PHOTO: Sergio Vasquez

Facing a rare medical condition that impacts 1 or 2 of every million people ever year worldwide, Jordan Cass MS ’26 experienced a medical emergency that could’ve sidelined her. Nevertheless, the graduate persisted and, later this week, she will walk across the stage at Bovard Auditorium, earning her master’s degree in biokinesiology.

BY KATHARINE GAMMON

IN THE FALL OF 2024, right before finals, Jordan Cass, a master’s student in biokinesiology, began to feel sick. Really sick.

At first, Cass thought the aches and fatigue were just the flu, but her symptoms grew progressively worse. She landed in the emergency room, where doctors told her that her kidneys were failing — but they couldn’t pinpoint the reason why.

The next day, a hematologist arrived at her bedside and delivered some shocking news: Cass had a rare disease called atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). It is a genetic blood-clotting disorder, and it can attack the kidneys, causing renal failure, Cass explains.

“The known triggers are changes in medication, surgical procedures, pregnancy or viruses — so they don’t really know what caused mine. And since it’s rare, there’s really not much known about it.”

Studies estimate the incidence of aHUS to be approximately 1 to 2 cases per million people per year worldwide, which means that fewer than 625 people in the United States have the disease.

Despite facing a major medical diagnosis, Cass continued her studies, doing schoolwork from her hospital bed. She got out of the medical center right before Thanksgiving and took a few days off — Zooming into class from home. Then she took her final exams as planned and aced them — a testament, if ever there was one, to Cass’s iron-strong work ethic.

The experience has changed her path. Now on a kidney transplant list, Cass now plans to go to medical school to study hematology and help others with aHUS. The disease is a chronic, life-long condition with a high risk of relapse, but it is treatable — with a transplant, medications or blood transfusions.

Learning from the Best

Cass became interested in biokinesiology at a young age. She grew up in Sutter Creek, Calif., a small town that used to be a gold mining community. With two older siblings who played basketball, she was drawn to the game — and to science. “I just played basketball my whole life, from the time I was 5 up until 18,” Cass says. “So that really influenced who I was as a person in terms of hard work and determination.”

Her academic path reflects that determination. When Cass was applying to colleges, she saw that kinesiology could be a course of study, and that drew her to Pepperdine University, where studied sports medicine. While doing research there, she became further interested in exercise science and wanted to pursue it at a graduate level.

“I decided to apply to USC’s [master’s in biokinesiology] program because it’s nationally ranked, and so I wanted to learn exercise science from some of the best professors and the most knowledgeable people in the field,” she says. “The professors in this program are also physical therapists, and so they teach from a totally different perspective than you would get at another university.”

From her time at USC, she will remember the master summative project day, when all the students presented projects to the LA Galaxy. Cass’s project was studying galvanic skin response to perturbations during walking — “essentially it’s looking at how the fear of falling affects people when they’re walking,” she says.

For students coming to USC, she has a few pieces of advice. “Really talk to the professors,” she says. “Try to get involved in as much research as possible, and just really have an interest in what you do — it will show.”

The Division’s Commencement Ceremony will take place Friday, May 15 at 4:30 in Bovard Auditorium. For more information, visit our Commencement webpage.