Where are you from and what were you doing before enrolling in graduate school? 

I am originally from Phoenix, Arizona, but was living in New York working in marketing throughout my twenties before moving to Los Angeles to attend graduate school at USC. On the side of my regular 9-5, I began writing film reviews and attending screenings for my personal blog, which eventually turned into a podcast, and through that I knew I wanted to make film writing my full time job. 

How did you learn of the degree program and why did you choose USC Annenberg? 

I knew I wanted to pursue a career in film journalism, so I began doing tons of research about the different programs across the country, as well as some abroad, and USC Annenberg was one of the few schools that offered a journalism degree that allowed you to specialize in the arts (rather than attend journalism school with no specialty or film school.) I fell even more in love with the program after attending Q&A’s and realized that I could still take film school classes and really customize my curriculum to incorporate all my varied interests that I have in relation to my degree. 

What have you enjoyed the most about the degree program? 

USC Annenberg has so many things to offer their students and it really is a matter of making sure you take advantage of everything. I have personally enjoyed all of the special guests that I have gotten the pleasure to hear from about their career trajectory throughout so many of my classes, and many of them have been more than willing to stay connected as a networking contact which is incredibly valuable. I also have enjoyed access to all the resources found at the Media Center, the support and inclusivity of the professors, the familial closeness that has developed among the cohort and the opportunity to workshop our pieces in many of our classes. It is hard to choose just one thing!