When embarking on a new journey there is always a mix of emotions. From being excited to try something new and interact with new people, to feeling nervous about your first impression and overanalyzing every detail. A Journey is just that, a journey. You have to take the highs and lows that this journey will …
Category Archives: Reflections2024
It’s Not So Much a Small World – My First Week at AYA.
Prior to this week, I would have agreed with someone when they said the common phrase, “It’s a small world.” when speaking about Socal. However, experiencing the first week at AYA has debunked this belief of mine. Not only was I unaware of how vast my area was, but never would I have thought it …
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Reflections of Annenberg
This past Monday as I walked through the beautiful red and beige arches of Annenberg I felt a nervousness akin to that of a first day of school. I was warmly greeted by Brittany and Karen, who opened up the program by welcoming us to USC and getting to meet the professors. Jordyn Holman’s keynote …
This First Week at AYA…
has gone by in a blur. I have learned so much, I’ve made new friends, heard from guest speakers, and I have been able to explore more of USC’s campus. It will definitely be a week I will always remember. On Monday, the first day of the program I was nervous because I didn’t know …
Into the Unknown
The night before the program started, I could hardly sleep. This happens a lot when I am anxious about things, (I am pretty sure I have insomnia,) and I wanted to make sure everything went perfectly on my first day in the program. It didn’t go perfectly because I got to USC right before our …
A Week In Review
I knew that this program would be the highlight of my summer, and it did not disappoint. In the first couple of days, I had the pleasure of listening to keynote speakers such as Jordyn Holman, a business reporter at the New York Times, Chanel Lake and Kelly Uchima, and a wonderful discussion with Melanie …
Little Tokyo Adventure: Authentic Ramen and Cultural Exploration
Written by: Allison Chavez On Thursday June 20th, 2024, our Trojan family visited the Japanese American National Museum. We explored the rich history and culture of the Japanese Americans dating back to the late 1800’s. The museum continues to highlight World War II, early immigration, post-war resettlement and the redress movement. Following, we visited a …
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Expectations vs. Reality
At first, I thought the program would be harsh and more rigid than typical high school classes, but I was wrong. On the first day, we had a welcome breakfast, and the professors were very kind and welcoming to the new students. I was shocked by the size of the campus when I first arrived …
The Alchemy of New Beginnings
“You’re never going to kill storytelling, because it’s built in the human plan. We come with it.” – Margaret Atwood. Storytelling is the narrative of our experience. As my first week at USC AYA comes to an end, I reflect on the transformative, yet pervasive nature of storytelling within the daily lives of us humans. …
Rolling Up My Sleeves
So all it takes is rolling up my sleeves. My mind before walking into Annenberg was riddled with doubts, worries, and anxiety; my legs felt paralyzed and practically melted into the floor. But I rolled up my sleeves, opened the door, and took a deep breath – of the most delicious smelling hot coffee and …
Communicating Change 