Nothing beats the feeling of looking back on the past four years of your life and realizing that you made the right decision.
There were many decisions that had to be made for me to be where I am right now, including many that had to happen before I got to college. All things considered though, the fact that I spent the last four years surrounded by some of the smartest people I have ever met and got to be in a community that offered me endless support to ensure I would thrive in all my endeavors was a huge factor for me to be where I am right now.
As a naïve 18-year-old high schooler, I chose USC because of the prestige of its engineer school, the opportunity of being in sunny California, and the fact that I would be able to pursue my specific niche of interest within my major by declaring a Biochemistry concentration within Chemical Engineering. As a 22-year-old who’s graduating in about twenty days, some of the reasons why I stayed for the ride were the countless involvement opportunities (inside or outside of engineering), the emphasis on interdisciplinary learning, and being fully immersed in an environment where you are learning and growing 24/7.
USC gave me paths to grow into the person, student, and professional that I am today. USC gave me my second family, the people that are going to be at my wedding, and the people who my kids are going to call aunts and uncles in the future. USC gave me a home away from home. For all those reasons, and many others, I am forever indebted to this school, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
For the incoming class of 2026, cherish every single second of your USC experience. It’s going to be one heck of a ride 🙂
