My first week at AYA has gone better than I nervously anticipated. I was able to interact with my friendly peers and form new bonds. But let’s turn back the clock for a moment… After applying to MANY summer programs and getting rejection after rejection, my hopes were slowly diminishing. The repeated emails starting with the words “We regret to inform you…” constantly plagued my mind. But, everything turned out well after I received the AYA email. Once I read “It is our pleasure to inform you…” I was overjoyed and filled with euphoria! All I had to do was endure the remaining days until Summer, the first official week of my summer vacation, and also the first week of AYA.
To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I was worried that I wouldn’t fit in and everyone else would be unwelcoming. However, this was hardly the case. After navigating through the USC campus to find the Annenberg building. I entered and saw many new faces, some I recognized from the Zoom meeting. I introduced myself to Rogelio Lopez, Allan Lopez, and Teresa Perez before getting my breakfast. Their warm welcome eased my nerves slightly. The Icebreaker Bingo we were told to do was a lot more fun than I anticipated. I stepped out of my comfort zone, leaving the quiet introverted kid behind, and turned into a talkative person! (Or at least that’s what I hoped people saw me as :P) I introduced myself to the cohort and felt glad they were all nice and welcoming. Later on, we were introduced to our keynote speaker, Megan Telles. I found her story inspiring, sticking to her goals while experiencing setbacks.
In our Communications class with Professor Rogelio Lopez, we learned about various topics such as Critical Media Literacy and how to use graphic design to convey a message about an important topic. Rogelio explained how an effective design allows the viewer to decode the meaning and assert their stance on it easily. We were shown an example from W.E.B Du Bois, which was also in the reading we were assigned. Du Bois utilized statistical data in his graphics to show the viewer how discriminatory practices negatively affect the African-American population. The infographic comparing the population of enslaved and free African Americans stuck out to me due to the emphasis on the slave portion of the graphic. I found this striking because, at the time, all African Americans were now free from slavery, something that has never happened in the lifespan of the United States. In the first week, I was familiar with the concepts of media so it gave me a starting point to learn more about the subject.
All in all, I can tell this was just the beginning of a great journey. Even if we are already one-third of the way done. To me, this means that every day and every second counts so I will try my hardest to ensure I can look back to this time with a smile on my face and say “Yeah… these were some great times.” But for now, all we can do is enjoy the present and look forward to Week Two!
Works Cited: Mansky, J (2018). W.E.B. Du Bois’ Visionary Infographics Come Together for the First Time in Full Color, Smithsonian Magazine
Communicating Change 