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| A MESSAGE FROM ASSOCIATE DEAN TAMMY ANDERSON
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As another successful semester comes to an end, I am reminded that we have much to be grateful for. Here at ExL, we work, create, and collaborate in a community that fosters growth, and champions opportunities for intersectionality of personal exploration and academic rigor all while creating memorable experiences for our students.
Each program continues to trailblaze into exciting, unchartered areas. In doing so, they widen the realms of possibility for students, but also for faculty looking to deepen the experiences for their students both inside and outside of the classroom.
This year Agents of Change (the first civil rights trial advocacy clinic for undergraduate students) graduated its first cohort, Prison Education Project introduced a new course that allowed USC students to take a course with currently incarcerated people inside of a correctional facility while our Mock Trial teams have been taking first place in competitions all around the country. All of our programs continue to make impressive strides in their approach to learning. 2024 will bring more of the same. May you have a wonderful holiday and continue to ExL in the new year.
All the best,
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SPARK TO FLAME WITH DEAN VARUN SONI
Interview by Gabriella Marquez, ExL Communications Intern
Our students are facing the incredible challenge of balancing self-discovery while navigating a world filled with disqualifiers. In one instance, we tell students the path to success is more than resume building then require an extensive list of "accomplishments" to be considered for achievements ranging from scholarships to honor societies.
If ever a spark were to be ignited, some of our students would be too overwhelmed with crafting the perfect dossier to foster the flame that brings passion, growth and ultimately success - whatever that looks like.
Our Spark to Flame series serves to dispel the notion that success is a linear path with no room for error or deviation.
This issue's conversation is with Varun Soni who serves as the Dean of Religious Life of USC. In this role, he brings together the spiritual and scholarly resources of the university, provides moral and ethical leadership for the USC community, and works closely with the 90 student religious groups and the 40 religious directors on campus. He also oversees interfaith engagement and community service initiatives, organizes interdisciplinary events that explore religion broadly conceived and leads ceremonial and memorial events.
Find out what was the spark that led to his impressive, multi-faceted career in his interview with USC student and ExL Communications Intern, Gabriella Marquez.
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ExL SEMESTER IN REVIEW
3rd ANNUAL ExL EXPERIENCE FAIR
ExL kicked off the semester with the 3rd Annual ExL Experience Fair. Geared to introduce ExL programs to Dornsife students in an immersive way, the day was filled with food trucks, giveaways, prizes, and DJ Deezy on the ones and twos.
Our program directors showcased the work they do by facilitating interactive games and activities. Take a look at a snapshot from the day.
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AGENTS OF CHANGE GRADUATE FIRST COHORT: A LOOK BACK
Written by Gabriella Marquez, ExL Communications Intern
The USC Dornsife Agents of Change: Civil Rights Advocacy Initiative has made a tremendous effort to level the playing field for first generation, low-income students that want nothing more than to make a difference in the world. As I near the end of my undergraduate career, I reflect on my journey through USC and how Agents of Change helped define who I am and who I am going to be. When I joined this program as a freshman, I learned how to channel my passion to help others into action. Speaking as a first-generation student myself, I can confidently say that my time in Agents of Change was filled with empowerment, advocacy, and community.
The program has been instrumental in my experience at USC and future success in the legal field. During my first internship at Al Otro Lado, I was able to get hands-on experience in the immigration field by conducting and translating intakes for asylum-seekers. Then, at the California Civil Rights Department, I learned how the government works to protect people from discrimination and harassment and worked on important civil rights cases. At my final internship at the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office, I received incredible mentorship and experience in legal research, motion writing, and client intake skills. Each one of these internships has given me the irreplicable opportunity to make a difference in the lives of so many different people—people from my own community and even my own family.
As a part of the inaugural cohort, I understand how valuable the program is and know that there is simply nothing like it anywhere else. While my time may be over, Agents of Change is a constant reminder that while the struggle for civil rights is ongoing, we are now equipped to contribute to its legacy.
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CENTER FOR ACTIVE LEARNING IN INTERNATIONAL STUDIES (CALIS)
Written by Teresa Hudock, Director, Center for Active Learning in International Studies
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Students hiking in the mountains near Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Photo credit: Piya Garg
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OFFICE OF OVERSEAS STUDIES
Written by Peter Hilton, Director, Office of Overseas Studies
Study Abroad Week in early September was a huge success. Overseas Studies offered a dozen information sessions for different majors and locations as well as student panels on affording study abroad and diversity abroad. The Study Abroad Fair was the highlight of the week with 38 booths representing programs ranging from the University of Bristol in the U.K. to Buddhist Studies in India to the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Earlier in the semester the Overseas Studies team was at the Dornsife New Student Welcome and the ExL Experience Fair encouraging students to venture abroad for a semester or a year.
Participation in our programs in 2023-24 is up 41% over 2022-23. That brings participation to 81% of the pre-pandemic level. We are hopeful that participation will continue to increase.
This fall we have our first students on the Buddhist Studies program in Bodh Gaya, India and the Russian Language and Area Studies program in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The students report they are having an amazing experience. Here are some photos from Piya Garg (International Relations major, Human Rights minor) in Kazakhstan.
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JOINT EDUCATIONAL PROJECT
Written by Kathrin Rising, Communications Director, Joint Educational Project (JEP)
The Joint Educational Project (JEP) had a myriad of exciting programming this year. Here's a quick snapshot of all of our exciting programs:
The Tammara Seabrook Anderson Spirit of Service Award’s First Success Story
After a successful pilot project in 2019, JEP partnered again with Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Poly U), as well as Dornsife’s Thematic Option Honors Program, to co-host our first summer exchange program since COVID. Six USC students and six Poly U students spent eight weeks in Hong Kong and Los Angeles exploring food justice, homelessness and class-based concerns through study and service.
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Neurobiology Workshop
Brains were the topics of interest for our neurobiology workshop held on Sept 27th at the 32nd St. USC Performing Arts Magnet School. Dozens of fourth and fifth grade students attended and learned about the components of the brain, how neurons and action potentials work, how proteins move around the brain and how they are traced and so much more. This workshop was a part of USC professor Dr. Sarah Bottjer's National Science Foundation grant-funded effort to teach neurobiology to elementary school students. Dr. Bottjer’s research focuses on the brains of songbirds and how they change if their environment is altered during sensitive times of development. The curriculum was designed by Rita Barakat and is targeted towards upper elementary aged students, in alignment with the NGSS for fourth grade. One student in Ms. Kim’s 5th grade class remarked that they attended this workshop because “their brother has cerebral palsy, a different brain than others, and it made them interested to know why.”
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Our STEM team prepared countless amounts of supplies for the semester. Four gallons of vinegar, ten big boxes of Twizzlers, and 316 Oreo cookies… these items are just a fraction of the thousands of supplies that were on our STEM Education Programs’ shopping list for this summer.
We finally were able to train our over 50 student leaders in person again. Our student leaders play an integral and active part in every JEP participant’s experience. To that end, the staff makes changes every single fall to ensure that our student staff leaders are equipped to do their best job for our JEP participants, partner schools, sites, faculty, community members, and for each other.
The Pre-Law program hosted a virtual coffee chat for its members with PLP founder and alumna Kelly Lowe who now works as an attorney for Netflix.
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Stretch and Smoosh with Jennifer Guinter
As we culminate this busy semester and gear up for the holidays, Physical Education & Mind, Body, Health lecturer Jennifer Guinter has shared a quick self-massage/myofascial release yoga routine to help us re-center during this holiday season.
Jennifer is a licensed massage therapist, yoga therapist and has been a lecturer with Physical Education & Mind, Body, Health for over five years.
Light Equipment Needed:
One clean sock 🧦 and two tennis balls 🎾🎾
*Lacrosse ball or a foam roller work great too!
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For more information on how to ExL in Experience, visit the ExL website. | |  | 
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