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

I’m from Vienna, Virginia — which is about 30 minutes outside of Washington, D.C. Before coming to USC, I was finishing my undergraduate degree in Anthropology at George Mason University, editing the school newspaper and working at a wine store in D.C. 

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

I was really interested in J-School and I had a professor recommend applying to Annenberg. I thought that the Specialized Journalism (The Arts) program sounded really creative and mentioned a food concentration — which seemed like the direction my life was heading towards.

What have you enjoyed the most about the degree program?

I would say there are two major things: exposure to technical skills I probably never would have acquired and the ability to take some elective courses. In the summer, everyone needs to know basic information about using Sublime Text to design a webpage for a project, be familiar with Adobe Audition and some basic recording equipment. I took two semesters of coding and a great podcasting class where I got to explore storytelling in a very different way. Additionally, I had the space in my program to take an English class outside of Annenberg which was one of the most stimulating courses of my life. But I can’t leave out professors that were truly there to help you succeed and develop!