What a semester! As we move past Thanksgiving, and towards the Holidays, I am reminded of a quote from Winston Churchill: “Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but also of reflection”. Reflection about each semester is important, and as serious as it sounds, it can be of anything- memories, class, life, anything at all. So, in the spirit of reflection, here are my top 10 memories from Fall ’15. (in no particular order)
1. Returning to USC in August! This one almost goes without saying, but the excitement I had when returning to USC as a Sophomore was incredible. I felt like I truly was a part of the Trojan culture, and could not have been more energetic to start a new year.
2. Living off Campus! Although I enjoyed my time Freshman year in the dorms, experiencing the dynamic of living off campus was totally new and uncharted. I developed new relationships, experienced a slightly different locale, and most importantly, enjoyed new roommates.
3. Gamedays. Without question, gamedays at USC are one of the aspects of life here that I hold dearly, and this semester, I was more than happy to have experienced all of them with the brothers of my social fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon. The school spirit and energy brought to every game made this football season (which still isn’t over) a great one.
4. Flying a new type of Airplane! In my earlier post about flying out of Torrance, CA, I described flying an airplane called the Sling. I always enjoy flying new aircraft, and broadening my exposure to the field of aviation. And, seeing the scenery around Palos Verdes was great too.
5. Club Tennis! This semester I had the availability to dedicate more time to playing on the club tennis team, an activity that I very much missed participating in last semester. All the players on the team are great, and we’re all excited to build up for our nationals push in the Spring!
6. Exploring LA! Since I lived with roommates with cars this semester, I finally had the opportunity to explore LA to a degree that I have not before. Seeing new sights, enjoying a day at the beach, or even traveling farther away, I’ve had a great time getting to know my surroundings better.
7. The Weekender! Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to Weekender 2014, so this year I committed to getting up to the Bay with my friends. It was a fantastic experience, and I finally understood what all the hype was about. Of course, beating Berkeley at home wasn’t too bad either.
8. CU Boulder Football game! In 2014, some friends from CU Boulder made the trek to LA to watch the CU vs. USC football game, so this year I returned the favor! Not only did we wind (much to my friend’s dismay) but I also managed to squeeze in some skiing!
9. Hosting Discover USC and the Viterbi Expo! I was so excited to be a part of this amazing event, and to be able to answer prospective student’s questions about applying and about student life here at USC! I never attended the event, so being able to increase awareness and help out prospective students was a very rewarding experience.
10. Thanksgiving with my Family. Undoubtedly one of the best experiences this semester. A time to reflect upon the many things that I am thankful for and reconnect with my family.
There they are! I’m very blessed to have had such a great semester here, and I intend to use all of the exciting memories to fuel my finals push! Although it will be a very intense week and a half, all of the rest of the amazing experiences prior in this semester more than make up for the studying. I wish all of you a Happy Holiday season and a Happy New Years!
And of course, Fight On.
-Naish
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