The Annenberg Summer Youth Academy seemed intimidating at first, but this past week has allowed me to branch out and explore a myriad of new opportunities. During the first hours of this program, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of interactive activities facilitated by our Professors. These icebreakers gave students the chance to practice the principles of communication while incorporating topics further expanded upon in later classes.
The most exciting aspect of our first day was meeting with KTLA’s Megan Telly. She was a gregarious speaker who gave us valuable advice about advancing our careers in the industry. Shortly following her visit, we headed to the EVK dining hall. My newfound friends and I were pleasantly surprised by Mrs. Telly’s appearance a few feet away from our lunch table. We took advantage of this opportunity by asking for a quick photo, and quickly thanked her for her contributions to our learning. It was inspiring to her about her journey to becoming a news anchor, and I cannot wait to acquire more wisdom from the speakers of next week.
After lunch, we headed over to our first Journalism class in the Annenberg building. Professor Allan introduced his teaching style and the principles of Journalistic integrity. I enjoyed this lesson, and those he taught in following days because of the engaging seminar style his classes are structured around. Many of the foundational values covered in our Journalism classes related to representation, and the framing of sensitive topics. This reminded me of an article that was part of our assigned reading by Jimmeka Anderson. Anderson’s explanation of why representation matters provided the most complete and concise framework for us to understand the following lessons.
Many of the articles were enjoyable, but the libraries in which I read them were by far the most interesting structures at USC. Winston and I explored both the Leavy and Doheny structures after school, and we were delighted by the wide array of decor and architecture present within these two buildings. My favorite library is definitely the Doheny due to the presence of old film memorabilia in its basement. While there, Professor Allan Lopez told us a bit of history about the building, as well as the colleges enshrined in its stained glass windows.
The highlight of my week was definitely the trip to see art at the California African American Museum. Prior to our visit, we read an article and did a lesson on the significance of Juneteenth as a holiday. This helped us gain an awareness of the difficulty of gaining a voice as an African American artist, and gave us a greater appreciation for the pieces we saw on display. My favorite piece was a painting by Larry Earl that pictured an Altadena building set ablaze. This was in the Ode to Altadena exhibit, and its vibrant use of color to illustrate a tragic scene reminded me of rebirth. The fact that such a beautiful artwork could spawn from the tragedy of the fires gave me hope for Altadena’s future.
Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity to attend this program and waiting in anticipation for the next few weeks of learning and community!
Works Cited: Anderson, J. (2022). Representation and Missed Representation. Media Literacy for Justice. ALA.
Communicating Change 