Our Member Spotlight features Chapman alum Stephen Pollard, who is certainly not a newcomer to Chapman! He grew up in Orange, and his family has been a part of the Chapman scene for generations. His grandmother, longtime T&G member Judy Crum, moved into her home, one block from the Chapman campus, sixty years ago, and Stephen grew up walking around the campus as a child, forming a Chapman connection early in life. His parents, T&G members Stephanie and Ron Pollard, as well as his brother Jonathon, all four of his grandparents, and his fiance’ Colleen Costello all attended Chapman for their undergraduate degrees. His great-grandmother received an honorary doctorate from Chapman in 1972, making him a fourth-generation alum and prime example of the Chapman heritage.

Stephen says, “As a student, I loved being a part of Chapman, and my fondest memories revolve around my fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, and involvement in many areas. Despite growing up so close to the University, I stayed in the dorms my freshman year and met my closest friends through this experience. I recall helping run my fraternity’s philanthropy, Delta Queen, and what fun it was to work with a team of friends to raise funds for great causes. Career-wise, I was influenced by the outstanding accounting department and professors (Adler and Virchick were both major influences) to go into public accounting and then to transition into private industry where I’m a Senior Accounting Manager at a subsidiary of S&P Global.”

What has inspired Stephen to participate in Town and Gown following graduation?  As a student, he was the grateful recipient of a Town & Gown scholarship, which helped him pay for his education and focus on his studies. Additionally, the continuing involvement of his grandmother in Town and Gown kept him aware of its activities and the student assistance it provides. Over the years, Stephen has watched the campus evolve and finds the many new buildings and continuing expansion of the school inspiring, and achievements like Musco and Keck amazing to see come to fruition since his graduation in 2014. Seeing the school he loved attending continue to expand is an inspiration to him, and he sincerely hopes that current and future students have as great an experience as he did. Town and Gown warmly welcomes Stephen Pollard as a member with a special heritage and history!