Having been born and raised in Los Angeles, you would think that I have exploited everything LA has to offer. That is definitely not the case and USC is helping me discover more and more reasons why I made the right decision when choosing a university. By changing my routine, I have been able to get more work done and have more fun with the organizations on campus.
During my freshman year, I went home almost every weekend since it was fifteen minutes away and I am part of a big, closely-knit family of eight. If I did not go home one weekend for any reason, my mom would be legitimately sad and I would feel bad. Over the course of this summer, I had many conversations with my parents and we agreed that if I went home less it would benefit my personal and academic growth.

Since I am not home every weekend, I am able to get some work done to lighten my work load during the week and have some fun with my friends once I have earned the opportunity to. This has made me far more productive and strengthened the family relationship that I cherish very much. Instead of going home every weekend, my family will visit me every other week or I will swing by if their is a birthday or important event taking place.

Being a student at the Viterbi School of Engineering, I feel that committing to being on campus more has strengthened my academic performance and given me more time to enjoy the people and organizations within Viterbi. Due to the change, I feel more in control with my studies and am enjoying this semester more than the last two. Now, back to exploiting Los Angeles and its hidden treasures.

This friday, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers took a trip to Korea Town where we had Koran Barbeque. It was very convenient since it was a quick fifteen minute drive from campus. This was my first time trying it and I thought it was awesome that you get to ask for the meat of your choice and cook it yourself. It is definitely a great social and the delicious food is a big plus. I am not sure exactly what the place was called but I will provide that information upon request! I took these pictures so I am not in them but I’ll get some from the SHPE members and update the blog soon!

Oscar, Franky, and Dimitri. Sophomores in SHPE.

Alexia, Angela, and Carlos feeding Xavier

It took me a year to realize that I could divide my time up evenly among all the things I cared about and now that I am doing it right, I am having an amazing time as a Viterbi Engineering student.

Fight On!

Pedro Lepe

Pedro Lepe

MAJOR: Electrical Engineering YEAR: Class of 2015