Major: English
Since I am a first-generation student, I applied to a generic list of “good schools” at my high school counselor’s direction. USC accepted me. I started at USC as a psychology major determined not to do anything creative, but changed majors as I finished my sophomore year during the COVID-19 pandemic and realized I got nothing out of studying something I was not passionate about. I switched to English. My time as a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellow was the most impactful leadership experience I have had. I learned how to find gaps in research where I could begin my own lines of inquiry, contributing to the ongoing scholarly conversation in my field.
After graduation, I will pursue my passion for writing as a first-year doctoral student at USC’s PhD in creative writing and literature. I will continue to write short stories and continue my research into literary representations of public transportation from the perspective of the working class. My immediate goal is to submit one or two pieces for publication. I also will be enrolling in a novel workshop to make a first attempt at a longer-form piece. Over the course of the PhD, I will write as much as possible and complete a draft of at least one novel or short story collection to satisfy my dissertation requirements. After completing my doctorate, I look forward to continuing to write fiction and contributing to working-class literature in whatever capacity I can.
