With the first two weeks of school almost over, this semester looks like it is going to be an interesting one! With hard classes, clubs and activities, and trying to still be a social engineer, there will be a lot for me to juggle.
Since I’m in my junior year, I’m starting to take my upper division civil engineering classes. This semester I am taking the following classes: Fluid Mechanics (CE 309), Theory of Structures (CE 358), Design of Steel Structures (CE 456), Building Science II (ARCH 305), and Social Problems (SOCI 150, a GE 6). The class I am looking forward to the most is my Building Science class because it is part of my emphasis. For the class we have a large two-part project we will be working on all semester. The project is to design an ocean side property in Malibu, CA for an artist. Not only do we get to design all of the architectural components, but we also have to complete all the necessary calculations to check the structural integrity of our building. We were split into two teams of four and each given a shape for the house. My group was assigned a triangle! A triangle is a tricky shape to design for because you have to make sure that the points of the triangle aren’t too sharp because lots of space becomes unusable. Although we are currently in the early stages of planning, we are considering using multiple triangles that overlap to form the overall shape of our house. This will make the structural calculations tricky, but we are up for the challenge!
An idea for the layout of the 2nd floor!
Besides class, I’m also really looking forward to all the organizations I am a part of. One thing I’m involved with is being a Freshmen Academy Coach. Freshmen Academy is a class all engineering freshmen take in the fall that introduces them to the entire field of engineering. As a coach, I serve as a mentor to help them get adjusted to life at college, USC, and Viterbi. I met my freshmen for the first time last week and I can already tell they are going to be a great group to work with. They seem very social and energetic, and they are already becoming friends with each other, which is every coach’s dream!
All the coaches welcoming the freshmen!
I’m also really excited for this semester with the women’s ice hockey team. As captain, I have been working throughout the summer and the first week of school to try and recruit as many new girls as possible because we are always trying to expand our team. Multiple girls even reached out to us to express their interest, which made my job even easier. Our first practice will be in about two weeks; I’m really looking forward to getting back on the ice and hopefully getting a large number of new players!
Ellen and I working the hockey booth at the Involvement Fair!
In my free time, I am still hoping to explore LA. This past weekend I went on a hike in Will Rogers State Park, and I already have a large list of more hikes I’m hoping to do this semester. I’m also hoping to try more unique restaurants – nothing makes me happier than finding a delicious hole-in-the-wall establishment!
The view from Will Rogers State Park!
This weekend I’m looking forward to the USC vs. Stanford game! I’m driving up to NorCal with my roommates and I can’t wait to take over Stanford’s campus. Our win at home against them last fall was easily one of the highlights of my sophomore year since we got to storm the field after we won. Hopefully we can carry some momentum from our win over Fresno State to beat the Farm!
Storming the field when we beat Stanford!
I’m looking forward to another great semester! Fight on!
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