INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION STUDIES

           It only took a little over a month for USC Annenberg’s ICS program to completely change my life.  This sounds like an exaggeration and to some a little cliché, but if anything, it is an understatement of just how much this trip influenced my perspective of the world.  Starting in June of 2017, I knew that this experience would be beneficial in finding a clearer path towards what I want to do with my future career.  At the beginning of the program, I had no idea how many companies would influence my idea of a dream job just from conversations during our meetings.  This program also helped me realize that even though the world is fairly large, it is becoming smaller at the same time.  Through learning and seeing first hand the power of digitization and globalization, the world is more accessible now more than ever.  This gives me the motivation and inspiration to think on a global scale and push my aspirations in life to be international. 

            I previously had a class with the former Dean of USC Communication & Journalism, Ernest Wilson III, talking about Third Space thinking.  One of the core values of this way of thinking is 360-degree thinking and learning to “connect the dots.”  During one of our class meetings in Los Angeles before the group departed for Europe, Professor Vince Gonzales made an announcement about the possibility of bringing a 360˚ camera along the trip.  Through a previous internship, I had a small background in 360˚ projects and was thrilled to interact with the technology.  When shooting with a 360˚ camera, it is important to be observant of everything going on because everything will be included in the photo.  There is no “backstage” and no “green curtain.”  This piece of technology with a default setting to capture everything allowed me to really focus on my own 360˚ thinking as well.  Not only seeing what was right in front of me but observing the whole environment and doing my best to make sense of it.  These observations were combined with an impressive European history lesson from Professor Gordon Stables allowing us to have a deeper understanding of the places we would be visiting as well as effects of digitization and globalization. 

            This website is a compilation of memories and observations through photos, a featured 360˚ photo, and insight into my most significant thoughts I had throughout the experience.