By: Camila Grases ‘21

I am by no means an expert in the art department. Creativity is something that everyone has but few are experts at expressing. This semester, in particular, has given me plenty to reflect on. Taking black and white film photography and my first writer’s workshop, there are some surprising things I have learned about the creative expression and the artist. Here are just a few things that I would like to reflect on, coming up on mid-semester.

By: Natalie Oganesyan ‘22

Let me paint a familiar picture. It’s midterm season and you’re spending all your available hours and sanity on studying. You’re stressed beyond belief, but in a week or two the worst will be over. That is, until you get hit with the common cold. Or something in your personal life goes horribly wrong. Or you realize you spread yourself way too thin. Your first thought is “Are you kidding me?” and it’s closely followed by “That’s just my luck.” But I’m here to tell you that it’s not the end of the world. Even if you feel like death now, and everything feels like it’s coming crashing down, here are a couple things you can do to give yourself a break and push through this trying time:

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

We’ve all heard how sleep deprivation can cause short-term consequences like poor judgement, weakened immune system, and poor concentration and is also correlated with detrimental long-term effects like heart disease and neurological degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately in an age of instant gratification and ever more invasive technology, maintaining healthy sleep habits is becoming more difficult. Sleep difficulty has been cited as the leading factors affecting USC students’ academic performance (along with stress and anxiety which also cause further lack of sleep, leading to an awful positive feedback cycle). As a diagnosed insomniac, I’m definitely guilty of not getting as much sleep as my body needs. The following are some tips that have helped me obtain a more consistent, healthy sleep schedule.

By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” - William Shakespeare

Imagine this: It’s Monday morning, you’re about to walk into a discussion which you are already late for, and then, you realize you forgot your bag. Later, someone bumps into you and spills hot coffee all over you. Or maybe, you hear about a bad grade, instead? Whatever it is, you feel your mood getting worse and worse and in the end, you end up sulking the entire day because of a couple of bad events. Do not get me wrong, sometimes things happen which completely deserve time to grieve and process, but others are trivial matters that we tend to inflate in our own heads. If this is your case and you feel yourself increasingly getting bothered throughout the day, maybe these tips will help you feel a little bit better.

By: Alexis M Peters ‘20

You may have heard of vegetarian and vegan diets. But what the heck is raw vegan? Let me explain. Raw veganism is a diet in which you don’t eat any meat or dairy products, and you don’t eat anything cooked. So what do you eat, you may ask? Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts. “Why would you do this to yourself?” This was a question my friends asked of me many times. My plan was actually to eat raw vegan for two weeks, and I wanted to do it as a sort of cleanse, so that I could have a fresh, healthy start for the new year. Except, two weeks didn’t really work out for me… But, we’ll get to that later. My goal for this raw vegan journey was to eat super fresh foods, cleanse my body, and maybe have glowing skin and silky hair by the end of it. Since I have a meal plan (and also for experiment’s sake), I planned to exclusively eat food from the dining hall. So, let’s begin!

By: Alexis M Peters ‘20

Okay, I’m going to be real. When I tell people that I love to read, I often hear in response, “Oh, I do too. I just don’t have any time to read.” Which I think is a terrible excuse. (Sorry if that was the excuse you were going to use too.) But I just find a statement like that patently false. Because if you really love something, and you truly enjoy it, you would make time for it. So, just be honest: You don’t like reading all that much, so, in your free time, you’re watching Netflix. You say: No, no, no! You’ve got it all wrong! You say: I love to read. Really. I do. But after studying all day, Netflix is just the easiest way to relax. If I didn’t have to do so much reading for class, I would read for pleasure too, honest. Alright, sure. I believe you. But, I propose a challenge for you. I want to challenge you to make time to do something you love this week.

By: Danielle Collins ‘20

When you go abroad, you’ll start to hear all the usual jokes about the “Abroad 15.” And to be honest, you might put on a pound or two. I mean, let’s face it, there’s a whole world of new foods to try. But that doesn’t mean you should completely let yourself go. Here are some tips to stay healthy, physically and mentally, while abroad.

By: Fred Akau ‘20

After those seemingly endless years of high school, craving for that BIG next-step towards a new life of experience, opportunity, and (quite honestly) some fun, college has finally arrived. The long-awaited “best years of your life” have manifested themselves into that pretty sleek-looking, cardinal & gold, U-S-C acceptance packet. There is a tangible excitement when imagining the infinite paths your life can take; how, for what seems like the first time, you are in full control of what that path is. But, alas, that initial excitement now seems to have simmered down, and many of us are simply left confused, lost, and horribly indecisive. The endless list of opportunity that we once sought after has now turned into an endless series of difficult choices, a persistent frustration in deciding: “What the heck do I want?”

By: Talia Walters ‘20

In the face of recent events both on and off campus, it is necessary that we open the conversation about Sexual Violence not only with our administration but also with each other. The problem is pervasive and growing. Among all undergraduate students on college campuses, 23.1% of females and 5.4% of males experience sexual assault or rape. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of the conversation surrounding sexual assault, I’d like to instead focus on the resources and advocacy groups available to USC students. While justice and retribution is necessary, conversations with a focus on healing and prevention often get pushed to the wayside despite being an important aspect for many assault survivors. Below is a compiled list of resources depending on your situation. It is important to remember that assault can happen to anyone; these resources are available to you regardless of gender, sexual orientation, and experience, so please reach out if you feel as though it may be helpful.

By: Amy Wang ‘21

Many of us come to USC previously as some of the top students at our high school. We were the school presidents, the editors-in-chief, and the honor students. But when you gather all the great students and put them in one place, we are no longer the big fish, but rather one of many fish in a large pond. I was not spectacular in high school, but I definitely worked hard. I pushed myself to my limits, ate late, slept later if I slept at all. I came to USC expecting myself to and actually trying to do the same. I would say I achieved my goal my freshman year for the most part. And because I survived, I decided to try again my sophomore year this semester. The results… I crashed and burned, literally.

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.

By: Danielle Collins ‘20

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” We’ve all heard this since we were probably 5 years old. And yet, college students still run out the door in the morning on an empty stomach. It’s easy to forget about breakfast when you’re in a rush to get to class. But breakfast is not only important, it’s also the best type of food (in my opinion). So, here are some quick, easy, and healthy breakfast choices from Trader Joe’s to help you start your day off right!