By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Between you and me, I’ve had a pretty rough day. This morning my laptop refused to turn on and since then, I’ve been rather bitter. (Please learn from my mistakes and back up your computers!) Also, s/o to the Laptop Loaner Program for enabling me to write this post. There’s one person who is getting me through these dark and stress-filled times. No, not my mom. Although she’s a constant source of comfort. It’s John William “Will” Ferrell. With Springfest shut down before the headliners and the USC administration forcing Lil Bill’s Bike Shop to move off campus, many USC students, myself included, have been feeling disappointed and frustrated as of late. (Sign the petition to show how much Lil Bill and his shop mean to this campus)! There’s one person who won’t let us down, one person who will always be our ‘Buddy,’ one person willing to be our Anchor(man) when our metaphorical ship veers off course. And that person is Will Ferrell: USC’s 2017 commencement speaker!

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

It recently came to my attention that I am graduating in less than 2 months, which means these last few weeks as a USC undergrad will be both the best of times and the worst of times. I’m as curious as you are to see what I do after graduation! These last few weeks aren’t all fun and games and increasingly desperate job applications! We, the seniors, have some decisions to make before Commencement 2017.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Last Friday, I met some amazing and inspiring peers at the Diversity Networking Mixer at SCA through several rounds of “speed dating.” The event was hosted by Acción Latina, USC WCA (Women of Cinematic Arts), African American Cinema Society, the Asian American Cinema Association, and Queer Cut, the School of Cinematic Arts’ diversity organizations.

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: Grace Carballo ‘17

Last Saturday, millions of people around the world took to the streets to march for women’s rights, our human rights. The New York Times assembled a photo from each city’s Women’s March, from Nairobi to Lima, Tel Aviv to Sydney (and, of course, dozens of U.S. cities). I get chills each time I scroll through the images of the different demonstrations (and not just when I catch a glimpse of the Antarctica march). What a tremendous display of unity: women make up over half of the world’s population and will not be silenced.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

January 20 was a dreaded day for many Americans and an impactful day for all: the critical day when our twitter-rampant president-elect was officially inaugurated the 45th President of the United States.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

The finals schedule is fast approaching, the Thanksgiving leftovers are running low, and my stress levels have soared to new heights. Whether this is your first semester at USC or your last, the last few days of school are always filled with group projects, essays, exams, (oh my!).

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

The following recounts what I have seen, experienced, and/or feel is worth our attention since election night on November 8. From despair to hope to frustration to disgust to fear to empowerment to love and everything in between, I’ve felt a lot, but most of all I’ve felt grateful for and inspired by the people taking action.

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

My Social Innovations (PPD 478) professor, La Mikia Castillo (Price Alumna, National Organizing Director, National Foster Youth Institute) moderated the Black Lives Matter panel last Thursday evening with 4 incredible panelists: Lisa Hines (Mother of Wakiesha Wilson), Melina Abdullah, (Professor and Chair, Dept of Pan-African Studies, Cal State LA) Nyallah Noah, (USC Thornton Sophomore, Black Lives Matter LA Member) and Pete White (Founder & Executive Director, Los Angeles Community Action Network).

By: Grace Carballo ‘17

Many people have compared the presidential election debates this year to reality television.