Fall 2013: My Top Ten Countdown

Hey guys!

Just like everyone else, I seriously can’t believe this semester is already almost over! This was definitely my favorite semester at USC so far. My classes are getting more and more interesting to me, I’m taking on more responsibility in the organizations I’m involved with, and while the dorms were perfect for freshman year, I love living in an an apartment now. While I pretty much enjoyed all aspects of this semester, here’s a top ten countdown of a few of the highlights.

10. Performances – I got to see some seriously cool performances this semester. Through Visions and Voices I was able to attend free performances of the Sunshine Boys, a play starring Danny DeVito, Judd Hirsch, and Justin Bartha at the Ahmanson Theater downtown, a performance by the Brian Brooks Moving Company at Bovard Auditorium, and several other really neat events. Additionally, one of my best friends produced a series of monologues called The Lloyd Project which was fun to watch and inspirational too.

9. Getting published – In September I received notification that my first co-authored research paper had officially been published! I spent the summer working in a Biomedical Engineering Lab at Oregon Health & Science University, and was able to contribute to a publication which you can read here. You can also check out my earlier blog on my summer internship at OHSU here.

8. A visit from my mom – The weekend after the first week of classes, my mom came down to Los Angeles to visit me. It was great to see her, and we had a lot of fun. She helped me finish unpacking and I also spent some time showing her around LA. We went to the Griffith Observatory, wandered around in Hollywood, made sure to stop by Sprinkles Cupcakes, LA Live, and much more. All in all, it was a really fun weekend.

7. Trojan Scholars Society – This was my first year on the Executive Board of the Trojan Scholars Society. Getting more involved in TSS has been so rewarding. As the Co-Chair of Special Events, I’ve planned and attended events like the Orientation for Freshman Scholars and the TSS Family Weekend Tailgate. I also planned events for next semester including a TSS trip to see the Book of Mormon and our spring retreat to Pali Mountain both of which I’m so excited about!

6. Society of Women Engineers – This was also my first year on the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Officer Council. As a member of the Student Affairs committee, I get to help plan fun bonding events like ice skating and our winter holiday party. Additionally, I got to attend our Officer Council Retreat at Lake Arrowhead which was definitely one of the most fun weekends of this semester and a great chance to bond with fellow female engineers. You can read more about my involvement with SWE here.

5. My roommate’s birthday weekend – My roommate Moriah’s birthday weekend was another favorite from this semester. That Friday night we got free tickets to a Dodger’s game (where they killed the Rockies) which was my first time in Dodger Stadium. I grew up in a baseball-loving family, so I had a lot of fun at the game. Saturday a bunch of our friends headed over to Santa Monica to grab a fun and delicious dinner at Barney’s Beanery and wander around the promenade and the pier. It was a great weekend, and I got to spend a lot of time with some of my closest friends.

4. Declaring a major – Midway through this semester I officially declared a major in Industrial & Systems Engineering with an emphasis in Information Systems and a track in Operations. It’s definitely a good feeling to have a direction, a four-year course plan, and a better idea of what I want to pursue after graduation!

3. Justin Timberlake – I got to see Justin Timberlake perform live twice this semester! I’ve been a fan of JT for years and when my roommate Kaitlin offered me the opportunity to go for free early this semester I was so excited! Before we got that opportunity, we had already purchased tickets to see JT live at the Staples Center for his 20/20 Experience World Tour in November, so I got to go then as well. His Staples Center performance was without a doubt one of the best concerts I’ve ever attended.

2. A weekend in Oregon – I recently wrote an entire blog about this one (which you can read here), but although I had lots of awesome weekends this semester, my favorite would have to be my Halloweekend trip home to Oregon for the USC vs. Oregon State football game. It was so great to see family and friends, and of course watch my Trojans beat the beavers!

1. Beating Stanford – This one is pretty much in everybody’s top ten memories from this semester, but I’ve got to include it too: beating Stanford and rushing the field was an amazing experience. I’ve never been to a more exciting football game in my life. Football in general was a lot of fun this year. I even got the chance to meet QB Cody Kessler at Conquest, featured in the cover photo!