6 Reasons to Do Things Alone
By: Kelly Kinas ‘16
Alone. Let’s just remember that alone is not the same as lonely. I can choose to do things alone but that longing feeling to be with others but not actually being with them is being lonely. I love my support system: my friends, my family, people I talk to in line at Starbucks, everyone in my life. I could not be the person I am today without them. Additionally, I could not be who I am today without me. Knowing yourself and spending time alone is healthy and something everyone should do. Here are so reasons why I think it’s important to do things by yourself sometimes. Read on!
Gracefully Abroad: El Chalten
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
After Perrito Moreno and our short stay in Calafate, Francesca and I hopped on a 3 hour bus to get to El Chalten. We lucked out and were assigned the best seats, front row with a view that couldn’t be beat, but unfortunately a couple nabbed what was rightfully ours and we didn’t have the heart to ask them to move.
7 Podcasts to Get You Through Your Trip Home
By: Kelly Kinas ‘16
Finals week has started and that means most of USC will be heading back home or to wherever their internships/jobs take them. That may be by plane, train, or automobile but no matter how you get there, you will need to be entertained along the way. I am here to offer some amazing Podcasts suggestions so you don’t have to listen to Life of Pablo or Views again. These are interesting, entertaining and most episodes are about 45 minutes long. Give them a listen and make your next trip go by even faster!
Ask a Trojan: Finding a Roommate
By: Kelly Kinas ‘16
Yo, Anonymous! First off, Congratulations on applying, getting in, and choosing USC!! Welcome to the Trojan Family! Housing freshman year is really… interesting. In my experience, finding a roommate online is kind of like online dating. People put themselves out there and you can either put yourself out there and wait for someone to contact you or look through all the people and reach out to people. It depends on what you want to do.
Gracefully Abroad: El Calafate
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
Last weekend I set several alarms for 3 AM Friday morning, strapped on my massive backpack filled to the brim with assorted snacks and jackets, double-checked I had my passport, and hopped into a taxi with my friend and fellow Trojan, Francesca, for our obscenely early flight (saving some moola, gaining some time) to El Calafate in the southern part of Argentina, a region called Patagonia. It may come as a surprise to some of you that your trendy-yet-functional-cold-weather-Patagonia-brand gear is named after a real place, but I can now officially confirm this fact first-hand and let me tell you, it sure is a beauty.
4 Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs) for Admitted Students
By: Kelly Kinas ‘16
1. High School Musical 2: This franchise changed a generation, in my humble opinion. This sequel appeared on Disney Channel in 2008. While it included many adults acting as high schoolers and singing about their feelings, they also discussed topics that relate to the youth of America: Friendship, college, scholarships, and trying to actually have a job in the summer months during high school…
Sports 360: Lacrosse
By: Kelly Kinas ‘16
I’ll level with you all. I have never played lacrosse. I know it’s the one shortcoming of my sports education. But just because I have not played it does not mean I cannot enjoy it. And I do enjoy it and YOU SHOULD TOO. USC’s women’s lacrosse team is absolutely KILLING IT this season, so to get you all ready to support them at their next game, I’m here to break down the game of lacrosse for you.
Sexual Assault Awareness Week
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
This week, from April 11 to April 15 is Sexual Assault Awareness Week at USC. The gravity of the problem of sexual assaults on college campuses is starting to be recognized nationwide and hopefully this week will serve as a step towards addressing the issue on our own campus. If you or someone close to you is a survivor of sexual assault, then you know how important recognizing this week is, although it can be difficult or triggering.
Festival of Books 2k16: To Live and Thrive
By: Kelly Kinas ‘16
While the weather was not the best this past weekend, the Festival of Books was a major success, at least from where I’m standing. At that point, I was walking around campus without an umbrella with a light shower making me slightly damp. There were families, school groups, couples, the old, the young, and everyone in between. It is so special that the University of Southern California gets to host such an important event. Even better, all of the students for USC get to experience this festival and listen in on the amazing talks happening throughout our campus.
Sports 360: Volleyball
By: Kelly Kinas ‘16
I’ve played volleyball. Oh yeah, I’ve played volleyball. Eighth grade. Picture me: totally ready to already be in high school but still having another year of middle school. So I join every. single. sport possible. I joined basketball, cheerleading, swimming, track, cross country, and of course, volleyball. The only real skill I had at volleyball was being able to serve really well. The most prominent memory of my 8th grade volleyball career was at the championship match. I was put in to serve and then taken out the next point. Every single time for the same girl who was better at everything but horrible at serving.
6 Disney Movies to Get You Through the Last Month of School
By: Kelly Kinas ‘16
I know what you’re thinking. Disney movies are for kids! The character’s struggles can’t be related to my personal struggles! Lucky for you all, you have me, a creative thinking, Disneyland annual pass holding, USC student who can come up with connections when you can’t.
Waiting (ever so patiently)
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
When you’re adjusting to a new city, of course you need to give yourself some time to figure out how everything works. Waiting to feel comfortable and for some semblance of confidence is frustrating to say the least, especially when you can’t help making comparisons to how things work “so smoothly” back home.
When Hillary drops by while you’re abroad
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
Last Thursday, I did what any productive exchange student would do in between classes- checked my instagram and ate yesterday’s dinner leftovers from my new tupperware. Such multi-tasking was dangerous and nearly caused me to choke on a spoonful of lentils because within the first few photos alone, I realized my fellow Trojans were with Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Gracefully Abroad: Asado
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
Last week I went to my first asado, which is essentially what in the U.S. we would call a barbecue. After speaking with the Argentinian students present, apparently this wasn’t a “real asado” because it was more of a meet and greet (or meat and greet if you catch my drift) for the international students than the extensive sit-down affair that asados normally are. Still, I’m counting it as an asado because it had all the makings of one (chorripan, which is sausage on a toasted bun, a parilla, which is the big open-fire grill, and lots of sides and ensaladas, thank goodness.)
Gracefully Abroad: Lollapalooza Argentina
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
Last weekend I went to Lollapalooza, a musical festival, that’s become quite global with locations in São Paulo, Santiago, Berlin, Bogotá, and of course, my home of Chicago, where I first experienced the magic. This time, however, I experienced Lollapalooza Argentina in San Isidro, a suburb of Buenos Aires.
Gracefully Abroad: Being the Exchange Student
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
When you study abroad you have a few different types of programs to choose from. You can go to one of the USC Abroad locations, which I did last summer in Madrid, where you are taught by USC professors but in a new city. You can also choose to go through a study abroad provider, like CIES or SIT, which I did last fall through SIT Nicaragua. The benefits to going with a study abroad provider are, in my experience, a strong relationship with the local community, reciprocity, authenticity, and well-organized group excursions included in program costs. Currently, I am doing a direct enrollment study abroad experience, which means I am enrolled as a student as this University and take classes alongside Argentinian students. During my time at USC, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know a number of exchange students, and it’s been very interesting to now be on the other side of that.
Gracefully Abroad: The Tango
By: Grace Carballo ‘17
Some of my tango partners might protest to the title of this blog citing their sore toes from me stepping on them as evidence to the contrary, but I was blessed with a name that can be turned very smoothly into a modifier (adjective OR adverb, how versatile!) and who can blame me for playing the cards I was dealt?
10 Instagrams Photos You Probably Have if You Go to School in LA
By: Kelly Kinas ‘16
Let’s be real: it’s hard to come up with an original Instagram photo and caption these days. You think of something creative and new to you and then when you search the hashtags, everyone said the same thing! For me, it’s not a bad thing to have a common photo (what some people call “basic”). If you go to school in Los Angeles, you definitely have at least 3 of these photos on your Instagram. How many do YOU have?
Sports 360: March Madness
By: Kelly Kinas ‘16
“Why are all these people caring whether these really small schools win in March? College basketball is cool but people are like caring about every single outcome. What the hell? I always hear about March Madness but I don’t really know what it means.”
Sports 360: Ice Hockey
By: Kelly Kinas ‘16
Hockey is a pretty vague term but there is also field hockey (and my person favorite arcade game, air hockey). Specifically, this blog is about the rules, teams, and history of ice hockey. Hockey isn’t the most common sport in Los Angeles, even while the Kings are very popular, but that might be because the Staples Center is a great place to escape the heat in the summer months. Hockey is actually a pretty amazing sport! Theses guys need to be huge enough to hit another guy into a wall but still graceful enough to skate around the rink. It’s an interesting sport that a solid amount of West and Southwest people do not know too much about. Which is why I am here for you!