How is identity communicated through media? In order to answer this question we must acknowledge that communication is unlimited. Everyday interactions with those around us (both verbal and nonverbal) serve as expression outlets to create and interpret meanings as a society. We make sense of what’s presented in front of us through communication. This doesn’t …
Category Archives: Week1_2026
Decoding Media, Designing Meaning
On June 15th, the first day of USC’s Annenberg Youth Academy, I stepped onto campus with a mix of various emotions and thoughts. Part of me was filled with anticipation, eager to discover what the program will offer. But on the other hand, I also felt a sense of uneasiness, anxious about navigating an unfamiliar …
Enamored by Curiosity
I will never forget the immense happiness I felt stepping onto the University of Southern California campus for the first time. Walking up to the School of Communication and Journalism felt surreal. I was greeted with some of the friendliest students I have ever met while we all completed Bingo charts for a welcome activity. …
The Power Behind the Messages
By: Gabriela Chavez We began the week at the USC Annenberg Youth Academy (AYA), learning about the importance of media literacy. Before joining the program, I considered media primarily as a means of transmitting information. However, I learned that media literacy involves the ability to interpret and critically evaluate messages across various media platforms. Throughout …
The World Cares
I never expected a program I found on a whim to have such a profound impact on my passion for journalism. After finding this program, I felt very underqualified to attend it. I felt that there may have been candidates that were far more experienced than me or even smarter than me. Those feelings of …
A Cause for Contentment
The days leading up to the USC program brought not only an impatient temperament but also a seemingly non-ephemeral feeling I could not properly name. I would pass the campus often — usually on my commute to various events — and ponder what my future could hold at Annenberg. On my first day, I marveled …
The Importance of Media Literacy when analyzing Graphic Designs
By: Charli Padilla Over my first week at the Annenberg Youth Academy, specifically in the Communications 101 course, I learned many beneficial strategies on how to have a heightened level of civic media literacy when it comes to analyzing a series of graphic designs. This photo shows a set of notes that student Charli Padilla …
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Representation in Media
During my first week at AYA in COMM101, Rogelio introduced the idea that media messages are intentionally constructed and encouraged us to think about the different elements that make up media. We talked about civic media, representation, and how images, colors, and symbols can all communicate messages to an audience. At first, I thought the …
COMM 101 at AYA: Finding Voice, Community, and a Critical Developed Understanding of Observing the World
Stepping into COMM 101 at AYA for the first time felt like I had stepped into a completely new world where communication was seen as not merely about “talking or writing”, but more about the deepened understanding of how meaning, power, and how our community are created through media. From the start, I realized that …
Decoding the Screen: Reclaiming Independent Thought Through Critical Media Literacy
In a world saturated by information, communication acts as the foundational bedrock of human interaction and survival. Formally defined, communication is a “systemic process in which people interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meaning.” However, as media has grown to dominate modern society, the way we process these symbols has become increasingly …
Communicating Change 