Life as a remote USC student at times has been … rough to say the least. Being 2000 miles away from campus has made the concept of “going to USC” less a reality and more of a vague description that people tell me; some days it doesn’t even feel real and it makes being motivated that much harder. That’s why seeing campus can really make all the difference.

Last week I went back to LA to stay with a friend for a week and it was great to just remember what I was working for. Most of my images from USC nowadays come from the Blackboard loading screen, so seeing the Village lawn, getting Dulce coffee, and passing through McCarthy quad *in person* again felt so invigorating. While campus doesn’t have many visitors these days, the Village was full of life (it was 80° that day) and people were out playing with their dogs, throwing disc (frisbee for the uninitiated), and doing yoga.

It doesn’t sound like much, and admittedly it doesn’t replace truly being back in person, but just seeing a glimpse of what life will be for me come spring (and everyone eventually) gave me the energy to keep going through the end of finals and Fight On! to a respectable GPA hopefully.

Cameron Cole

Cameron Cole

MAJOR: Computer Science/Business Administration YEAR: Class of 2023 HOMETOWN: Chicago, Illinois PRONOUNS: he/him/his INSTA: @cxjcole On campus, I've been involved with USC's chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, the Alpha Delta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and I am a coach for Viterbi's ENGR 102: Engineering Freshman Academy.