Being halfway through the program doesn’t even feel like a real statistic. AYA provided a number of amazing experiences, guest speakers, and food to make this week fly by. Here’s the rundown.
On Monday, we had an amazing lecture courtesy of Taj Frazier. His relatability yet academic essence made his time with us really stick out to me. He explained what a professor is and what they do, and really spoke about culture and identity.
On Tuesday, I was the facilitator for our discussion in the communications class. The article we read in preparation for this discussion was titled All I Need Is One Mic and was the research gathered by Andreana Clay, a professor at the University of San Francisco. She explains why hip-hop is an important political tool, especially for civic engagement. I felt the discussion went really well because there was no awkward silence at any point and interesting opinions were brought up.
Aside from using this paper we had to read for the discussion, I also used it to influence the podcast I created for our communications class. The paper spoke about hip hop being a way to speak up about social issues and the social issue I spoke about in my podcast was crime on the Metro. The Metro already incorporates artwork at most of their stations so incorporating hip hop as another form of art could create a sense of community among Metro users. This was a solution I proposed to use civic engagement to lessen the crime on the Metro.
Now let’s talk about the food. On Wednesday, we went to a USC dining hall to eat. We’ve been spoiled with catering every day before then so the food seemed a little meh. For how expensive USC is I was expecting better but it was definitely better than the school lunch at my high school.
Also, having us eat before sending us into what felt like 100+ degree weather for a scavenger hunt was diabolical. Don’t get me wrong, my group and I’s competitive spirit made it fun, but we didn’t end up winning so all that sweat felt like it was for nothing. At least we had Oreos! On Wednesday we also dove deep into creating multiple news segments which was a cool experience.
The last day of our week at USC didn’t feel like the last day. Every day that week had been getting increasingly hotter. In the morning, we took headshots in our communications class which I hope is useful for professional things I’d like to participate in. Next, our guest speaker was like no other. Joy’s personality was extremely vibrant and it was intriguing to hear her talk and perform up close.
We ended the week with a news broadcast in our journalism class. Although I didn’t have a role in the actual broadcast, I contributed to the script for the top story about Union Station. Also, it was cool being inside the media center and studios. It got me excited to use them as a student at USC, given how accessible the school makes it to use professional equipment.
Two weeks down, two more to go. If the next two weeks are anything like what we’ve already done, we’re in for a great time!
Communicating Change 