Janice Durbin Chaffin, ’78, didn’t have dreams of computers or information systems dancing in her head when she first came to UCSD. But throughout her college years, she learned to embrace the unexpected, a mindset that has since helped her excel in the high-tech arena. Following a 20-year career at Hewlett Packard, Chaffin is now chief marketing officer at Symantec Corp., makers of the Norton line of security software products.

With a gift of $26,000, she and her husband recently established the Janice and Steve Chaffin Scholarship Endowment to provide scholarship support for graduates of the Preuss School who go on to study at UCSD. The Preuss School is a public middle/high school on the UCSD campus that offers an intensive curriculum to low-income students who will be the first in their families to go on to earn a college degree.

On your very first day at UCSD, what was your big dream?
Oh, I wanted to be a scientist, and then more specifically a bio-chemist. Along the way, I decided I liked people more than lab science, so I eventually switched majors and landed in the Political Science department.

Why support graduates of the Preuss School?
Smart, motivated kids don’t always have the economic advantage to go as far as they can, but the Preuss School’s attention to academics gives students the opportunity to go to college and achieve their life goals. I enjoyed being at UCSD, but for me it was difficult to pay for my education. Now I’d like to make it a little easier for someone else.

What’s Next?
I don’t know what’s next for me professionally because I’m so wrapped up in what I’m doing right now. Personally, what first comes to mind is that soon I’ll have two teenage daughters and I think, “Oh boy, here we go!”

Quick Takes:
Proudest accomplishment: Cliché, but it’s my family.

Favorite place on campus: Anyplace where I could see the ocean.

Advice for current students: The best career is to do what you love, so take the time now to try out different things, find what you love.

What you learned about “life” while at UCSD: Don’t expect a set path and embrace the opportunities life brings you.

Motivation to support UCSD: It’s very important for me to give back and help others.