In middle school, Aden Max Juarez discovered an early passion for creative writing, which quickly grew into a dream of becoming a novelist. Eager to learn more about how he could make a career out of storytelling, he enrolled in the closest-related class he could find in his freshman year of high school: yearbook. 

“I remember our yearbook class went to a summer workshop where I took a specialized course on journalistic writing,” Juarez said. “That was the first time that I really saw my future, that this is something I’m good at, this is something I really enjoy and it’s something special.”

From there, Aden Max got involved in his high school newspaper, becoming co-editor-in-chief his senior year. As an incoming USC Trustee Scholar and journalism major, Juarez is most excited to connect with peers who share his passion for journalism and start building up bylines in political reporting, investigative journalism, and maybe even a little bit of entertainment feature writing. 

What led you to choose USC Annenberg to continue your journalism education?

I’m from a small town called Helotes right outside of San Antonio, TX, and USC ended up on my radar because my dad suggested that I apply to one California school. I started learning more and more about the USC Annenberg journalism program and I realized how big of a deal it was. Initially, I was just perplexed by the idea that this could possibly be my future. And then I got a scholarship on top of being accepted into Annenberg, and that was sort of the solidifying moment for me that this was where I was supposed to be. USC saw potential in me, and that is something that other schools hadn’t done for me. It was like USC was saying, “We can see you succeed here and we’re gonna help you do that.” It felt really special to be recognized in that way. USC believes in my dream, in me, and how I can pursue journalism as a career and after college.

There are so many reporting opportunities both inside and beyond the classroom at USC Annenberg — what topics are you most interested in learning more about and reporting on?

I really am drawn to and passionate about political reporting. Growing up, my parents always had the news on and really instilled in me and my sister to be aware of world events and what’s going on around us. I think that value has really stuck with me and that’s what made me feel so drawn to politics and how I see politics being very powerful and important to society. Learning more about how to report on that side is definitely something that I want to grow in. I want to be able to analyze what’s going on in our world and break it down and make it easy for readers to understand. Politics needs to be accessible to people for them to really advocate for themselves and really understand where their place is in all of it. I think that’s your job as a journalist, to break things down for people and make information easy to consume and really be inviting. Politics itself can feel very unapproachable, and that’s where journalism can be a bridge. 

Another avenue that I’m interested in is investigative reporting. I think that the biggest form of change that journalism can create is through these investigations that really bring truth to light. I read investigative articles all the time just because it’s so gripping and that’s really powerful storytelling.

I also have a music background, which drew me to write an article on a local nonprofit music organization in my city this year, and I really enjoyed writing about that. So now I have this interest to start writing about music more from a human interest angle. Especially going to school in L.A., it’s a totally different area and environment and culture when it comes to music. It would be really cool to get to write stories about students that are up-and-coming musicians, and find these small artists before they’re super popular.

Your first semester at USC Annenberg will be during the 2024 election — how do you hope to get involved in election coverage as a student journalist?

So many unique things are happening in this election, and I’m really excited because I want to write about the intricacies of this election and how it compares to previous elections, looking more at the big picture and breaking it down. How do we take that big national story and translate it down to a local scale and something that’s also accessible for students? Not every student is going to want to read super long articles and be totally invested in this election, so it’s sort of balancing that.

What excites you most about starting your journey at USC Annenberg?

I think what excites me most is being able to work with peers that have that same passion for journalism. I’m excited to meet individuals who also care about having these kinds of discussions about media that are intricate and invigorating. I’ve been counting down the days until the semester starts honestly for the past few weeks.