At spring convocation, newest Trojans urged to follow their hearts and to be open to unexpected paths

Clad in black academic robes, about 3,000 incoming Trojans gathered on Friday to hear words of inspiration and advice from USC Interim President Beong-Soo Kim and others at new student convocation.

“You’re now Trojans, lifelong and worldwide,” Kim said to the students, many of whom had parents and other family members in the audience at the Galen Center.

“Please share who you are — your perspectives and ideas — in your classrooms, your dorm rooms, the studios and labs, and the playing field,” he said. “Because everything that makes you who you are is also what makes USC so unique, special and vibrant.”

Spring convocation officially launches the USC academic careers of undergraduate, graduate and transfer students who are starting classes at the university this semester. Classes begin on Monday.

Joined on the stage by Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew T. Guzman, the university’s deans, faculty members, student leaders and others, Kim described USC as a community that spans the globe with more than 500,000 alumni and yet is close-knit enough to be commonly referred to as a family — the Trojan Family.

“Like any family, we don’t all have the same opinions or see things in the same way,” he said. “Some of us may be Swifties, and others may have Travis Scott on their playlists. Some of us love California for the weather, and others love it for the food. Some of us joined USC in the spring, and others in the fall. That multiplicity of experiences and perspectives is one of our greatest strengths.”

A transfer student success story for the ages

Several of the speakers at convocation spoke of unexpected journeys and encouraged the new Trojans to be open to shifting course along the way.

Kim told the story of future filmmaking legend George Lucas, who came to USC as a transfer student after abandoning his original plan of becoming a professional race car driver.

Lucas threw himself into film classes at USC, took every opportunity he could find to hone his craft and ignored those advising him to take a more practical path. He graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1967 and went on to create the iconic Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, among other accomplishments. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will open in September in Exposition Park, just minutes away from the University Park Campus.

“George Lucas was just another USC student — a student, just like you, whose experiences had uniquely equipped him to explore, learn and make the most of his time here,” Kim said. “No one, including George Lucas himself, could have predicted where his winding path would lead. But he more than made up for that uncertainty with curiosity combined with a belief in himself even when the path ahead wasn’t clear.”

Alumni speaker Lauren Helmbrecht struck a similar theme when she shared how her career path has not been as straightforward as she originally envisioned.

The day she graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in 2018, she got a call from NFL Films with an offer for a seasonal job interviewing and telling athletes’ stories. It wasn’t full-time work, but Helmbrecht took a leap of faith, accepted the job — and has since flourished.

“The side quests, the pivots, the unexpected turns, the people you meet … those are what shape you, stretch you and prepare you for what comes next,” she said.

At USC spring new student convocation, how to navigate campus life

USC Dean of Religious Life Varun Soni reminded the new Trojans that while they can’t control everything, they can control things such as beliefs, attitude, thoughts, perspectives, values and effort.

“The things that you can control are the most important things in your life,” Soni said. “They are your spiritual superpowers, your inner control center. You should never cede control of them to anyone else.”

USC Undergraduate Student Government President Mikaela Bautista shared with the new Trojans that, like them, she started at the university in the spring.

“What I quickly realized, though, was that everyone starts somewhere,” said Bautista, a USC Marshall School of Business senior. “No one arrives at USC knowing all the traditions, all the clubs or all the people. The difference isn’t who starts the semester with more knowledge — it’s who chooses to lean in. For me, that means saying yes to opportunities more often than saying no.”

USC Graduate Student Government President Janielle Cuala advised the new Trojans to “find your people.”

“Build your village intentionally with classmates who become friends, mentors who inspire and challenge you, people who celebrate your wins and sit with you through the hard parts,” said Cuala, who is working toward her doctorate in medical biophysics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “And take care of yourself so you can show up for them.”

Being open to transformation

Associate Professor Alice Baumgartner of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences encouraged students to allow themselves to be transformed in college.

Baumgartner, a historian and author, used the Civil War-era example of Uriah Nelson Parmelee, whose consciousness was raised while in college. He became so adamantly opposed to slavery that he dropped out of school during his junior year to enlist in the Union Army and died at the Civil War’s Battle of Five Forks.

“I hope you will pursue what genuinely, deeply calls to you, showing up, day after day, for what you believe in, as Uriah Parmelee did,” Baumgartner said.

Moments of excitement and pride

The celebratory scenes after the event resembled commencement day, with students taking selfies with each other and proud parents hugging their children as they embark on a new chapter.

Maurice and Danielle Salem had traveled from London to help move in their daughter, USC Gould School of Law student Anoushka Salem. The parents described the convocation ceremony as “amazing.”

“I especially appreciated the way all the speakers really spoke to the new students coming in,” Danielle Salem said. “I think it was very relevant and I hope the new students take a lot in from that because it’s not easy starting the spring.”

Said Maurice Salem: “We were struck by the idea that you don’t have to know where you’re going, you just have to find where you’re going.”

School of Cinematic Arts first-year student Skylar Song said she found the speakers to be “very encouraging” in regard to being open to a flexible path and starting classes in the spring instead of the fall.

“I had some apprehension about making friends and finding community,” said Song, who is from Atlanta. “But it seems like everyone here is really tight-knit, and my fears are already a little bit lessened.”

USC Dornsife first-year student Reyaan Punj described the convocation ceremony as “very grand.”

“I think it’s a good way to show us what to expect,” Punj said. “Obviously starting in January has been a concern, because how will I meet people and make new friends? But one reassuring thing is I can see many other students in this arena and I’m not the only new kid here.”