Spring convocation offers an ‘official’ start for nearly 2,600 new Trojans

Bovard Auditorium on the USC University Park Campus was filled with words of encouragement, inspiration and reflection on Tuesday afternoon. The nearly 2,600 new undergraduate, graduate and professional students gathered there received an official Trojan welcome during a delayed spring convocation that was filled with added poignancy.

USC President Carol Folt joined Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew T. Guzman and other university leaders on stage for the convocation, which officially launched the academic careers of Trojans who are starting classes at USC at the beginning of the spring semester.

Folt looked out into the audience and described the students and their families as a “beautiful sight.” She pointed out that almost 100 of the new students are military veterans, in the National Guard, or reservists. The new students come from all backgrounds, states and more than 100 countries.

“Convocation marks the official start of your academic journey and links you to an unbroken chain that has united students and scholars since the Middle Ages,” Folt said. “Let’s think about the people who helped you get here — parents, teachers, coaches, tutors, mentors, everyone who supported you. Today is a day of gratitude for them and everything they’ve done and continue to do for you.”

Folt addressed the recent Los Angeles wildfires at the start of her address, explaining that the unpredictability of the fires led to the university’s decision to delay convocation.

She told the students that they are now part of a tradition of Trojans around the world who spring into action during times of greatest need.

“Thousands of people — including many Trojans — were displaced, lost their homes and even lost their lives,” she said, also sharing that the Trojan Family L.A. Wildfire Relief Fund has given $1 million to Trojans so far. “Our hearts go out to them.”

Cherishing ‘spiritual proof of life’ at USC new student convocation

During a deeply personal invocation, USC Dean of Religious Life Varun Soni shared “a surreal and singular experience” from 40 days earlier when he and his family were forced to evacuate their Pacific Palisades home as flames headed toward their neighborhood.

“On that fateful day, while we thought we were grabbing our belongings, what we were really grasping for was belonging,” Soni said. “Over time, you will realize that the real reason you are here is not for the legal proof of life documents [such as diplomas and certificates] but rather for the spiritual proof of life stuff. Here at USC, you will make meaning, make art, make music, make movies, make friends, make time, make memories and make a home.”

Soni told the students to expect to experience a full range of human emotion — from tragedy to triumph, from failure to success, and from loneliness to togetherness. “This spiritual proof of life stuff will ensure that you thrive and flourish on campus, that you love deeply, that you care and that you stay curious, that you read and reflect, and most importantly, that you come to realize that you belong at USC and that USC belongs to you,” he said.

USC new student convocation: Student leaders share lessons

Undergraduate Student Government President Brianna Sanchez and Graduate Student Government President Shahd Khalid Bawarith were two of the featured speakers. Sanchez, a senior majoring in legal studies at the USC Gould School of Law, said that by becoming a student leader and moving out of her comfort zone, she has been able to accomplish more outside of the classroom than she anticipated. She encouraged others to do the same.

“USC has challenged me to push beyond my limits, to exceed what I believed was possible, to dream bigger and to welcome the opportunities that come my way,” she said. “I invite each of you to walk away from this convocation feeling empowered to take full advantage of your time here at USC, to tackle every challenge, to find comfort in being uncomfortable and to cherish every moment of growth.”

Bawarith, who is working toward her doctoral degree in biomedical engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, said that she too began her studies at USC during a spring semester. She sought to reassure students that their college experience would be just as rich as anyone else’s.

“I know that joining in the spring can feel like you have to constantly play catch-up, that everyone is way ahead of you academically and that groups of friends and communities have solidified without you,” she said. “Do not compare yourself. You are not behind. … Relieve yourself of that pressure and just enjoy being a student.”

Students grateful to have ‘official’ launch

After the event, students and their families were treated to a pizza party on the lawn outside Bovard Administration Building. There were plenty of hugs and selfies — and no shortage of smiles.

Justin Koepke, a sophomore at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences majoring in history, attended with his parents and his twin sister, Juliette Koepke, who began at USC her freshman year.

“I thought it was beautiful,” Justin Koepke said. “It feels like we are now definitely over the threshold.”

His mother, Estelle Braaf, and father, Scott Koepke, are both graduates of USC Gould.

“The ceremony was just incredibly balanced, incredibly welcoming,” Scott Koepke said. “To have it persist even after the fires and having it a month later, it just shows what a class organization that USC is.”

USC Viterbi freshman Maggie Zito from New York City said she initially had conflicting feelings about the event. While her whole family had come out to help her move in, they couldn’t come back for convocation because of the distance.

“But I like that they did the livestream so [my family] could still watch,” she said. “It was a really, really fun time, with a nice communal feeling of everyone being in the same spot.”

Freshman Alexandra Mallios of the USC Marshall School of Business, who is from the state of Washington, feels settled enough on campus to fully savor convocation.

“The first week with fires, it was just kind of depressing and scary to be honest,” Mallios said. “We were just worried about people’s lives at the time, and it wasn’t until after the fact that we felt a little sad about not having convocation. Even if it happened late, it’s great to have it nonetheless.”