By: Tamanna Sood’24

New at USC and nervous about fitting in or finding a place to engage with your culture? Fret not because I’m here to walk you through it all!

I’m Tamanna, a junior studying journalism and documentary filmmaking. When I first walked into USC, club culture and student life completely surprised me. I was overwhelmed by the various clubs and organizations I was introduced to and unsure of what to try out. However, I knew I wanted a place where I could meet other like-minded Desi (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepali, and Sri-Lankan) friends.

It’s hard to leave home and lose your main connection with your culture, so having a culture-based community on campus is important. I won’t lie to you, though, it can be hard being Desi on campus when we don’t quite fit any box—we just aren’t viewed as Asian.

USC also has a problem with creating a supportive and inclusive community for South Asians. We are often an afterthought on campus. I remember this feeling of overwhelming sadness on my Diwali here when I realized USC only went as far as lighting a single diya while festivals like Lunar New Year and Mid-Summer festival were celebrated with large events on the McCarthy Quad.

As a freshman, the main organization you might be hearing about is APASA (the Asian Pacific American Student Assembly) . APASA is a great association to meet new friends and learn about interesting networking and professional opportunities. However, you might feel a little out of place. APASA bears the burden of representing a lot of communities and groups a lot of experiences together. Our experiences as Asian-Americans are not monolithic and can’t necessarily be compared or boiled down. APASA is a great network, but it might not give you the support that you need.

Here’s a list of clubs that might offer more of the nuanced and personal experiences you’re looking for:

SCIA (I might be biased)

SCIA stands for Southern California Indo-Americans and is the largest South Asian organization on campus. The name might suggest that it is only open to Desis that grew up in the states, but the organization is open to all. SCIA has an SC family program that puts you in a group of like minded individuals to get to know for the rest of the year. If that’s not your vibe, SCIA also throws more general mixer events, parties, cultural nights and socials.

SC Project RISHI

Project RISHI is a service based organization that works on year long projects to promote sustainable change and growth in India. Some of the issues that RISHI has projects in progress to address include water sanitation, student mental health, anemia, human trafficking, women’s health, and buisness education.

USC Sikh Student Association

USC SSA is a religious-based community with the intent to create a safe space for Sikh students on campus. The SSA meets every two weeks and holds events like Sikh-Jeopardy Night, Kirtan nights, and an end of the year Punjabi Culture Night!

USC Pakistani Student Association

USC PSA is an organization specifically for Pakistani students on campus. The PSA is a relatively new organization on campus but has already made a name for itself by hosting events including a collaborative Mock Shaadi, Mehndi Party, and Chai and Chat. The PSA has general meetings once a month.

USC Association of Indian Students

USC AIS is an organization specifically geared towards Indian students on campus. This organization mainly focuses on Indian international grad students but often holds events open to everyone. This includes large celebrations like Holi on Mccarthy Quad. Holi is an extremely anticipated and loved event on campus where students from all backgrounds come together to play Holi, the Hindu festival of colors where individuals play with pigments to celebrate the coming of spring. AIS also hosts talks and events to ease the process of going to school in the United States.

USC Hindu Student Organization

USC HSO is an organization dedicated to building a safe space for Hindus on campus. HSO celebrates a lot of Hindu festivals in USC’s religious center including Ganesh Chathurthi, Shivratri, Diwali and Holi. The organization also actively holds talks and seminars from noted gurus and swamis across the semester. If you miss having a spiritual Hindu community, HSO is a great organization to join!

USC Muslim Student Union

USC MSU is dedicated to the Muslim student body and welcomes a lot of the Desi population. The MSU connects you with other Muslim students and holds a myriad of cultural, prayer, and networking events. Some of the most popular events include the yearly bonfire and the end of the year banquet! In fact, one of bloggers, Badruddin Mahamed, recently wrote about his experience being Muslim @ USC. Check it out!

While going to every meeting or event is virtually impossible, putting yourself out there and taking the time to engage in your culture will lead to some great friendships and experiences! If you are Desi at USC and nervous about finding a safe space, know that there are countless organizations waiting to help you adapt!

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