From the editors

This is the final issue of the Daily Trojan Magazine for this academic year, and for the first time in 12 issues and two years, it is anchored by the central theme of graduation. Our special issue arrives at a unique time to graduate college, with a rapidly evolving job market, volatile global economy and the encroachment of modern technology like artificial intelligence.

Not only that, it’s also an unprecedented time to choose to read — or write — long-form journalism. Budget cuts across the nation’s newsrooms, including our own, paired with the rise of easily consumable short-form content on apps like TikTok, make it easier than ever to avoid in-depth storytelling.

We are grateful to the many who have supported this magazine as we navigated these headwinds and brought this publication to print for the first time this semester, defying trends to deliver quality long-form journalism to this campus and beyond.

But this issue isn’t about us: It’s about the seniors embarking on a new journey, choosing to confidently walk across the stage at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and into an uncertain future. From professional concerns to fond memories, our trio of stories entangling with seniors and alumni this month looks back and forward to color in the moments before and after its culmination.

Of course, there are other stories to color in the landscape that these graduates see when they walk across that stage, and they come from writers with diverse backgrounds and storytelling strengths. The stories we tell on stage and screen also get their time in the spotlight to bind together a symphony that wraps up the Spring 2025 semester.

In this month’s magazine, Nico Chiera Sciammas dives deep into senior fine arts majors as they navigate post-grad plans and senior theses; Miranda Huang looks into career paths taken by School of Dramatic Arts alumni; Alexa Rubinstein looks back with seniors on how they spent their college summers; Abby Weiland examines the film and TV industry’s evolving relationship to Los Angeles; and MJ Manning takes over The Back Page with commentary on crossdressing in Shakespeare and self-actualization.

Plus, Jake Berg offers his take on graduation in a photo essay, and Bennett Christofferson makes his triumphant return with a graduation-themed Daily Trojan Magazine crossword.

We’d like to thank the artists and photographers who contributed to the magazine, led by art & design director Vivienne Tran, as well as photo editors Henry Kofman and Ethan Thai. Our assistant editors Melissa Grimaldo and the aforementioned Rubinstein were once again instrumental in the development of this edition. We’re particularly grateful for our copy desk, led by co-chief copy editors Julia Ho and Anna Jordan. Finally, we’re grateful for the guidance of our managing editor and Spring 2025 Editor in Chief, Stefano Fendrich.

To the class of 2025, congratulations, and to all, have a great summer! Please enjoy the 2024-2025 finale of the Daily Trojan Magazine.