Valentine’s Day Ideas: What to do with your 5 Love Languages Result
By: Sophia Pei ‘22
With Valentine’s day just around the corner, now’s the time to find out your love language, or how you most prefer to be loved. Keep reading to find self-love ideas (after all, you should be your own best lover) or Valentine’s ideas be it for friends or your special someone.
The Life and Afterlife of Eurydice and Orpheus in Opera (Review)
By: Talia Walters ‘20
When I was in high school, the theater group put on a performance of Eurydice, and in the production, I played a stone. If you’ve never seen Sarah Ruhl’s telling of the Orpheus myth, then I’m sure that sounds just as exciting as playing a tree in your elementary school play, but I promise that the stones are characters with lines. It was probably my favorite show that I was in, so when I saw Sarah Ruhl was coming to a Visions and Voices event to talk about the world premiere of the new version of her show, I couldn’t say no. It wasn’t until after I reserved my tickets that my friend pointed out that it was in fact the “LA Opera,” and so the new version was an entirely different, operatic version of the show that I wouldn’t recognize. I have no knowledge of the opera or how to talk about operatic music, but I was still determined to go. So, here’s a review of “The Life and Afterlife of Eurydice (and Orpheus) in Opera” from someone who has never been to an opera before in her life.
Advice from a Spring Admit to Other Spring Admits
By: Camila Grases ‘21
Welcome to all the newest additions to our campus! During these first few weeks, perhaps you have started to feel as though you aren’t so welcome here, maybe if it’s because people already have groups of friends, a routine, an understanding of campus. If you are an introvert like me, this sentiment is probably even worse, the size of the university may be overwhelming. But do not worry, all your peers who seem like they have got it down were once in your position. My hope is that by the end of this post you feel welcome and you feel like you have a place here. It’s gonna take work but it’s worth it.
Club Spotlight: Figure Skating Club (USCFSC)
By: Sophia Pei ‘22
Whether you’ve been skating since you were 8 or if this is your first time hearing about it, if you’ve ever had the desire to learn to figure skate, you should look into USC’s very own figure skating club.
A letter to my fellow graduating seniors.
By: Ellice Ellis ‘20
It’s senior year y’all! And whether you transferred to this beautiful school at some time during your colligate journey or have been here since year one… the lessons we’ve learned and our growth deserve to not only be celebrated but to be reflected upon.
Best organizing methods/planners to kick off the new year
By: Ellice Ellis ‘20
The start of a new year and coincidentally a new semester is a great time to get organized. Having all your obligations, homework assignments, significant events, and even free time sorted out will make the remaining 15 weeks of the semester a lot easier. For myself, I use the calendar app on my phone as well as a physical planner to help guide my weeks. I schedule in my workouts, time with friends, work obligations, and classes, as well as using reminders, so I am on top of everything in my worldview. Here’s to a new year, and here are 5 organizing products and methods that will help you get off on the right foot.
What to Binge on Netflix
By: Natalie Oganesyan ‘22
For self-care purposes, obviously. I don’t know about you, but for me, Netflix is on par with therapy (okay, maybe that’s an overstatement). However, I can recall turning to Netflix for help any time I was upset, overwhelmed, angry, or felt any other negative emotion. Not only do I believe that taking your mind off of things by watching TV is stress-relieving, but I also believe media, movies, and shows can enrich your mind. Especially nowadays, more and more movies offer political and social commentary on important topics and present themes which were previously left untouched. So, without further ado, in the name of self-care and college student survival tips, I present to you my comprehensive list of the most binge-worthy shows and movies to watch on Netflix.
Studying the Wizarding World (And Other Super Cool Screenwriting Electives)
By: Alexis M Peters ‘20
Yes, I am taking that class about Harry Potter.Every time I walk into the Norris Cinema auditorium, it feels like the first day of Hogwarts. The professor has the movie soundtrack playing in the background, and one of the house flags and colors projected on the big screen. Sometimes people come with various Harry Potter paraphernalia, repping their Hogwarts House. (GO Hufflepuff!)
Movies and Moods
By: Camila Grases ‘21
We all know this time of the semester can be stressful. Midterms around every corner, your work throughout the whole semester is culminating suddenly. Sometimes, the best thing we can do for ourselves and our mental health is step away from these stressful situations and take some time to allow ourselves to be transported to different worlds. Here is a list of some of my favorite movies to watch based on the moods and anxiety you might be feeling. Of course, as with anything, this is my own list. These are movies that I love, regardless of whether they are considered “good” or not. All I can hope is that this inspires a movie session or two.
Movie Night on a Budget
By: Danielle Collins ‘20
I love movies, and I love seeing movies at the theater. But in LA, too many movies nights can break the bank. Coming from my hometown where movie tickets are $7, going to the theater in LA was a shock. So I’ve done my best to figure out how to keep seeing movies without draining my bank account. My two biggest recommendations are buying tickets from the USC Ticket Office, or investing in MoviePass if you’re a serious moviegoer. Keep reading to learn about those options and a couple of other suggestions!
My Experience Traveling to China as a First-Year Business Student
By: Adriana Bernal Martinez ‘20
I remember the day I got this little red and yellow box in the mail. It was in late March of my Senior year of high school. I was coming back home from Debate practice at around 6 and at the sight of two little boxes just chillin’ on my doorstep, my breath caught in my throat. I wasn’t really sure what they were about whatsoever, but they seemed rather important and they had the colors of the school I had just committed to on them, so. I was anxious and excited and maybe a little teensy bitsy sweaty but upon opening them, I learned one thing and one thing only: I was going to China.
Jazz Appreciation Month
By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20
I can probably spend hours, days, and even years (as I’m sure many other musicians and educators of jazz have spent) describing and defining what “Jazz” is. I found this really great clip and the people who are interviewed describe jazz and what it is to them (and its origins). All of their definitions, in my opinion, are correct!
Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Denim Day
By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20
Did you know that in the United States, April is Sexual Assault Awareness month? Spread awareness by participating on Denim Day (April 26th, 2017).
Meet Joy
By: Joy Ofodu ‘18
Hi, I’m Joy! It’s a wonder that anyone would want to read my fanatic raving (or hot tea) about USC. Anyone who knows me will tell you I bleed cardinal & gold like it’s my job (and as a product of Admissions, I suppose it is).
USC’s First Feminist Media Festival
By: Terry Nguyen ‘20
On Sunday, April 2, the Women in Cinematic Arts hosted its first ever Feminist Media Festival. Although this was an inaugural event, the organization hopes to host more festivals in future years to improve inclusivity and diversity within an industry predominantly represented by cisgender white men. The USC School of Cinematic Arts is diverse in its student demographics — the school’s demographics reveal that it is 50% female. Unfortunately, the film industry does not reflect these numbers, as only 3% of women direct the top films of the field. Such events like the Feminist Media Festival aim to create and build a network of feminist filmmakers to pave the way for the film future.
Visions and Voices: Anarchy in Asian America
By: Terry Nguyen ‘20
On Friday, March 24, USC Visions and Voices hosted a panel discussion with four prominent Japanese American directors and producers called “Anarchy in Asian America: Sex, Punk and Transgressive Cinema.” The three directors whose works were featured are Gregg Araki, Roddy Bogawa, and Jon Moritsugu; the panel was lead by producer Marcus Hu, who dubbed the directors the “bad boys” of Asian American cinema. The three had met in the 1980’s and have been in contact since, but haven’t had a chance to host a full panel together due to their busy schedules.
4 Freshman Dining Hall Food Hacks
By: Terry Nguyen, ‘20
As a dorm-residing freshman, it is easy to complain about the culinary scene of the dining halls: The food is too bland, they serve the same options weekly, the cooked meat sometimes looks suspicious, they added cheese into your omelette again — you get the point — the list can go on and on. Nevertheless, as your days at the dining halls are coming to an end, you realize that you have developed some clever food hacks over the past months dining at EVK, Parkside, or McCarthy. It is an acquired skill, and dining hall food is also an acquired taste, especially after months and months of the same salad bar with the same offered options of condiments. You learn to look past EVK’s strange-looking edamame, and un-avocado-like “avocado” sandwich spread. The period of super salty kale and sauteed greens are also fading into the memories of first semester. As a soon-to-be sophomore, here are a few easy food hacks to make the most of your time at a dining hall before that all-you-can-eat privilege is replaced by an apartment meal plan — or, no meal plan at all.
Why the USC Memes Page is So Iconic
By: Terry Nguyen ‘20
What do you meme you haven’t heard of USC’s meme page? For the latest college trend this past semester, students are turning to a new fascination within internet culture: college-related memes featured on Facebook meme “pages” within a university subculture. As meme culture continues to grow in popularity, college campuses are adopting their own, specific brands of humor. USC is no exception. USC’s page, titled USC Memes for Spoiled Pre-Teens, takes its name inspiration from UC Berkeley’s — UC Berkeley Memes for Edgy Teens. UCLA consequently named its group UCLA Memes for Sick AF Tweens, but the Trojan meme-makers would like to believe pre-teens are arguably cooler than “sick af” tweens. But the real question is: what makes USC’s meme page so iconic? An average USC student’s humor consists of more than simply bagging on UCLA students; it’s a combination of poorly Photoshopped Nikias memes, the slow burn torture of rising tuition, and the strange neo-Gothic pointy structures that guard USC’s gates.
LKD: The Blogger
By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20
Hi, all! My name is Lilly Kate Diaz (aka LKD aka Lilly-Kate). I am a First-Year/Freshman (and First Gen!) student studying English with an emphasis in Literature (soon to be minoring in IT).
The Best of USC Radio Shows and Podcasts
By: Ellice Ellis ‘20
Podcasts and radio media are making a comeback and USC students are ahead of the curve. You can find students on campus not only producing their own content; but playing a wide variety of music, discussing the latest pop-culture gossip, or interviewing interesting people around campus. Finding the right podcast or radio show to get into can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t have hours of time to spare or the patience to sit through a crappy show. So what is the solution? Read the list below and get acquainted with following shows. I’m sure they will have you hooked instantly.