By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20

Hi, all! I hope classes are going well. And I hope you’re taking self care procedures to make sure your well-being is at its greatest. I figured that since I started my sophomore year at SC, I’d let the freshmen know what I learned as a freshman last year (hence the title). So, let’s get into it!

By: Ellice Ellis ‘20

It’s said college is the best time of your life. When else can you party on Thursday, have 24-hour access to a library and, if you have a meal plan, eat unlimited food with one swipe of a card? Despite the luxuries and freedoms of being a full-time college student, there is nothing quite like being ‘college broke.’

By: Joy Ofodu ‘18

Every Fall, Black undergraduate students and friends of BSA don super-fly fits and bust out summer dance moves at the highly-anticipated Labor Day BBQ. It’s a prime opportunity chow down on prime rib and watch as our peers are communally roasted for their line-ups, kicks and dastardly UNO moves. 2017′s BBQ did not disappoint, uniting freshman and alumna of Somerville Place, staff from the Center for Black Culture and Student Affairs, officers from DPS (with some mean Cupid Shuffle moves) and students from the Brothers Breaking Bread and SC’s Finest Melanin Queens social groups. I have the guilty pleasure of capturing the attendees with my DSLR annually.

By: Lilly Kate Diaz ‘20

As the school year is rollin’ by, some of you might already be in need of some stress relief (like moi). And fortunately for USC students, we have some special companions that’ll be just the right being to help us. And yes – I’m talking about therapy dogs (or puppies, as I like to call all dogs).

By: Ayman Siraj ‘18

It is that time of the semester when the whole campus seems to get serious about studies – midterms are in full swing, group projects assigned and for some panic sets in as they try to keep up with the express pace of classes at USC. Many of us think of Leavey Library but there are other great spots as well. Here is my list of the 5 best places to study on campus!

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Last Tuesday, USC’s School of Cinematic Arts aired a pre-screening of ABC’s new miniseries, “When We Rise,” which officially premieres next week on February 27. Queer Cut, the LGBTQA Student Association of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, hosted the event, which my friend and I were very excited to attend. All SC students, faculty, and guests had the opportunity to attend, but if you missed it, I highly encourage you to watch when it airs on Monday. If the rest of this post doesn’t compel you, then maybe the trailer will. ABC provided feedback forms for those in attendance to fill out after the screening. Fortunately, one of the co-presidents of Queer Cut reminded everyone that leaving sections of the form blank was absolutely fine, as ABC seemed to view gender as a binary concept. The feedback forms were definitely not made with this specific screening in mind.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Yesterday on Trousdale, there was a lot going on, so you may have missed the Postcards for Representatives table sponsored by USC Delta Phi Epsilon and Trojan Advocates for Political Progress. I stopped by in a bit of a hurry on my way to class and got a postcard to send to my representatives and some really helpful information about the Day of Action that I’d love to pass along to all of you.

By: Ayman Siraj ‘18

The amount of time we spend on our phones has increased at a exponential rate over the last few years. Smartphone screens have gotten larger and processing power is greater than ever. That means tasks that required a laptop before can now be completed or viewed on a smartphone. Here’s a rundown of a few apps that will better your USC experience.

By: Rachel Bennett ‘18 and Ayman Siraj ‘18

As the sun set at the heart of the island, we were welcomed to a feast. In the middle of the Tahitian jungles, local men and women pulled colorful foods from a traditional earth oven set deep into the ground.

By: Ayman Siraj ‘18

Last week the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) at USC and the USC Chem-E-Car Team attended the national AIChE conference in San Francisco. Every year AIChE takes about 10-15 students to the national conference so that students and can mingle and network with other students studying chemical engineering in the United States and around the globe. This year 26 students could attend due to it being near Los Angeles.

By: Ayman Siraj ‘18

The other day a friend and I broke into conversation regarding how our eating habits had changed suddenly in junior year. I personally used to cook most of my meals my sophomore year but that all changed this year. I had no clue how to cook, I used to watch YouTube videos and cook my favorite dishes. In the beginning they were bland and probably only palatable to my taste buds because my conscious would beg me to do justice to the hard work I had put into cooking my meal. I steadily improved my cooking to a point where I have friends come over for meals sometimes. Let me define sometimes at the rare weekend where I wake up on a Saturday morning and don’t have a panic attack on all the work I have to get done.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Last Saturday, as part of the USC Comedy Festival, Vol 3: The Changing Face of Comedy, I attended a Women in Comedy panel featuring Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite), Nicole Byer (Loosely Exactly Nicole), Cameron Esposito (Take My Wife), and Suzanne Todd (Bad Moms). These comedy creators are writing their own material, starring in their own shows, and creating hilarious original content telling unique stories worth telling.