Last semester, I started at my first work-study job, and it was exactly what everyone thinks of when they think of work-study; I sat at a front desk and did homework for four hours while occasionally being interrupted to make a photocopy or direct a lost student. This type of job is a great option if you worry about balancing work with school – I certainly was my most productive at work and often felt like I was doubling up on my productivity by basically getting paid to do homework. If you’re looking for a more fun and engaging way to earn your work-study award, however, I highly suggest applying next year to be a cat care assistant at the cat shelter Kitty Bungalow, my much more interesting current work-study position.

LA is known as a city with many culinary wonders. At USC there are tons of great restaurants near and on campus. From cafes, to breakfast spots, to Mexican restaurants you can find anything in South Central. Here are the most popular restaurants that USC students frequent.

After being at USC for two years, I’ve realized that getting ready to go back to school in college is very different than in high school. Especially if you’re from out of state or simply do not live at home, getting prepared for the new school year is more than just buying school supplies.

Every summer, I always look forward to three months of what I consider uninterrupted reading time. This year, my “to be read” list is naturally veering towards themes around graduation and what comes after it since I will be navigating post-grad life. If you’re also heading into the unknown, here are some books I’ll be reading to navigate this simultaneous ending and new beginning.

As an Asian American, AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) month is a special time of the year for both me and many others in the U.S.

With origins dating back to the late 1970s, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is a significant event in American history. To recognize the contributions made by AAPI communities to American society, Congress presented several joint resolutions in 1977 that called for the observance of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. This marked the beginning of the journey towards acknowledgment.

When asked, “What was your favorite part of college?” many  tend to say study abroad. In general, travel is a learning experience, but when mixed with studying, it offers even more enrichment opportunities. While not everyone is able to study abroad in college, I highly recommend looking into Maymester options that allow you to travel to another country for one to two weeks with your USC peers while focusing on a specific aspect of your educational journey. Studying abroad and Maymester options range across most continenst and often are linked to USC’s partner universities. Here are some of USC’s best and most popular study abroad programs.

As the school year comes to an end, many Trojans are anticipating returning to their homes across the country and around the world. Others will be traveling to countries entirely new to them, and some will be staying put this summer, swiping through their peers' Instagrams sharing their travel adventures. If you won’t be venturing beyond the four walls of your bedroom this summer, one way you can get the same wealth of cultural knowledge as your traveling peers is by reading books set in various places around the world.

As someone who grew up in Los Angeles, I was hesitant to go to college in my hometown. When I was accepted to USC, I was excited but had one major concern: I didn’t expect the experience to change me very much. What would I experience in the next four years that I hadn’t already? However, from the beginning, my college experience has been extremely unconventional.

As a graduating senior, I have a real swirl of mixed feelings going into my last week of college. I’m excited about my future, despite its uncertainties. I’m ready to leave LA and spend more time back home with my family, who I’ve missed quite a bit over the last three years. I’m not particularly upset about leaving USC, but I have been grappling with a strange sadness over the last few weeks, less for what I’m leaving behind and more for what never happened. 

If there is one thing that USC is known for, it’s sports. We hear a lot about the football team, but let’s not forget about basketball. With the multitude of talent on our sports teams over the years, Trojans have a rich sports history that dates back to the early 1900s.

During my sophomore year, I came across an Instagram post from a friend. She tagged an agency called InternQueen, and as I scrolled through her page, I was in awe of the cool brands she posted about and the new products she was surrounded by. I had never considered becoming a brand ambassador before because I was scared to post advertisements on my personal Instagram account, but after completing 6 different brand ambassador programs, I’ve come to love the job! This is why I’m a brand ambassador and how you can become one too.

This April marks Armenian History Month, a celebration that has been observed nationwide in the U.S. for nearly eight years. Surprisingly, this is the first time USC has officially embraced and celebrated this occasion, despite the university's renowned Armenian Institute, led by the esteemed Dr. Shushan Karapetian, a distinguished scholar in the field whom I've had the privilege of learning from this past semester.