April is Earth Month – the one month of the year dedicated to education and awareness around environmental sustainability. With the numerous Earth ecosystems that rely on one another, we need to focus on conservation efforts and cultivating planet-positive habits.

What do Tessa Thompson, America Ferrera, Matthew Lillard, Will Ferrell, and Jason Bateman have in common?

They’ve all been visiting artists at Spotlight@SDA.

Spotlight@SDA is a hidden gem that all USC students should take advantage of, whether you are studying theatre, screenwriting, communications, business, or anything else. Spotlight@SDA is a professional development opportunity provided by the School of Dramatic Arts.

If you’re looking for a good laugh, USC’s got you covered. Our institution’s ever-expanding comedy scene is one of the standout parts of the university, which hosts a plethora of sketch comedy, improv, and stand-up groups. Among these is the brand-new 3/5 Comedy, founded by Black students as an effort to uplift and promote underrepresented voices in comedy circles.

“We meet every Sunday to create whatever it is that makes us feel alive.”

One rainy Sunday, I stumbled across a new Instagram page called Sundays@USC. A few USC students were featured, including someone building an AI gardening tool, a student creating a card game, and someone researching quantum computing. I quickly fell in love with the idea of Sundays@USC: a place for anyone to work on passions that excite them.

Every semester, the USC School of Dramatic Arts puts on a variety of performances. During the first two weeks of November, they ran a production of Hit the Wall, which I was lucky enough to attend. The play follows multiple perspectives during the night of the Stonewall Uprising in the summer of 1969. Anthony Guerrise, a sophomore who played Newbie during the second week of performances, sat down with me to talk about his experience.

One of my favorite music-discovery easter eggs is finding out an artist whose work I love is a USC alum. Here are some of my favorites, straight from my playlist.

By: Tamanna Sood ‘24

Annenberg is and will always be my home here at USC. I love the school, and I will forever be grateful for the fact I’m able to attend this institution. However, throughout my time here, I’ve uncovered plenty of cracks in the program. Hopefully, one day, Annenberg can make changes to become even better.

By: Tamanna Sood ‘24

Founded in 2010 by the United Nations Foundation, Girl Up is a girl-centered leadership development initiative focusing on equity for girls and women in underrepresented spaces. I first learned about Girl Up through my friend Rumaisa Islam, who coincidentally happens to be the president of the USC chapter this year. I recently got the chance to sit down with Islam to learn more about the organization:

By: Lauren Liang ‘23

Los Angeles is home to an incredible community of creatives, and USC’s student population is no exception. With 22 schools across the university, there is no shortage of talent. Enter Ally Wei: USC senior, photographer, creative director, multi-hyphenate extraordinaire, and founder of Fellows Collective. The Collective’s latest project is a short film titled ALL OF MY FEELINGS, and it needs your help to be produced!

By: Amy Argueta ‘25 (USC Student Life Guest Blogger)

Anya Ball is the next rising DJ you need to check out. After feeling uninspired and unmotivated during her first semester in college, Ball turned to DJing as a new creative outlet. Just eight months after buying her first mixer, she already has 25 venues nation-wide under her belt, and a whole lot of future to look forward to.

By: Ngai Yeung ‘23

Like many people, I’ve never been to an observatory before, nor did I have any plans to do so. But when I saw the Thematic Option honors program’s latest field trip to Mount Wilson Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains, I suddenly had a new bucket list item to cross off.

By: Chia Okwaraibekwe ‘26 (USC Student Life Guest Blogger)

Every time I found myself at a hospital or clinic, I desperately searched for people who looked like me. As I grew older and started to become more knowledgeable about the hidden truths in life, I began to realize that being both Black and a woman would make navigating the medical field more difficult than I anticipated.