At the University of San Diego we’re always looking toward the horizon — to what’s new and what’s next.And when we think of the newest class of incoming students who will be joining the Torero family in the fall, we couldn’t be more proud.Our Class of 2027 has an average weighted grade point average of 4.05. These students come from 43 states, 27 countries and three U.S. territories and represent 14 different faith traditions, including nearly 44% who are Catholic.Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. This is our vision statement, but it isn’t a catchy phrase or a lofty goal. It’s our true north. It’s what we do. It’s who we are. We are proud to be the youngest private institution among U.S. News & World Report’s top-100 universities in the nation. USD has consistently ranked among the top-five schools in the nation for the percentage of undergraduates participating USD’s unique study-abroad experience, which offers 95 academic programs in more than 40 countries. We’re honored to be one of the top-three Catholic Colleges and Universities in California by Niche.com. And this year, we’re thrilled to once again hold the title as the No. 1 most beautiful campus in America by The Princeton Review. Small class sizes, a compassionate culture, hands-on learning opportunities and state-of-the-art resources are the cornerstone of the USD experience. Our focus on academic excellence — inspired by faith and nurtured in a beautiful and welcoming environment — empowers innovative, confident, original thinkers to make positive contributions around the world. Our curriculum prepares students to be lifelong learners who have the necessary skills to navigate their future careers and live impactful lives. Designed by our faculty members, the curriculum spans critical competencies that employers routinely tout as the most important skills needed in the workforce. All USD undergraduate students, regardless of their majors, are encouraged to investigate questions of ethical, religious and philosophical inquiry. They are also encouraged to learn from and be invigorated by a diversity of perspectives that can only come from critically examining art, history, literature and the human experience. At USD, we are Changemakers. We are innovators and we do, in fact, lead with love.In 2011, USD became the first university on the West Coast to officially be designated as a Changemaker institution and today, we remain one of only 41 campuses in the world to maintain this designation. Here, classroom learning is connected to social justice and social change — and more than 500 courses include a service component. In addition to an engaging and integrated academic experience on campus, students at USD learn how to make a difference in our city, across our border and around the world. Our location at the edge of an international gateway uniquely prepares students to embrace the breadth and depth of ways they can become globally competent citizens. Students participate in service-learning projects annually and, each year, together with our faculty and staff, contribute more than 400,000 public service hours globally. The University of San Diego is known across the nation and around the world. However, we also take great pride in being an anchor institution right here in San Diego and serving alongside our neighbors who live and work here and may have even visited our campus, known as Alcalá Park. That truly means the world to us.The University of San Diego. We are Changemakers.Link: Learn more about USD’s academic reputation and approach to personalized learning here.
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AUGUST 10, 2026
The Secret to a Home That Feels Just Right
Behind every beautiful space is a thoughtful process, and ASID San Diego is helping homeowners understand the value of professional design.
A perfectly designed home rarely happens by accident. Those kitchens that feel effortless and rooms that seem to tell a story the second you walk in? They’re usually the work of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing.
It’s knowing which ideas will actually work, which materials will hold up over time, and how to turn a collection of choices into a space that feels intentional. That’s where a professional interior designer comes in.
For the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) California San Diego Chapter, the goal is to help people see interior design as more than just the finished look. Behind every well-designed space is a process built on technical expertise. Designers are educated in everything from professional software and construction details to building codes, space planning, materials, and functionality.
Courtesy of ASID
“People don’t always realize how much goes on behind the scenes,” Kirsten Recce , current president of the ASID California San Diego Chapter, says. “Our designers are not just doing furniture placement and color selection and picking out new fluffy pillows. That’s not what they’re trained for.”
ASID members bring formal education, continued learning, and industry knowledge to their projects, helping create spaces that are not only beautiful, but designed to work. A paint color that changes completely depending on the lighting. A material that looks beautiful in a showroom but doesn’t make sense for everyday life. A layout that photographs well but doesn’t function for the people living there. These are the details where professional guidance can make all the difference.
Still, one of the biggest misconceptions about hiring an interior designer is that it’s reserved for massive renovations, luxury homes, or people who already know exactly what they want. The process can feel intimidating. Where do you begin? Is a designer worth the investment? What if you only need help with one room?
ASID’s answer: start with one hour.
ASID’s Spruce Up events break down one of the biggest barriers between homeowners and professional design: knowing where to begin. Held twice a year, the community program gives homeowners the chance to work directly with an ASID designer through a one-hour, $125 consultation in their own home. Whether you’re looking for advice on furniture placement, window treatments, kitchen and bath updates, remodeling ideas, vacation rentals, color selections or something else entirely, the upcoming September 2026 event offers an approachable way to get expert guidance before committing to a full project. Signups are open through Sept. 7, with consultations taking place Sept. 21 through Oct. 31. Proceeds benefit ASID San Diego’s educational and community programs. Register here!
Courtesy of ASID
“It’s a great opportunity for people who are in that exploratory phase,” Recce says. “Maybe they’re not sure they want to hire an interior designer yet, or they think it sounds daunting or expensive. This gives them a chance to discover what working with a designer is actually like.”
Design is personal. A good designer isn’t just creating a beautiful room; they’re helping create a space that fits the way someone lives.
“We’re a resource to all of San Diego County,” Recce says. “It doesn’t cost anything to pick up the phone and call and ask. We’ll answer.”
Your feet and ankles probably aren’t something you give much thought to—until something goes wrong. Orthopedic surgeons at Scripps Clinic are on the leading edge of foot and ankle reconstruction, treating patients with sports injuries, deformities, traumatic injuries and other conditions. That includes repairing torn Achilles tendons with a minimally invasive procedure that shrinks the incision site to less than a centimeter, and performing advanced ankle replacement on some patients with ankle arthritis. Read more about Scripps’ innovations in foot and ankle care here.
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Mai Vue was just 34 weeks pregnant when she delivered her baby. Her pregnancy had been complicated, and she’d had a recent second trimester pregnancy loss, which led to her receiving specialized care from Sean Daneshmand, MD, a Scripps Clinic perinatologist who oversees high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Daneshmand and his team took care of Mai during her pregnancy, through the birth of her healthy baby girl and beyond. Mai was part of a program Scripps launched to provide support to new moms in the weeks and months after delivery. The postpartum program, known as Scripps Health’s Fourth Trimester Continuum of Care, provides care for women with high-risk pregnancies to optimize their health after childbirth and reduce the risk of complications in future pregnancies. Click here to learn more.
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It’s estimated that one in five people in the U.S. will develop skin cancer at some point in their lives. When you factor in living in a sun-soaked city like San Diego and the outdoorsy lifestyle that comes with it, that figure can jump to as high as one in three, which makes early detection and intervention all the more important. Dermatologists at Bighorn Mohs and Dermatology Center are using innovative imaging methods and advanced surgical techniques to diagnose and treat skin cancer. For certain cancers in sensitive spots, like the face, dermatologists perform Mohs surgery, removing skin tissue layer by layer until reaching healthy, cancer-free tissue. They also use a process called immunohistochemistry to view tissue samples taken during Mohs surgery in far greater detail than previous methods. Read more about how Scripps is advancing skin cancer care here.
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When endurance athlete Isaac Sanchez learned he had cancer, he felt blindsided. He was healthy, surfed often and was training for an Ironman triathlon. But he had to put that on hold to undergo treatment. His physicians at Scripps Cancer Center developed a plan to treat the cancer in his tonsil and lymph nodes that included six-and-a-half weeks of near-daily radiation and weekly chemotherapy. He also worked with a Scripps Cancer Center dietitian to enhance his nutrition to promote strength and healing. Today, Isaac’s back to doing what he loves. Read more of his story here.
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While glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agents have been used to treat Type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years, their recent emergence as weight-loss wonder drugs marked a new frontier in medicine. But their effectiveness has left some patients wondering what to do once they’ve reached their goal. Stopping the medication could mean regaining some, if not all, of the weight. A Scripps Clinic internal medicine physician recently conducted a small study of whether GLP-1 patients who had reached their goal weight could maintain that weight by taking their regularly prescribed injection every other week instead of weekly. Spoiler alert: 30 of 34 patients did. Read more about the study here and what that may mean as pharmaceutical companies roll out oral GLP-1s.
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