By: Joy Ofodu ‘18

I remember dressing up in wacky costumes every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night as a freshman (yup, throwing it back to Fall 2014, folks) jumping from house to house, looking for adventure and hiding from trouble. 28th Street and I were new to each other then: I graciously tied hair, passed out water bottles and ushered giggling floormates away from the ragers, the comforting blue glow of DPS Emergency light-posts guiding us home. Over the next three semesters, visits to The Row came fewer and farther between. I found community, meaningful (audible) conversation and good vibes in so many other places on and off campus that I didn’t need to lean on The Row anymore. As a Sober Trojan and non-Greek, we simply grew apart. If you or someone you know is looking to get away from 28th Street, I have a few ideas.

By: Ellice Ellis ‘20

‘Woke’ is such a buzzword these days. I see people arguing on Twitter whether their favorite celebrity is ‘woke’ and hear my friends telling each other to ‘stay woke.’ It’s also a popular slogan thrown on clothes, accessories, and across protest posters. Many people may understand the concept of being ‘woke’ as a person aligning themselves with the ideal of liberals and ‘the left’ side of the political spectrum. I’m going to take a different stance and disagree.

By: Ellice Ellis ‘20

Los Angeles is known for film. Hopeful actresses and actors flock to the city in hopes of making it big and seeing their name in bright lights. Not only is it home to historic sets and studios- it also lays claim to one of the most highly ranked and prestigious film schools in the world, USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA). Here at USC not only do we have an amazing film school but classes and programs at the school which are open to more than just SCA students. If you’re a journalism major like myself who watches movies to stay sane or a fan of the Spike Lees, Tarintinos, and Kubricks of the world; you can live out your wildest dreams at SCA.

By: Ellice Ellis ‘20

It seems like it’s always something when it comes to our health and wellness. From yoga to barre to being gluten-free or juicing every day; there is always a new trend. “Mindfulness” and “meditation” are popular buzzwords these days but they’ve been a part of my life for almost 10 years! I started meditating after attending group yoga when I was in middle school. My parent’s had recently gotten divorced and my mom found it was a good way to channel and focus negative energy and thoughts. 7 years later, I found she was right.

By: Ellice Ellis ‘20

Panelists Bethann Hardison and Mara Brock Akil spoke to each other on the challenges regarding diversity and inclusion in their respective fields, feminism and activism at ‘Race and gender in TV and fashion’ last Thursday in Wallis Annenberg Hall.

By: Ellice Ellis ‘20

Do you live to eat? Are you not yourself when you’re hungry? Or, maybe you’re just a college student who just moved off campus. Either way you look at it, you are going to have to go grocery shopping to cure your ‘hanger’. Eating out, ordering UberEats, or bumming food off of your friends all the time can become expensive and pretty annoying.

By: Ellice Ellis ‘20

Did you take a foreign language this semester? Maybe it was Spanish, Korean, or French, like myself? Well, that’s great! Kudos to you. Personally, learning languages has been a huge challenge for me over the years. I’ve taken French since the 4th grade and I have always had problems retaining what I’ve learned after the school year ended. And as you may know, summer is typically the time that most of what you have learned during the semester wears away. So I’ve decided to pull from my failures and tell you the best ways to stay fluent, or close to it, over the summer.

By: Ellice Ellis ‘20

Anyway you frame it, preparing for finals can be stressful. Whether they come in the form of your normal tests, essays or other types of projects; these assessments are of the utmost importance because they reflect the hard work you’ve put in all semester and play a major role in your final grade. Personally, I’ve found myself stacked with studying, finishing projects, writing essays and completing other important personal tasks during this time. In addition to the stress there seems to be an attitude amongst many professors that their class assignments are the most important. Despite these tensions, here are five pieces of advice you can take into the next few weeks in order to reduce your stress and get your stuff together during this stressful time.

By: Terry Nguyen ‘20

What originated as a snowboarding competition 21 years ago in Innsbruck, Austria has grown to be a global event that merges the latest music and the sport into an unforgettable two-day experience. From Feb. 18 to Feb. 19, Air + Style brought the world’s best snowboarders to downtown Los Angeles’ Exposition Park and rising artists, like Grammy-award winning DJ Flume and USC alumnus ZHU. Despite rain or shine, the festival went on for both days from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m., and crowds gathered enthusiastically between the Winter and Summer stages throughout the course of the afternoon into late evening. Their energy did not quell between the sets, as hundreds of people bunched towards the front of the stage, anxiously awaiting their favorite artists.

By: Cole Sullivan ’18

When I think about the best parts of my freshman year at USC, three things come to mind: Nico and Vinz, French Fries, and an incredibly hot football game.

By: Samantha Romero ‘16

(1) Nature’s Brew: The atmosphere, the people, and of course the food is amazing! As soon as you walk through the doors you are teleported to a cozy nook of a cafe. They offer a variety of food options that are both healthy and delicious. If you’re in the mood for something light and fresh I recommend trying the farm fresh green salads where you have options like the Kale Greek Salad or a classy Nicoise. For an additional fee you can also add protein options such as salmon, chilled chicken, tuna salad, or a hard-boiled egg…

By: Kelly Kinas ‘16

Let me guess. You have always wondering what Thanksgiving dish you are. Isn’t that why we take all of those BuzzFeed quizzes? I suddenly had to know what song from Justin Bieber’s new album matches the closest with my personality.