer in a high-stress profession. Inspired by the Jesuit value of cura personalis or ‘care of the whole person’ we offer a variety of programming and resources to encourage and promote wellness among our community in each of these 8 Pillars of Wellness.” – Jill Klees M.A. ’95, Career & Wellness Guru

Empathy and Humanity
“I have Santa Clara alumni from many eras in my network of friends, family, and colleagues. All of them approach problem solving collaboratively and with empathy. If the world needs anything now, it’s leaders who see the humanity in everyone and are willing to use their skills in the service of others.” – Kelly Crowley ’99, Athletics Educator & Policy Wonk

Problem-solving With Innovation, Creativity, and Perspective
“Santa Clara alumni of the Global Fellows Program play an integral role in finding solutions for today’s most pressing global challenges. Having lived in developing countries and worked for social enterprises, large multinational companies, or non-profits, they have the unique ability to approach complex problems with innovation, creativity, and perspective.” – Tanya Monsef Bunger ’86, Global Business Consultant and Leadership Coach

All the World’s a Stage
“Wear your red and white with pride! Santa Clara alumni help the world thrive through engagement in their communities; just look at our Bronco athletics alumni. An NBA head coach, a basketball hall of fame inductee, a current World Cup champion, and 35 former student-athletes currently play professional sports across the globe.” – Jeffrey Mitchell, Athletics Commentator

Increasing Safety and Security for College Students
“One example of a Santa Clara alumnus making a difference in the world is a recent graduate who got a job at a prestigious software game company. He quickly began to question whether computer games made the world a better place, and decided to start a company aimed at increasing safety and security for college students.” – Phil Kesten, Physics Nerd

Share your story on how Santa Clara alumni are making the world a better place.