Category Archives: New Experience

Adult Responsibilities, New Experience, Outlook

Adapting In A New Place 

By Rio Jackson

Building confidence and increasing your self-esteem is vital in adapting in a new social setting. I will briefly walk you through a journey on how to channel and become “the best you”. The awkwardness, stumbling out of words or becoming distant can negatively impact your engagement with your peers. College is one of the best places to practice embracing new cultures, learning new languages, meeting new friends and expanding your comfort zone.

Here are a few tips you can use to expand your surroundings and stay on track:

Try something new.

Meaning, go to that yoga class you heard about. Try that restaurant you seen on Yelp, or go see that movie you heard great things about. Remember to try something new when you are ready. You never want to feel rushed or peer-pressured into doing something you’re not prepared to do. Start where you are comfortable.

List your short and long-term goals.

This best way to measure your growth, is to document it. Short goals can include, making sure you set time for self-care. Remember, some goals can be set with your own deadlines.

Practice positive affirmations.

Speaking positively is a great way to begin your day. Some affirmations can include: I will seize the day, I am the master of my fate, I will do and be my best. Affirmations can remind you to be encouraged and build your self-esteem.

Meet new people.

Take some time to introduce yourself to a new classmate. Typically, you have shared interest with your classmates, and will spend a lot of class time with them. Building friendships is a part of the college experience. Make sure you get know the community surrounding USC and explore the school’s culture. Free events are always available and serve as perfect opportunity to meet new people.

Stay connected with your roots.

Keep in contact with your family or friends that keep you grounded. Stay in contact with your family who can positively impact your adjustment to your new school. Lastly, great friends can give you the push you need to finish your semester strong!

Good luck and remember to take care of yourself.

Featured image from Pixabay

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New Experience, Outlook, USC

Fight ON!

By Jennifer Sung

The moment I stepped foot onto our campus, three things stood out in bright Cardinal and Gold colors: anticipation, ambition, and anxiety. From day one, freshmen students are dropped into a rabbit hole filled with many other competitive and goal-driven individuals who’ve come to college prepared and ready to foremost play hard and of course, study hard. However, amongst the crowd, I felt different about college. As a first generation Korean American, born and raised in Los Angeles, going to a prestige university was a privilege: a dream come true.

However, with no schooling experience in my familial background, I struggled a bit on knowing what I wanted from my college experience. My cultural background roots deeply within South Korean and Argentinian culture, for my parents were both born in South Korea but then immigrated to Argentina at elementary school age. As a lower-class family , my parents managed to support and care for me and my younger sister, pushing us to strive for more, even though we had so little. They always reminded us to FIGHT ON! Unlike the stereotypical Asian American household, where the motto is “To be a doctor or not to be a lawyer”, my parents were different. By giving us the freedom and the right amount of push a child needs to strive for her goals, my parents helped shape us into what we truly wanted to be.

So, college was the trial and error stage of my life– where I once was the puppet of the scene, I am now the puppeteer of my play. In freshmen year, the ambitious part of me wanted more friends, more attention, more academic success, and mostly more sleep. To live up to the motto to “FIGHT ON”, I strove to join many organizations and jobs to widen my options for the perfect community and lifestyle I yearned for. For example, I joined APASA PEER, CIRCLE, Asian American Tutorial Project, KCCC, AABA, Circle K International, and TAO, along with holding three jobs. By the mid point of my first semester, I had so many responsibilities, socials to attend, people to meet, and basically the “more” I was searching for. However, one evening, a depressing wave of realization swooped over me to acknowledge that I was still on base one. I sheepishly followed my peer group, joining organizations and becoming socially immersed in the people around me, without noticing my self, deteriorating and crippling in lack of self-love and respect. The anticipation of going to college heightened my need to be more ambitious and thus, pushed me to a state of discontent.

In my sophomore year, I cut out less important organizations and focused on organizations and jobs that I actually enjoy and are beneficial to my future aspirations. All my effort went into my academics, research for psychology, AATP (Asian American Tutorial Project), and CKI (Circle K International). Later that year, I was surrounded by the community that I was desperately in search for. Instead of actively and aimlessly searching for a community of friends, I strived to find what my passion lied in: education, community service, and psychology.

Featured image from Wikipedia

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New Experience, Outlook

Say “Yes”

By Aidan Manley

Jeff Fellenzer, one of the professors in the Annenberg School of Communication who specializes in Sports Media studies, often brings in guest speakers to tell students about their own first-hand experience in the industry. While all these individuals provide insightful commentary regarding the relationship between sports and business, one speaker in particular offered a simple piece of life advice that has stuck with me ever since.

Ilan Ben-Hanan works at ESPN in Los Angeles as the Vice President of Programming and Scheduling. He plays a significant role in deciding which games ESPN will televise, what time the games take place, and many of the other elements that go into creating an efficient broadcast. But after he had described his experience of working at his dream job, he left the students with one final suggestion.

Say “yes.”

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