My Favorite Things
Hello everyone! I’m Nadya, a junior studying business and film and an intern at USC’s coolest club (ISA). My hobbies include Spotify-playlist-making, experimenting in the kitchen, and booking copious amounts of plane tickets to Manhattan. Despite being Chinese-Indonesian, I grew up in a small, expat-ridden community in Hanoi, Vietnam. My upbringing has pinned diversity as an important facet of my day-to-day life and a quality I actively seek in the communities I’m a part of.
Coming to USC, I knew I wanted to retain the cultural diversity I’d experienced growing up. Joining ISA was just what I needed to help me feel connected to my international identity. Whether it be through events or advocacy, ISA has given me so many opportunities to continue to stay involved in the things that matter to me most. Here are my favorite things about ISA:
1. The people
While I do admit this is probably the most cliché response ever, it’s unfortunately true. I’ve made so many wonderful connections with both domestic students and my fellow international students - all of which have helped USC feel a little bit more like home. In addition to our weekly Rose-Bud-Thorn sessions (which always feel like therapy), our kickbacks, beach outings, and Coffee-Donut dates are some of my favorite elements of ISA.
2.The professional experience
ISA is under USC’s Undergraduate Student Government, which means there are a lot of internal processes that I’ve been able to get exposed to while planning and organizing campus events. From collaborating with other student organizations to learning the ins and outs of logistical paperwork, I feel I’ve gained a lot of both hard and soft skills I’ve been able to apply to other areas of my life.
3.Bringing cultural experiences to USC
All of ISA’s events center around some kind of global theme. Our annual Global Culture Night, for instance, is filled with culturally diverse performances, food, and activities. Some of our other events include inFusion, which brings local fusion food onto campus, and guest speakers events, which brings some of the biggest names in the international community to USC. Seeing so many different communities come together at these events makes me feel so grateful to be a part of ISA, and I can’t wait to continue bringing these enriching cultural experiences to campus.