New Year, Not So New You
By: Alexis M Peters ‘20
The new year is coming up soon, and that means it’s almost time to start thinking about a New Year’s resolution. Instead of making some cliche resolution about eating healthier, or something you won’t realistically accomplish like working out everyday, pick something that’s actually attainable. Chances are you don’t even remember what your resolution was last year. That’s why I want to challenge you to this: Come January, make a resolution that’s unique and actually write it down. Writing down your goals makes it much more likely that you’ll actually achieve them. So, let’s get into it! Here are 10 not cliche New Year’s resolutions you could take for your own!
5 Second Hand Clothing Shops to Check out Near Campus
By: Awo Jama ‘22
As a first year college student living away from home for the first time, learning how to manage my money has proven to be one of the most difficult adjustments I’ve had to undergo. In order to have more funds available to me for Ubering, getting coffee, doing my laundry (yes, USC makes you pay for your laundry), stocking up on snacks, replenishing my toiletries, and going out with friends, I’ve had to greatly reduce the amount of money I spend on clothes. As a fashion enthusiast, this trade-off hasn’t been easy, and has led to a few impulsive H&M orders. However, after exploring some local second hand clothing stores and gradually incorporating the clothes I’ve found into my wardrobe, I’ve realized that you don’t have to compromise style for affordability when shopping for clothes. Below I’ve listed the best second hand shops I’ve been to near campus, so if you’re on a budget but needing to revamp your wardrobe, keep reading!
Opinion: Love LA? Don’t Live in the Lorenzo.
By: Sophia Pei ‘22
With their Bellagio-esque dancing fountain, four pools, gaming room, free shuttle, and other amenities, the Lorenzo is a popular choice for students at USC. Part of the Renaissance collection, the Lorenzo is privately owned by GH Palmer Associates and marketed as luxury student housing. While GH Palmer Associates is creating much needed housing in downtown LA, the Italian façade luxury apartments don’t serve the greater community. The increasing demand for exclusive student housing has decreased the economic incentive for developers to create additional much needed affordable housing units in South LA.
Late Night ‘SC and LA Haunted Hayride
By: Sophia Pei ‘22
Courtesy of Late Night SC and ResEd, I was finally able to attend LA’s Haunted Hayride at Griffith Park. Here’s an honest review of the Hayride and Purgatory (the theme park).
Iridescence: USC Drag Culture and Queer Visibility on Campus
By: Talia Walters ‘20
Every year, USC, through a long list of student associations on campus including the Queer and Ally Student Assembly (Facebook, Instagram), puts on its own drag show with local (read: student) performers. And thus, in my determination to become more acquainted with USC’s queer communities, I decided to attend the show.
Conquest 2018
By: Sophia Pei ‘22
This Saturday is the infamous USC vs. UCLA game. A fight to establish which university has the best football team in LA. The most anticipated game is preceded with USC’s greatest pep-rally-esque event: Conquest. As someone who could honestly care less about football and won’t be at Saturday’s game, this event infused me with all the school spirit I’ll need for the upcoming weekend.
Thanksgiving on Campus
By: Cameryn Baker ‘22
Spending Thanksgiving on campus? Here’s what you can do! You’ve probably begun to notice now that campus is getting increasingly abuzz about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday as if Thursday night’s Conquest festival wasn’t enough excitement. You’ve probably heard people around school having conversations about how excited they are for Thanksgiving dinner, seen people in your hall packing their bags for their flights home, or noticed the people you follow on Instagram posting countdowns of the days left until they reunite with their families. It’s enough to change the air with all the excitement of an upcoming break from school. But what if you have no conversations about Thanksgiving food, no plane ticket home, and no countdown? What if you’re stuck on campus for Thanksgiving? It may seem like something to put a damper on the holiday excitement—if not extinguish it completely.
USC Helenes Watch Hecuba and Tommy
By: Alexis M Peters ‘20
It’s Conquest week at USC, and the campus is gearing up for one of the most anticipated football games of the season! People are dusting off their Fucla shirts, playing Tusk on repeat, and getting ready for Conquest on Thursday! But others on campus are preparing for conquest in a different way. The USC Helenes have set up camp around Hecuba and Tommy, standing guard 24/7. Wait what? Yes, this university organization has volunteered their time to protect USC’s beloved statues from vandalism in case the Bruins decide to try any funny business. As a member of the Helenes myself, I was very excited to partake in this tradition and camp outside with the other members of the organization.
Sin Censura Exhibit: An Experience Close To Home
By: Cameryn Baker ‘22
A limited-time addition to an exhibit at the Natural History Museum in LA is “close to home” in two ways: One, it is quite literally five minutes from the USC campus, so you can walk over and see it whenever you want. Two, the exhibit is completely dedicated to remembering the history of Los Angeles, the home city of our school!
Memorabilia - A Roski Art Exhibit
By: Camila Grases ‘21
This past Thursday, November 1st, was the opening reception to the small yet wonderful exhibition of Roski senior Ankita Mukherji. As an artist that specializes in clay sculptures, Ankita is able to transform her medium into art that is deeply meaningful to herself. Part of her statement at the reception spoke about the ways in which she used her memory and her feelings to create “the objects and spaces that we call home.” From the moment you walk into her exhibit, you are immediately impacted by her work. Suddenly, her intentions are clear.
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.
College Road Trip: First of Many
By: Cameryn Baker ‘22
College road trips have always been something that I thought you did as an upperclassman in college; once you’ve found your tight-knit group of friends and feel like you’re ready to take on this rite of passage. I definitely was not expecting to throw pillows, sleeping bags, and USC gear into my car and embark on my first road trip only three weeks into school.
“Family is Family” in SDA’s Production of “Kentucky”
By: Awo Jama ‘22
On September 27th, USC’s School of Dramatic Arts kicked off its 2018-2019 season with its production of “Kentucky,” a two-act play written by Leah Nanako Winkler and directed by Tim Dang. I had the pleasure of attending the show on its Friday performance, and was incredibly enchanted by both the expertise of the performers and the dimensionality of the story they conveyed. “Kentucky” centers around a headstrong young woman named Hiro, who, after escaping from her native Kentucky and the emotional traumas it dealt her, relocated to New York City, where she has been living and working for the past 7 years. After learning that her younger sister Sophie, who in her absence has become a born-again Christian, is to be wed to a man she has only been seeing for 6 months, Hiro storms her old town to talk some sense into her. What ensues is a hilarious yet heartbreaking narrative in which relationships are rekindled and shattered, and wounds are healed and formed.
When you collab with the fingerprint scanner...
By: Jamie Wu ‘18 (Guest Blogger)
It’s not every day that you hear a song remixed to USC’s fingerprint scanner located in every freshman dorm on campus. But Michael Azuna, a junior from the Bay Area majoring in music industry and minoring in music production and known by his musician name AZU, did just that in the Spring of 2017. He posted this catchy and creative piece of work on the infamous USC Memes for Spoiled Pre-Teens Facebook page and it was an instant hit. Since then, the video has garnered over 3.5k views, coupled with high praise in the comments section. Trojans 360 sat down with him in an interview and asked about where the inspiration for the song came from. Check out the piece to find out more about how Michael came to make this creative piece of work!
Sluts of a Feather Walk Together
By: Alexis M Peters ‘20
When Amber Rose walked into the room, I couldn’t help but nudge my neighbor and whisper anxiously: “She’s here!” The model, actress, and activist entered the room to a smattering of applause, her blonde-headed entourage bobbing behind her. The event hadn’t even started, but a respectful hush had fallen over the crowd, everyone ready to absorb empowerment and knowledge. On Tuesday, October 2, I attended OpenEd: A Fireside Chat with Amber Rose, hosted by USC Dornsife and The Amber Rose Foundation. It was an event to promote open dialogue and education about sex positivity, rape culture, gender inequality, and digital activism. With Amber Rose herself as the discussion mediator, there were four women panelists: Shafika Ahmadi, Associate Professor of Clinical Education at the Rossier School of Education; Genie Harrison, a trial lawyer with her own law firm, and recognized by Best Lawyers in America; Liz Havstad, executive director and COO of Hip Hop Caucus, a civil and human rights organization; and Nicole aBeckett, the cofounder of SameSide, an organization that uses art, music, and culture to make political action more accessible. This was certainly an esteemed group of women, and they perched on their little stools, smiling out at us like elegant queens.
Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month
By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20
Hello, all! I hope your semester has been going well and that you are all taking care of yourselves. While I am a bit late on posting this, I firmly believe in “better late than never!” If you haven’t heard yet – it’s a very special time of the year for me and my fellows Latinx/Hispanic folks:
Falcons, Wildcats, Trojans: A Trojans 360 Story
By: Joy Ofodu ‘18
This is the story of 5 Bay Area Trojans who attended middle school, high school and college together! Now, they're graduating from the University of Southern California in the Class of 2018!
What I Learned Taking Dance as an Elective
By: Alexis Peters ‘20
I am not a dancer. I mean, I took ballet for a few years when I was 10, and a couple of tap classes, but that was about it. I am the girl with a teensy bit of rhythm (meaning maaaaaaybe I can shake my hips at a dance party) but I’m mostly awkward flailing limbs. However, this semester I decided to take an elective dance class.
The Real Trojan Family: USC's Siblings
By: Joy Ofodu ‘18
What makes the Trojan Family special? There’s certainly a unique bond between Trojan students, faculty and alumni that has blossomed to create the “Family” monicker. However, USC is home to actual Trojan family members who are trailblazing across disciplines! Celebrate National Sibling Day with us by checking out these amazing USC siblings below: