By: Mollie Berg ‘16

I never ever wanted to join a sorority. In fact, growing up, my family often made fun of the concepts of Greek life and sororities. So when choosing a college, I specifically looked into schools that socially were not centered around Greek life because I was so certain it was something I would never have wanted to be part of. When I finally chose USC, what I was most worried about was the vast Greek scene.

By: Isabella Sayyah ‘16

As a kid, all I did was read and read and read, but somehow around high school, when books started being assigned for class and my schedule started filling up, I sort of stopped. Nowadays, I’ve realized that though it might take some effort to turn off a mindless TV show and pick up a book, it’s always worth it.

By: Aida Solomon MCM ‘15

In my previous post, I mentioned a passion project that I have been developing over the past year. As the daughter of Ethiopian immigrants, I have had the privilege of growing up in Los Angeles while still being raised in a traditional Ethiopian household. LA County is home to a large Ethiopian population, with even a ‘Little Ethiopia” community nestled in the South Fairfax district.

By: Isabella Sayyah ‘16

The whole idea behind an internship is that it’s a learning experience. This concept, harkening back to the simpler times of apprenticeships, is really, I believe, what keeps the whole practice going. Well, that and the resume-building aspect.

By: Mollie Berg ‘16

Over the past week, I feel like I have really understood the point of an internship. Not too long ago, I spoke with a Carousel employee about the concept of an internship. My boss said that the company essentially is supposed to give something to the interns (via teaching) that the company does not benefit from itself. Sounds simple enough. As interns, we are supposed to walk away having learned skills that will help us in our future. And thankfully, I really feel like I am. More so, the production company I am working for really takes that mission seriously.

By: Isabella Sayyah ‘16

One of the great things about interning at the L.A. Times is that they have a really established internship program that aims to give interns the opportunity to learn everything they can in 10 weeks. Though I learned a lot at my previous two internships, there tended to be less structure because the internship programs weren’t as large.

By: Mollie Berg ‘16

I love the Fourth of July. One, it’s a long weekend (or a day off from work/school), so what’s not to like? But secondly, it’s one of those community/family-oriented holidays. Like Thanksgiving—just less turkey and more fireworks. To celebrate America’s independence (after all, that is what we’re celebrating right??), I met up with my family in Santa Cruz, CA.

By: Vanessa Wilkins ‘15

Hi everyone! So…. June 26th was my birthday! I turned 21 years old, and I had such a fun day! My incredible mother flew in all the way from Atlanta to spend the day with me! I was really excited to see her because I always miss my mom when I’m at school or away from home.

By: Isabella Sayyah ‘16

My family is going away to Palm Springs for the long weekend on Friday, so we decided to have a Fourth of July family barbecue this weekend instead, but with a twist: We were going to pick the fruits and vegetables for the barbecue ourselves (procuring the meat on our own was a little beyond our abilities so we relied on Whole Foods for that part).

By: Isabella Sayyah ‘16

As the excitement of my birthday, Fathers’ Day and graduation for both my sister and brother (middle school and college, respectively) fades away, I’ve slowly gotten settled into a routine. As great as it was to have so many celebrations, the last two weeks since coming home from Israel have been a little exhausting. Now that it’s my third week interning, I also feel like I’ve gotten the hang of it. Since I haven’t really talked much about it beyond my first day, I thought I’d share a little bit about what I do.

By: Vanessa Wilkins ‘15

I love giving back to the community. It is a quality that was instilled in me by my parents at a young age, and something that I always feel the need to do no matter where I am in the world. While game days are fun, and free movie nights are clutch, some of the most meaningful experiences that I’ve had at USC involve giving back to the community.

By: Mollie Berg ‘16

This past Sunday, I went over to my friend Jennifer’s house to tan and hang out. First semester last year, I took a one-unit PE volleyball class for fun (which WAS) really fun, and I met Jen, who is one of the sweetest people I know. It turned out, we lived three doors down from each other in our apartment building, and since then we have been great friends! I ended up going to dinner with her family—her mom, dad, brother, two grandmas and one grandpa—at a really beautiful and delicious restaurant.