This week at AYA can be described in one word: professional. Now, I’m not saying we are creating top-of-the-notch projects, but the settings are surely making me feel like we are. I mean, using professional audio editing tools for a podcast and filming a newscast using professional equipment, who wouldn’t feel professional?
I think that’s why time flew by this week. In the blink of an eye, it was Thursday, and the ending of the program neared. This week, both of my classes were fun but strangely opposite. In my communications class, we had lectures on how to use Adobe editing systems to create a high-quality podcast—a new project we were assigned—and in my journalism class, we engaged in more hands-on activities, such as filming a newscast and recording audio for our vox pops.
A lesson that stuck with me this week in my communications class was how radio was used as a method of communication during the Great Depression. I learned that the president at the time sent out a radio broadcast begging people not to draw money from their bank accounts, since it would end up in a total economic crash. This information came in handy because I am currently taking a political science class where I had to write about the Great Depression, and I used this piece of information in my essay.
This week in my Comms class, we had notable guest speakers who walked us through the application process at USC. They also pointed out what makes USC unique. I’ve lived near USC all my life; the university is about a 20-minute drive, but learning about the majors they offer and gaining insight into the student life has made USC even more notable.
When comparing my field trip to the California African American Museum to my field trip to the Natural History Museum, I think the Natural History Museum wins. Even though I live close to the museum, I have never been inside it. The architecture was so pretty inside, and I just loved all the galleries. I enjoyed walking around while taking pictures, and to put it simply, the whole museum was just my vibe; with the mix of dark ambient rooms and the gorgeous garden outside, the whole museum was just so mesmerizing. However, the one gallery that stuck out to me the most was the one called: Becoming Los Angeles. I knew that LA—like all the US—was previously home to thousands of Native Americans before getting their land stolen by colonizers; however, seeing the places I grew up in, in their original state, was mind-opening. LA is a very diverse city with a rich culture, but seeing that LA was once just a spot of land with no skyscrapers, freeways, or bustling environments was very eye-opening.
This week at AYA was the most fun I’ve had so far. It feels bittersweet that the program is coming to an end. On one side, I’m proud of myself for participating in the program and accomplishing new things, but I will miss all the fun activities we got to do. I hope that even after the program ends, I get to return as a freshman in college at Annenberg.
Communicating Change 