Dean Hill’s love for students motivates her to teach
By Itzel Luna
With a cheerful smile and welcoming eyes, Associate Dean of Admissions Allyson Hill proudly showed off a photo of a two-year-old girl who’s got a playful smile, wearing a new dress that was gifted by Hill herself. This little girl is the daughter of one of Hill’s former students.
“For her birthday, I sent her this little dress that I love and she sent me a picture,” Hill said. “Becoming a part of a student’s life is amazing and I love that.”
Hill has been working at the University of Southern California for 17 years and has been an Associate Dean for five of them. Her favorite part of working in higher education is the lasting connection she forms with the students that visit her office.
“I’ve attended weddings of students, christenings and birthday parties,” Hill said. “When you work closely with people, it can move from professional and student to friends.”
In hopes of making her mark in education without teaching in a classroom setting, Hill was an English Literature major at Oberlin College with a concentration in higher education. After that, she went on to get a master’s degree in higher education at Ohio State University.
Hill visited students of the Annenberg Youth Academy(AYA) on June 19 to answer questions surrounding the admissions process for USC Annenberg. After playing a critical role in the selection criteria and admission selection of AYA, Hill was extremely excited to meet the AYA 2019 cohort.
“College-going seems mysterious to so many people and every opportunity to help educate students is absolutely critical,” Hill said. “I want to demystify this whole process because I am an insider but I don’t want it to be mysterious on the outside.”
When Hill met with AYA students, her best advice was for them to find a school that fits their needs.
“You will be successful wherever you go to college. Look broadly and look at fit. Fit means that what the school is offering is what you want and what you’re bringing to the table is valued by the institution,” Hill said. “Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.”
After the admissions scandal, nicknamed “Operation Varsity Blues,” rocked the nation, Hill ensures that the only way to combat the cloud of doubt left by this scandal is for the admissions team to be available and accessible.
“If people don’t know who you are, they can’t talk to you. You don’t answer questions and that creates an air of suspicion,” Hill said. “That’s what we do in the Annenberg Admissions Office, we’re totally open and available.”
Throughout the difficult time when the scandal broke out, Hill appreciated a letter sent by a family that she used to work with.
The letter read, “Despite all of the stuff you hear in the news, you are USC Admissions. You are USC Annenberg to us.”
“That meant a lot to me,” Hill said. “The individual integrity, the work that we do with students and family is actually recognized and appreciated.”
