By: Joy Ofodu ‘18

The first week back at school is like a highlight reel - you become re-acquainted with your dorm and friends, unpack your holiday gifts, and glide from lecture to work to the gym’s free fitness classes as if in a dream. By the second week, you’ll have received some kind of rude awakening - you return from a workout and your roommate didn’t refill the Brita. Your fellow E-Board members start sending demanding texts about funding deadlines. Somehow, there are 14 assignments, readings and peer reviews due. Also, you’ve fallen sick, and your family is complaining that you haven’t checked in. Fight On! Need help staying afloat? Here’s how I’ve tackled this second-week panic for the past 7 semesters:

By: Joy Ofodu ‘18

Last week saw the resurgence of not only the Alphas on USC’s campus, but also the Kappas! Officially recognized as Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. (Beta Omega Chapter), USC’s chapter, integrated with LMU and Pepperdine, gained five Trojan members.

By: Joy Ofodu ‘18

Kitwana is a Swahili word, meaning that one vows ‘to live.’ This is what Junior USC student Marcus Burke, an Animation and Digital Arts Major, roared into the cold air Wednesday as he ascended the steps of PED. He and senior Marquis Morris (USC Sociology major and All-American Track athlete) had just officially joined one of the most esteemed fraternities in the National Pan-Hellenic Council: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

By: Joy Ofodu ‘18

Every year, during rivalry week, McCarthy Quad transforms to create the Conquest experience: One night of a joint, rallied war cry against the Bruins that ultimately proved fruitful for our team!

By: Joy Ofodu ‘18

One of our most mysterious rivalry traditions of our annual Troy Week is the ritualistic guarding of USC’s most prominent statues and icons on campus, namely Tommy Trojan, Traveler, George Tirebiter, and Hecuba (the newest addition to the USC Village and icon family).

By: Joy Ofodu ‘18

Hey there, Sportsfans! Thinking of what to get your girl for the holidays? Think no further than the USC Bookstore! Inspired by a Twitter thread of good last-minute holiday gifts for girlfriends, I thought I’d design a list for the girls and shoppers a little closer to home! Carts at the ready?

By: Joy Ofodu ‘18

In honor of National STEM Day, I thought I’d shine a Trojans 360 flashlight on some of the most dynamic USC student-made apps and tech companies!

By: Joy Ofodu ‘18

The Thornton kids aren’t the only ones producing music; various members of USC’s Black Student Assembly (affectionately nicknamed Black SC) have created enough bangers and slow jams to last you all Fall ‘17! Whether you’re warming up your dance moves for the last few ragers or trying to stay warm during cuddle season, these projects definitely belong on your playlist:

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: Joy Ofodu ‘18

The flyest on-campus job you’ve never heard of? Think: watching every home game from the field, working with players like Iman Marshall and Velus Jones Jr. to host recruits and reporting back to one of the nation’s top university Athletics facilities every week. I had the chance to sit down with Taylor Lott (left) and Haley Coleman (right), two Recruiting & Operations Assistants for USC Athletics. Both are seniors in Marshall and Annenberg, respectively, and key-holders to an exclusive, fast-paced working world that changes the face of the USC football team each year. Let’s go behind the scenes of USC Football, through Taylor and Haley’s eyes!

By: Joy Ofodu ‘18

If you thought that internship postings wouldn’t spring up until Spring, you’re in for a surprise: companies across the U.S. have already launched their search for Summer interns! As Trojans, we pride ourselves on having access to an unbelievable network (occasionally nicknamed the Trojan Mafia) of professionals & resources. Whether you’re a Trojan looking for a head start, or a prospective student doing your due diligence in research, here are a few of the best and least-known sources for internships!

By: Joy Ofodu ‘18

You’re on Menlo, partying on a Thursday night. That girl who sits to your far left in Discussion every Tuesday is going hard on the dance floor (so you join her, duh). You part ways and bump into each other an hour later, but something has changed: She seems sluggish, exhausted and unwilling to follow her new companion out the door (a dude you absolutely don’t recognize). He seems really impatient to take her home, and she seems really really unwilling. What do you do?