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

I’ve always loved sports. I grew up in a home surrounded by athletes in Eagle Rock, a neighborhood about 10 minutes north of downtown Los Angeles. At 6 years old, I began playing recreational sports like baseball, flag football, and basketball at the Eagle Rock Park Recreation Center. I played on the Eagle Rock High School boy’s volleyball team. My competitive drive pushed me into the world of journalism and photography. I earned the title of sports editor after one issue on the El Vaquero staff at Glendale Community College and since written many stories for the El Vaquero, received scholarships, won awards at state conferences, and written professionally for the Los Angeles Daily News, Glendale News-Press, South Pasadena Review, and San Marino Register. Last year, I fulfilled a lifelong goal of working in public relations for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2022 season.
 
How did you learn of the degree program and why did you choose USC Annenberg?  
 
Two years ago, I made a decision to change the direction of my life. In 2015, I transferred to Arizona State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in journalism. I left behind the j-school education I always wanted. With the help of my support group, we decided to start looking for schools that offered a sports-centric master’s degree program. Not to mention, my father went to USC, a dream he realized while enrolling my older sister in the 1980s. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law went here. Naturally, I always wanted to come here, and help continue the family legacy. After months of research, this is the only school I applied to. This is where I wanted to be. 

What have you enjoyed the most about the degree program? 

After I applied, I remember attending the first information session with Dr. Lisa Pecot-Hébert, Sandy Tolan, and others within the school. During the presentation, I asked a question about a challenging time for students. Tolan shared a story about a student whose parents had passed away during the semester. Understandably, the school encouraged her to return home to be with her family. They rallied around her and helped her walk through a difficult time.