Major: Music Production
Graduation year: 2023
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Hashtag to describe yourself: #JustBnatural
Favorite place on campus: The courtyard in between all the Thornton buildings! It’s a beautiful place to be when the air is warm and the breeze keeps turning the pages of the book you’re reading. Being there, surrounded by the greenery, sunshine, and student life always reminds me how lucky we are.
Describe your favorite USC Thornton experience so far.
One of my favorite things I’ve done through Thornton (via the Community Engagement Program) was to co-host a songwriting and production session with the theory students at Manual Arts High School. I felt honored to have been recommended by Prof. Schmunk as someone who (along with fellow ambassador Sophie Feldman) could help the students get to know part of the process of songwriting and production at the student and professional levels. The students, of course, were lovely and full of fantastic energy, and I was delighted to have walked away from what seemed like a mutually inspiring experience.
What was your favorite USC GE class?
One of the GEs I found particularly valuable this semester was ANTH 315: Native North Americans, taught by Prof. Tok Thompson, who guided us through the history, struggles, and triumphs of the Indigenous peoples of North America within the colonial and post-colonial frameworks. Personally, coming from a background in the suburbs of Cleveland with very little experiential knowledge of Native perspectives—yet with a peripheral conceptual interest in Indigeneity—I found this class especially effective in helping me synthesize my understandings of colonization and settler identity with my enthusiasm for social justice and my impulse to write and dissect readings.
What is your favorite thing about being in Los Angeles?
LA is fairly incomparable when it comes to live shows. Unfortunately, that’s been cut off a bit by the whole Zoom University situation!!—But as the city shifts back toward in-person events, I hope to shift back with it (as safely as possible!) in seeing my favorite musicians live when they stop at LA’s historic venues for a tour.
What is something you wish you knew when you were applying to college?
I wish I knew not to stress so hard!
What is your favorite thing about being a student at the Thornton School?
I particularly appreciate how the faculty members of the Thornton Music Production Dept. always seem to sincerely have our best interests in mind. They fight for us daily, and always seem to know when the time is right to help facilitate introductions to their connections within the industry. I feel well positioned even as a sophomore, so much so due to the level of trust the professors continue to tell me that they have in me, my work, and my artistry.
Why did you choose the Thornton School?
See all of the above! There was an accumulation of reasons that led to me choosing to apply here—but the generosity of the school itself, the quality of the program, and its spatial and social position within the industry were all fundamental factors.