Excerpts from Backbone and Brick: Meet the Black alumnae whose contributions are commemorated on the Horseshoe.

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As a tribute to the Black alumnae featured in the student-produced documentary The Backbone, USC's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion purchased 18 personalized bricks from the Alumni Association and had them installed on the Horseshoe near Lieber College. The bricks were formally unveiled at an event in February.

Four of the women featured are alumnae of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. 

Tjuan Dogan

A native of Greenville, Tjuan Dogan served as a member of Delta Sigma Theta and the Association of African American Students executive board and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in advertising in 1991. She returned to the university for a master’s degree in education in 1998 and Ph.D. in education in 2002.

After earning her Ph.D., she completed a year-long fellowship at Harvard Business School. Today, Dogan is global director of social impact at Coursera, one of the world’s leading online learning platforms.

Amber Guyton

While studying advertising at USC, 2008 alumna Amber Guyton served as president of the Association of African American Students and as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.

She earned an MBA from the University of Georgia in 2014 and spent time working in the marketing and financial services industry before founding Blessed Little Bungalow, an Atlanta-based interior design business.

Toby Jenkins 

Honors College graduate and Columbia native Toby Jenkins earned her bachelor’s in journalism in 1997 before earning a master’s in education from the University of Maryland in 2000 and a Ph.D. in educational theory and policy from Penn State in 2007. While at USC, she participated in Delta Sigma Theta. Her accolades include an Individual Leadership Award from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education and USC’s Outstanding Black Alumni Award.

In addition to working as an associate professor and director of the Museum of Education in the College of Education, she is interim associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion for The Graduate School.

Yvonne Miller

Yvonne Miller was USC’s first Black female student body vice president. During her time at the university, she participated in Alpha Kappa Alpha and served as vice president of the Sorority Council. After graduating with a public relations degree in 2005, she earned a J.D. degree from Western Michigan University Law School.

As an intern in the White House’s Office of Public Engagement during President Obama’s first term, Miller worked on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. She now works as an attorney, advisor and corporate counsel.