The coziness of fall is upon us, and with it an abundance of fall recipes to bake or cook. As someone who just got her own kitchen a little over a year ago, learning the balance between making dishes that are nutritious and ones that aren’t too difficult to make has been a journey. Also, I love to bake, and finding times to bake as a busy double major has also been a challenge. This year, I have found a few recipes that give off the coziness of fall without too many steps (or dishes)!

We have all probably had one too many near-miss scooter encounters. Speaking from personal experience, I have almost been hit by a scooter on or around campus when minding my own business numerous times. So I am here to highlight the importance of pedestrian safety. 

If you wake up scatterbrained and anxious about the day ahead, a daily “reset” ritual can really help you organize and center yourself. As a person who lives alone, sometimes holding myself accountable can be really hard. I try to keep my apartment clean and organized, but every now and then, I slip up and suddenly clothes are scattered everywhere, my sink is full of dishes, and I have an enormous pile of laundry waiting for me. Creating a daily reset routine has helped me feel less overwhelmed and keeps me organized both mentally and physically.

Sometimes cooking in college can feel overwhelming, especially if you share a kitchen, or maybe don’t have a kitchen in your dorm at all. However, there are many simple and healthy recipes that you can make, and some only require a microwave. Particularly, Trader Joe’s has some great microwavable meal options! Here are some meal ideas from my kitchen including favorite recipes from my mom.

As you snooze your seven alarms before your 9 a.m. class, throw on your clothes, grab your laptop charger, dash out the door into a lecture, and find yourself stuck in an endless cycle of eat, sleep, school repeat, let’s remember to take care of our health. It can be difficult when you’re on a time crunch to feed yourself (trust me, I went last semester only eating half a Barbell’s protein bar before my hour commute to work or my morning classes). So, here are some quick breakfast ideas that can be thrown together in under five minutes that will replenish your energy to start off your day happy and healthy.

When I started at USC, I anticipated stressing over homework, homesickness, and an adjustment period to my newfound independence. I didn’t anticipate, but soon learned, that new environments and major life changes are known to aggravate Tourette’s Syndrome.

The demanding combination of attaining a degree, maintaining a social life, and growing as a student can be extremely difficult. We, in turn, tend to sacrifice parts of our daily lives in order to meet the vast rigor of college, and a lot of the time, it is our daily meals and nutritional intake that get deprioritized.

Putting anything in a vending machine instantly makes it more interesting, so the new gold vending machine sitting outside of Trader Joe’s up against the elevator bank immediately caught my eye. Actually a revival of a project started in 2019, the USC Pharmacy and USC Student Health have installed a “wellness-to-go” vending machine in the USC Village to give students 24/7 access to over the counter medication.

While people often make lofty New Years resolutions that quickly fall by the wayside, there’s also more sustainable adjustments we can make to kickstart the new year. Here’s a guide to making quick, affordable, and healthy recipes to support your wellness year-round from the comfort of your dorm microwave or apartment kitchen.

Sometimes school can get overwhelming, especially with end of the year projects and finals coming around the corner. One method that I use to help me decompress is meditation.

As National Men’s Health Awareness month comes to a close, you may be asking: Miguel, if November is over, why are you writing about this now? Despite the helpfulness of having a month dedicated to men’s health topics, we should be talking about these challenges year-round - especially when it comes to mental health. In American culture and many other cultures worldwide, vulnerability about men’s mental health and open conversations about solutions are seen as taboo. The perception of manhood and masculinity in many cultures, even in the face of health issues, can end up boxing men into black and white categories like emotionally weak (negative) vs. unwaveringly strong (the goal) – which can come at a cost.

As the spooky season of Halloween and the rumble of football season come to a close, a much scarier and daunting season looms over us – finals season. Amid the stress and late-night cramming, the changing climate outdoors can further challenge our well being. Through the hustle and bustle of the end of the semester, it is really easy to lose sight of our health and put our bodies under an excessive amount of stress. To make sure you don’t get sick at this critical time, I’ve compiled a few simple tips to help you prevent getting sick and staying healthy this final season!