When I had committed to come to USC, my first challenge was choosing where I was going to live. USC has many different freshman residence halls that is perfect for all types of students. Since I received a merit scholarship from USC, I chose to live in McCarthy Honors College in the brand-new University Village. The next thing I thought of was whether or not to choose my roommate or go with a random selection and leave the next year up to fate. My mom had always told me to get a random roommate because that is how she found her best friend in college! At the same time, I couldn’t help but thinking of the horror stories my brother had told me when he was a freshman and was placed with a messy roommate that he never got along with. A friend from high school also received a merit scholarship and asked if I had wanted to room together. I was conflicted because I wanted to meet new people but I knew what I would be getting if I had went with him. Needless to say, I took the risk and went random and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.

My roommate Noah has been one of my greatest friends since I got to USC. We are both very social so our room has become one of the social hubs of the floor. There have been so many nights that I have died of laughter and attribute it all to having an amazing roommate. Throughout the year, we have made many memories like going to the beach, around DTLA, the Huntington Library, and more recently skeet shooting. We also occasionally go to the gym together. I cannot stress enough to go random in the housing process because you will always keep your friends that you already know and it opens up so many new friendships. I am so glad that I went random because I know that I found a lifelong friend in my roommate.

Mark Parent

Mark Parent

MAJOR: Mechanical Engineering YEAR: Class of 2022 HOMETOWN: Diamond Bar, California PRONOUNS: he/him/his INSTA: @mvparent On campus, I am part of the National Society of Black Engineers and was a Resident Assistant for the McCarthy Honors College. I have also conducted research in the Immersive Audio Lab and have a Sports Business & Management Minor!