Static

My memory is a bit fuzzy regarding this past week so bear with me. I know it may seem vague but the only word I can use to describe this week at USC is different. I hadn’t been surrounded by this college environment until this very moment and it has delivered me an experience I gratuitously appreciate. To be completely honest, during my summer break I usually spend a generous amount of time attempting to sleep which I suppose you could suggest that I’m making up for the loss of rest throughout the school year; however, this year I was faced with a different situation: a three week summer program at the University of Southern California. 

I preemptively set an alarm for 6:30 AM in order to neutralize the exhaustion demon. I led my morning routine and headed towards campus by 8 AM, arriving about 40 minutes later. Considering I chose not to utilize the university’s campus map, it was a little challenging finding the building I was expected to report to. After entering the wrong building initially, I ultimately found the golden entrance. I was greeted by a light breakfast, familiar and unfamiliar faces. It had occurred to me: I was really here. 

Funnily enough everything prior and during this experience has been rooted in communication. Everything from asking people I hadn’t known yet if I could sit with them to engaging In icebreakers with my peers. I didn’t know what to expect but as we set foot into the classroom for our first lesson, I felt the shift in the atmosphere. Our first guest speaker was KTLA 5’s very own, Megan Telles. I greatly enjoyed her appearance and admired her passion for her career. She possessed that natural “gusto” that she kept reiterating through her speech and it motivated me to pursue my dreams in a similar manner, although we have differing aspirations. Megan maneuvered the industry through her mastery of communication and I aspire to do the same.

Over the course of the week we’ve been exposed to an abundance of information. I really cherished the introduction to our lesson of decoding and encoding where we were presented with the task of building a set of emojis (encoding) in an attempt for our peers to decode the message. This simple yet engaging concept can be applied to the basis of communication itself; therefore, being universally accepted. 

I also really enjoyed our dedicated lesson to Jesse Owens before our trip to the California African American Museum. We took a short trip outside to the trees on campus that were dedicated to the man who sprinted past all odds and long jumped over the hurdles of adversity. It’s inspiring how these saplings rooted with negative connotation flourished and bloomed into a juxtaposition of the past. They became trees of life and a reminder that although he may not be here with us, his legacy remains. 

All in all, I was surprised yet very content with this week and I wish to continue on this journey, navigating through whatever lies ahead of me.