The Trojan Knights aren’t just passionate about USC athletics. They also care about community service and public health.
The Knights will be promoting their annual bone marrow registry drive on campus from March 9th to March 12th.
The drive is supported by the organization’s partnership with DKMS, a non-profit organization with over 11 million registered donors and the largest stem cell database network on the planet, according to a press release from Trojan Knights Communication Director Calder Swiderski.
Ronald Molnar, the service director for the Trojan Knights, said the registered student organization (RSO) has partnered with DKMS for about a decade, adding the Knights love doing service in the USC community.
Molnar explained the Trojan Knights is the oldest service spirit organization at USC.
“If you ever see the people painted at the front of football or basketball games, that’s us. We guard the victory bell,” he said.
Andy Brennan, a freshman studying arts, technology, and the business of innovation, is a member of the Trojan Knights. Brennan said his love for service encouraged him to join.
“You have to give back to your community and help others,” said Brennan.
On Tuesday, the group reached almost halfway to their goal of 200 registrants.
To join the bone marrow registry, students completed a brief survey to verify eligibility and self-swab. Students who registered received vouchers to Bruxie and Yoboseyo! Superette–restaurants at the USC Village. .
Chloe Rabinowitz, a freshman majoring in chemical engineering who recently signed up for the drive. She said the process was “ super, super simple, and for a great cause,” taking no more than 10 minutes.
When a match is found, DKMS contacts donors and pays for all related travel, lodging and medical fees to complete the donation. Registrants can opt out at any time.
Mai Menard, a freshman at USC studying chemical engineering, has a father battling blood cancer. On Tuesday, she joined the fight against the disease by participating in the annual Trojan Knight bone marrow registry drive.
“This is something that’s really awesome and it puts more awareness out there,” said Menard.
Cleveland Clinic and DKMS both said marrow donations can help people battling blood disorders and cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and aplastic anemia. Bone marrow donations can improve chances of recovery by providing healthy stem cells to patients.
According to the National Cancer Institute, leukemia is the most common blood cancer — almost 67,000 people were diagnosed in 2025. Although blood cancers are relatively rare, cancer was the second leading cause of death in the U.S. as of 2024.
“Just having a pop-up like this is perfect because it gets us all more informed,” said Rabinowitz.
The Trojan Knights will be tabling at the Trousdale entrance on Wednesday and Hahn Plaza on Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.