Los Angeles flourishes as cultural center
The USC student body serves as a reflection of surrounding Los Angeles. A diverse group of students and citizens crowd a specific area and represent their individual ethnic backgrounds, while also bringing a newfound eclectic mix of culture to their community as a whole. As a result, specific enclaves are reinvented with unique, internationally-infused identities.
This incoming freshman class has the highest international student body that USC has ever seen. From this, a few questions come to light: Why is USC becoming increasingly more diverse, how can we connect this newfound diversity to L.A. culture and what does L.A. culture offer in the promise of exploring these new cultures that USC students have been exposed to?
You’ve heard it time and time again that Los Angeles is a melting pot of different cultures. USC and Los Angeles serve as magnets to different cultures in hopes of newfound opportunities, whether it is school, work or an exciting new adventure. As a result of these pursuits, Los Angeles has undergone an ethnic makeover, redefining both its image and the ongoings of its residents.
To understand the newfound meaning of Los Angeles’ identity, we have to study these multifarious backgrounds of our citizens. With USC becoming increasingly more eclectic and, as a result, synonymous with Los Angeles, there’s all the more reason to explore Los Angeles to further familiarize ourselves with the city and school we’ve come to know and love.
The best way to accustom oneself with the Los Angeles and USC cultures we’re immersed in is to explore all components of lifestyle: film, music, events, books, games, night life, food and the like.
As with any new adventure, you have to dive in head first, releasing all inhibitions in order to gain the full experience. You have to eat, sleep and breathe Los Angeles to even begin to get a grasp of what this dynamic and charismatic city has to offer — and even that doesn’t begin to cover it.
Do as the locals do: Let your taste buds explore the multiethnic cuisine from practically every corner of the world, listen to the eccentric and diversified soundtracks representative of a mélange of different cultures and witness the vast assortment of art, expressive of every kind of individual ideal, that you can find widely dispersed throughout the city.
This issue delves specifically into the various methods of discovering Los Angeles. Take for instance, the ethnic eateries that are worth your while, be they taco trucks or Korean barbecue, local shops and music festivals that are sure to entertain and tourist hot spots that won’t let you down.
Exploring the international culture of Los Angeles is practically a rite of passage for USC students. How could you not be curious about your surrounding area especially when it’s as eclectic and diverse as Los Angeles? Investigating the USC area is to have a worldly understanding that goes beyond the city. You’ll become a more cultured individual in the process of perusing all that your newfound home has to offer, and of course while having a fabulous, wonderful and adventurous time.
Sounds like a promising year.