the academy news - july 26, 2013
DESCRIPTION
In this issue: Fun at OC Fair, Driving in LA, Kazakh Wedding Traditions & more!TRANSCRIPT
with 360 degrees rotation. “Now
I understand why it is called In-
sanity. It is crazy but awesome,” See Orange County Fair on p. 3
By MATT SUN, LEO WU,
and JINGYI WANG
Language Academy tu-
dents went to the famous Or-
ange County Fair for their
third Language Academy
activity last Saturday. They
were really excited because
this was the first all-day-long
activity.
The OC Fair is a big
event consisting of various
elements, among which the
rides must be ranked as the
most thrilling ones. There is a
variety of rides, and most of
them will be beyond your
expectation.
If you want to challenge
yourself, the OC Fair has the
terrifying free-fall drop ma-
chine which carries you to the
top of a meters-high tower
then suddenly drops down in
free-falling speed. You can
also try a ride named Insanity
which revolves in high speed
Third Street Promenade Friday, July 26, 2013 1:30PM-6:00PM If you signed up for this activity, meet in JEF Courtyard at 1:30pm. If you have not checked in by 1:45PM, we will give your place to someone on the waiting list. The Third Street Promenade is an upscale shopping, dining and entertainment sec-tion of downtown Santa Monica. Please bring cash if you plan on eating or shop-ping.
Hawaiian Luau Party and Group Picture Friday, August 2, 2013 Come experience Hawai'i in our very own JEF Courtyard. Become a hula or Tahitian dance master, compete with your Lan-guage Academy friends in the hula hoop and limbo contests, enjoy Hawaiian per-formances, and feast on delicious Hawai-ian food! We will take a group picture after the performances. Sign-up at 12:00PM in JEF Courtyard ($5 payment).
Fun at Orange County Fair
I N S I D E
T H I S I S S U E :
Language
Labs
2/
3
Driving in Los
Angeles
4
Kazakh
Wedding
5
Sunday
Brunch
6
Quiet Time on
Mountaintop
6
Volunteer
Work
7
Pics of the
Week
8
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
The Academy News J U L Y 2 6 , 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 5 6 , I S S U E 4
Check out The Academy News online: www.usc.edu/langacad.Go to “Student Information” and then click on “The Academy News.”
Looking for a car. Here are some tips for getting a good deal on p. 4.
Find out how to call home for the cheap-est rates . See p. 7.
Students won minions at the game booths at the Orange County Fair.
IELTS Preparation: Test Overview—In this lab, you’ll have the opportunity to learn tips and tricks on how to ace the IELTS test. This week we’ll discuss the overview of the test. Conversation Practice—Practice
speaking English by level with USC students. This is an interactive discussion in which you will participate in group discussions about several interesting topics. This is your opportunity to practice speaking and to ask questions.
Statement of Purpose
Workshop (Levels 4-6): Learn how to write an amazing SOP for graduate school. Grammar Q & A—Are
you confused by the rules of English grammar? Come to the Grammar Question and Answer lab for help with your grammar questions! GRE/GMAT
Preparation (Levels 4-6): Find out the best ways to succeed on the new exam
Tuesday, July 30th
Time Location Description Facilitator
12:30-1:30pm
KAP 150
IELTS Prep Lab (Levels 2-5)
James Hutzell Faculty
12:30pm-1:30pm
THH 107
Statement of Purpose (Levels 4, 5 & 6) Limited to 1 time per week
Marisa Garcia-Crocker Faculty
12:30pm-1:30pm
VKC 204 Grammar Q & A (Levels 1, 2 & 3)
John Esposito Faculty
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1
Liza USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2
Belen USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Lucy
USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard
Conversation Level 4 Demetri
USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard
Conversation Level 5 Jay
USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 6 Rachel
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
GFS 104 GRE/GMAT Prep Lab (Levels 4, 5 & 6) Jeminah Jones
Faculty
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1 Lucy
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2 Blaire
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Demetri
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard
Conversation Level 4 Rachel
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard
Conversation Level 5 Liza
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 6 Jay
USC Student
P A G E 2
REMINDER: Last Chance to Attend
Language Labs
Next week is the last week for Language Labs! You must sign-up online this weekend in order to be
registered. In order to be eligible for an A in your oral skills class, you must attend at least one Language
Lab.
P A G E 3
Orange County Fair Continued from p. 1
Haoming Zhang said after he tried this ride
and being hung in the air for five minutes.
The terrifying rides are too challeng-
ing for you? Don’t worry. There are nu-
merous games worth a try. Buying ten
tickets with $5, you will get a chance to
win the cutest stuffed toy ever---the min-
ion in the famous cartoon film Despicable
Me. If none of the games attract you, then
what about the food? OC Fair collects the
most delicious food in the country: sau-
sages, mountain of curly fries, cakes,
baked corns, lemonade juice, you name it!
As for the shopaholics, there is also a big
mall selling high quality clothes and bags
for reasonable prices.
This is not all about the OC Fair.
There are more interesting activities wait-
ing ahead. Have you heard of All-Alaskan
Racing Pigs? They are a team of the fastest
and funniest athletes to serve up entertain-
ment in the OC Fair events. When the pigs
started to run, Mike yelled “Unbelievable!
They are really fast with their tiny limbs.”
More surprisingly, these little creatures
could jump over the hurdle which is two
times taller than themselves. “It is the fun-
niest race I have ever seen. I really enjoyed
it,” said Jingyi.
With a long history (since 1890), the
OC Fair is also a great chance for us to
experience American culture. “This fair
contains a little bit of everything” said
Elin, “It is great fun just to walk around
and soak up the atmosphere.”
Thursday, August 1st
Time Location Description Facilitator
12:30-1:30pm
GFS 104 GRE Prep Lab (Levels 4, 5 & 6)
Peter Guekguezian Faculty
12:30pm-1:30pm
THH 107 Statement of Purpose (Levels 4, 5 & 6) Limited to 1 time per week
Marisa Garcia-Crocker Faculty
12:30pm-1:30pm
VKC 204 Grammar Q & A (Levels 4, 5 & 6)
John Esposito Faculty
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1
Liza USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2
Belen USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Jay
USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard
Conversation Level 4 Demetri
USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard
Conversation Level 5 Blaire
USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 6 Rachel
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1 Blaire
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2 Belen
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Demetri
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard
Conversation Level 4 Rachel
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard
Conversation Level 5 Liza
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 6 Jay
USC Student
IELTS Preparation: Test Overview—In this lab, you’ll have the opportunity to learn tips and tricks on how to ace the IELTS test. This week we’ll discuss the overview of the test. Conversation Practice—Practice
speaking English by level with USC students. This is an interactive discussion in which you will participate in group discussions about several interesting topics. This is your opportunity to practice speaking and to ask questions.
Statement of Purpose
Workshop (Levels 4-6): Learn how to write an amazing SOP for graduate school. Grammar Q & A—Are
you confused by the rules of English grammar? Come to the Grammar Question and Answer lab for help with your grammar questions! GRE/GMAT
Preparation (Levels 4-6): Find out the best ways to succeed on the new exam
P A G E 4
By XI KANG (SILVIA)
and YUAN FENG
Los Angeles is a fascinating city
with lots of interesting places awaiting
you to explore. You can reach Holly-
wood, Disneyland, Long Beach as well
as many fabulous places within an
hour’s driving from USC. Since the pub-
lic transportation here in Los Angeles is
not very satisfying, having a car is of
great necessity. There are only a few
steps before you can get your driver
license and have your own car.
Getting Your Driver’s License
You can either sign up at the DMV
(Department of Motor Vehicles) website
to make an appointment for your written
test and then take your test on the ap-
pointment date or go to the department
to take your written test without reserva-
tion. By making an appointment, you
can avoid waiting in the queue for a long
time. Do not forget to bring your valid
ID with you when you go to DMV.
Before taking the written test, you
can review the traffic rules by reading
the brochure provided by DMV or do
some practice online. The written test
includes some multiple choice questions.
Having fewer than six incorrect answers
in the test indicates that you have passed
the written test and you will receive a
“Learner’s Permit” after the physical
examination. With that permit, you can
practice driving on road under the in-
struction of a tutor or someone with a
driver license.
For international students who al-
ready have their driver’s license before
coming to the U.S., they can get a tem-
porary driver’s license after passing the
written test. Typically, the temporary
license allows them to drive legally up
to three months, but they have to take
another driving test before getting their
official driver license.
The driving test requires an ap-
pointment in advance. There is a
evaluator from the DMV sitting next to
you and giving you instructions. You
just need to follow the instructions and
try your best to make fewer than fifteen
mistakes so that you can pass the exam.
The driving test includes driving, park-
ing, turning and the test of driver's capa-
bility to obey the traffic rules. If you
pass the driving test, you can receive
your official driver’s license in two
weeks.
Buying a Used Car
Having your license in your hand,
next it is time for you to get your own
car. An economic used car in good con-
dition is always a better choice for stu-
dents like us. Here is some information
you should know about the process of
purchasing a used car.
First of all, you can choose either to
buy a used car from a dealer or a private
party. Each has advantages and disad-
vantages. Dealers are generally more
responsible and required by law to en-
sure a car has been sold under a good
condition. However, the prices are usu-
ally higher than purchasing from an
owner.
Buying from an owner, in contrast,
often cost less, but the condition of the
car is not guaranteed. One of the biggest
websites where you can find used cars is
Craigslist. On the website, you can ei-
ther find the cars sold by a dealer or an
owner. It is easy to navigate those web-
sites: just type your requirement of a
used car and the websites will list all the
possible deals that meet your needs.
Once you pick the cars that you are
interested, you can start to contact the
sellers to schedule an appointment for a
test drive. There are two things that you
need to remember before you go for the
testing drive. First, ask the seller to pro-
vide the VIN number and the CARFAX
report for the car. If the seller doesn’t
provide a CARFAX report, you can buy
the report online. Those documents pro-
vide detailed information about the cars
that you’re interested in. If it shows
“salvage” on the report, it means the car
has a serious damage and you need to
look for others. Second, request the
seller to provide smog check history. In
California, the seller is required to pro-
vide a certificate of check no later than
90 days.
After you have a full knowledge of
the cars’ conditions, you can schedule an
appointment and go to see the cars for a
test drive. While you are driving, pay
attention to the brake, listen the sound of
the engine, and other noises throughout
the test drive. After driving, check the
AC, windows, radio, CD, etc.. Before
you made your final decision, take the
car to do a final evaluation and check
the price value on Kelly Blue Book.
Before you pay your bill, make sure
the registration is current and the Certifi-
cate of Title (pink slip) is cleaned. If
your car is purchased from a dealer, you
don’t need to worry about the title trans-
formation process. The dealer will take
care of that. However, if you get it from
an owner, you should remember to re-
port ownership change to DMV and to
pay the fees within 30 days after your
purchase.
Last but not least, don’t forget to
get a valuable insurance before driving
your car.
Reference
Buying a Used Car – Tips & Scams to Avoid. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://
www.carbuyingtips.com/used.htm
Are You Ready to Explore L.A. by Car?
P A G E 5
By YERKANAT ZAITOV
Weddings in Kazakhstan are cele-
brated noisily, bright, and on a grand
scale often turning into a festival lasting
days, or even weeks, with more than a
dozen families, relatives and friends. In
August I will be lucky enough to attend
as a groomsman the fabulous wedding
of my brother. Before I arrive home let
me introduce some Kazakh wedding
traditions and customs.
Not many people know that Ka-
zakhs celebrate two ceremonies: one
from the bride’s family and another the
main wedding from groom’s family.
Before the first ceremony, the groom’s
family and closest relatives all together
visit the bride’s family for a matchmak-
ing custom with many gifts for each
member of her family. This custom is
called “Kuda Tuser,” a ritual courtship
of bride.
The bride hands a petition to her
parents. In agreement with the relatives
of the bride, a day shall be appointed
when the closest relatives of the groom
headed by the Chief matchmaker come
to ask the bride's hands.
Very interesting is the custom of
meeting matchmakers, who greet each
other with the words, "Who are you?
Who should go?" in the form of a half-
joking and they are sure to throw
"Shashu" - a candy and sweets.
"Shashu" - this is a mandatory attribute
of any celebration. This gesture means
hospitality and gives a sense of celebra-
tion and is accompanied by fun.
The candy is collected and given to
children with a wish in the future to
become a party to such a celebration (it
is said: "Zhugysty Bolsyn" – “Wish you
the same in the nearest future”).
Upon entering the house of the
bride, the groom meet Zhenge
(daughters-in-law, wives of elder broth-
ers), who jokingly question him, search
his pockets, coming up with different
tests. Usually in advance for them, the
groom places trinkets, coins, and more
recently - money. The matchmakers
meeting turns into a cheerful hubbub.
Music is played, especially the Dombra
(Kazakh national instrument).
Arriving guests are seated at the
place of honor at Dastarkhan (at the
table) and there begins the acquaintance
with representatives of both sides. At
the same time, a playful tone always
remains. The general merriment contin-
ues, passing in the beautiful songs and
games.
After the father of the bride pub-
licly agrees to the marriage of his
daughter, a special dish is served—
Kuyryk-Bauyr" with pieces of boiled
liver "- (bauyr) and slices of boiled
fatty tail (kuyryk) from the slaughtered
sheep. The bride's parents feed their
matchmakers, the parents of the bride,
and fasten a new sibling alliance be-
tween matchmakers. After the completion of the repre-
sentatives of the groom feast open
"Korzhyn" - a bag of gifts for the
matchmakers. Most often it is a beauti-
ful decoration for the female half of the
bride and gifts for others. The cousin of
the bride to the groom wears earrings -
"Syrga tagu", which confirms the status
of the bride. At the end of the feast,
before leaving, the groom's parents are
presented gifts to the response - "kyit."
In modern society, the gifts may be-
beautifully embroidered cha-
pans” (national coat with ornaments)
and hats with a national ornament.
Later, a ceremony is held in the
house of the After everything is done
in chronological order bride’s family
decides the correct date of first wedding
ceremony - seeing the bride from the
parental home – “Kiz Uzatu”. For this
celebration, traditionally the bride
chooses a national wedding dress - Toy
koylek, kamzol and saukele. Modern
girls can choose an evening dress. Sau-
kele - symbolic head dress for the Ka-
zakhs. The bride bids farewell to a care-
free life in the walls of his home.
Usually the ceremony takes place
in large restaurant with all of the bride’s
family, relatives, friends, coworkers,
and everyone who is very close to
bride’s family, and this ceremony tells
that everyone should walk her out to the
new family.
After the first ceremony, the main
party takes place. The groom’s family
invites all their relatives, friends and
everyone close to them and usually the
approximate number of guests is from
200 to over 500. By the evening they
are arriving to the restaurant where all
guests are gathering already and waiting
for the main celebration. Every guest
will get chance to wish them a tons of
warm words and all of them will have
unforgettable memory because Kazakh
ceremonies are always passing very
colorful, memorable, wonderful and all
of invited people are participating in it.
I hope this description helps you to
imagine how Kazakh wedding ceremo-
nies take place.
Welcome to Kazakh Wedding Ceremony
The Kazakh bride and groom wear traditional clothes for their wedding ceremonies.
P A G E 6
By FITSUM FANTA
The Alpine Camp and Conference
Center is a tranquil campground full of wonders and adventure that take you away from the bustling city of L.A. Es-tablished in 1930’s, the campground started its roots in an L.A. like lifestyle, a vacation getaway for the Hollywood stars, like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
After almost a decade of closure, Alpine reopened through a ministry service in 1957. This weekend it was home to the Ethiopian Young Adult Ministry yearly retreat.
Alpine Camp, located in the moun-tains of Blue Jay, above 5000 ft high, Alpine can serve almost year round, for campers to take advantage of the natural resources of California. Adding new ways to seek adventure, Alpine
now has a high ropes course with a zip-line and climbing tower that reaches over 35 feet into the trees, the highest natural climb in the western hemi-sphere.
The program called “Higher Ground” is designed for small groups to enhance teamwork and problem-solving skills all while gaining trust,
imagination, and understanding risk taking. “Higher Ground” is used for groups ranging from corporate adults to at risk teenagers hoping to gain self-confidence. There are also basketball courts, swimming pool and soccer field to enjoy activities. For those who love hiking, the mountain gives ideal topog-raphical views. Still so much more with meeting rooms, a chapel, and food service for all three meals for group activities.
Thanks to the beautiful and silent environment, you will forget you are only 90 minutes from Los Angeles when you are at Alpine. Whenever you want to breath air instead of smog or hear nothing instead of traffic, think about Alpine camp retreat which could a smart choice.
By ZHAKA SHULENBAYEVA
Omelets, Egg’s Benedict, Pan-
cakes, French Toasts, Bacon, Mi-mosas, Bloody Mary’s. All these meals you can find in the special Sunday Brunch menu in many res-taurants in Los Angeles.
Sunday Brunch is the perfect de-cision for those who like to sleep longer on the weekend and miss the breakfast time but could not wait until lunch. The word “brunch” is made from “breakfast” and “lunch,” and it takes the best parts of each of them. The hit dish of the brunch menu is Egg’s Benedict, which is the muffins topped with ham or ba-con, poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce. A legend says that Mr. Le-muel Benedict requested the combi-nation of poached eggs, Canadian bacon, English muffins, and Hollan-daise sauce in order to recover from a hangover. Therefore, the chef rec-ognized the dish’s delicious poten-tial,and it’s been a brunch classic ever since.
Here are some places close to USC where I usually have Sunday brunch.
The nice and cute café Jack and Joe, which is located on Figue-roa and Adams can make your Sun-day special because you can make your own omelet and actually watch how it is going to be cooked.
The second place that you probably should visit is Original Pantry Café, which is on Figueroa and Ninth street, next to LA Live. This place was opened a long time
ago; when you are there, you can feel the old traditional American spirit while you are enjoying fresh-made pancakes with maple syrup.
If you are interested in the French cuisine, the origin of brunch, which I believe so, you should stop by Gourmet Crepe X-press Café on Grand street and Sixth Street. The chef is a cheerful person who not only loves USC students, but also cooks amazing crepes.
The next place is well known, IHOP, where you can find different kinds of pancakes. The nearest IHOP is located on Flower Street and Street.
In case you have a sweet tooth, you might love the place on the Spring Street and Seventh Street. “Syrup” is the café where you can always eat fresh blubbery sand-wiches or Belgian waffles with nutella and strawberry.
So, my next Sunday is going to start with the smell of fresh brewed coffee and the taste of topped muf-fins in eggs. What about you?
Special Sunday Brunch
Quiet Time on Mountaintop
Eggs Benedict is a brunch favorite.
Alpine Camp is a quiet mountain retreat.
P A G E 7
By YATING ZHAO (EVELYN)
Business leaders and careerists mixed
and mingled at the annual LA’s Largest
Mixer, a business networking event held
on Thursday, July 18, at the Shrine Audi-
torium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles.
L.A.’s Largest Mixer is an event where
professionals representing companies of
all shapes, sizes and industries converge
for the ultimate business working experi-
ence. It was a good opportunity for me, a
fresh USC student who still knows very
little about Los Angeles, to get a close
look at local business and start-ups.
The Shrine Auditorium is located op-
posite to Gate 4 of USC and is only a five
-minute walk from Leavey library. When
I arrived at the events, hundreds of busi-
ness people and representatives from
leading industries had already showed up
and were busy preparing their booths.
Meanwhile, attendees were coming in
continuously.
I volunteered to help MAYO, a leading
public relation company in LA, set up
their three booths: LA Mixer booth, red
carpet booth, and MAYO communication
booth. During the event, I was responsi-
ble for the red carpet booth, printing or
identifying people that get their photos
taken on the red carpet.
Although those were all very simple
jobs, I really had great fun and made it a
worthwhile experience. It was also a great
opportunity to connect with people that I
could follow up later for job openings.
As international students, you may
sometimes feel distant from local people
and events happening around you. One
thing you can do is to explore a more
colorful world by yourself. Opportunities
are there if you are seeking them actively,
from your seniors, from networking web-
sites and from anywhere that you can
think of. This is a good way for us to
adapt to our life here quickly and interact
with people from diverse backgrounds.
Here is some information about finding
voluntary work which may be useful to
you:
www.volunteermatch.org
www.volunteerlosangeles.org
www.laworks.com
Fresh Volunteer Work Experience in Mixer Event
The Chinese Girl By SCARLETT CHEN
If Yuan hadn’t talked to me, I would
never have known she studied at Univer-
sity of Missouri in St. Louis. I did notice
she was taller than most of the other girls
in Language Academy, but I would
never have guessed that she used to be a
professional basketball player.
Yuan Feng is from Xi’an, China—a
city that is well known for the terracotta
warriors. She loves clothes from Hollis-
ter and always wears a pair of light ash-
colored TOM’s shoes. She rides her bike
to commute from her apartment to
classes. She loves USC and is excited
about her new life as a Trojan. “I want to
be a journalist, ” Feng said. “I love the
feeling of digging out news from other
people.”
Feng loves to explore, not only in
finding news, but also in searching for
delicious food, especially Asian food. “I
really miss the food in Xi’an,” she said.
Feng is a gourmet. She studies hard at
Language Academy, but she also works
hard on where to try new food. She gets
most of her information online, where
she uses her journalism skills to research.
For the future, Feng wants to be a
sports reporter so that she can combine
her passion in sports and journalism.
With her background playing basketball
in both China and the U.S., she will re-
port the sports news in the world plat-
form.
___________________________
Calling Home By ALLEN TIAN
When I ask my friends about how
often they call their parents, most of
them would say they do not call much.
Instead, WeChat, QQ, Facebook, Mi-
croblog or other mobile Apps have be-
come their favorites when communicat-
ing with Mom and Dad.
Living in a mobile era is the best
thing that has ever happened to such App
fans that spend the whole day posting
photos, videos or “liking” strangers with
their smartphones. I am an old-fashioned
guy with no particular addiction to those
fancy things, so I call.
The way I call back home is updat-
ing. For the first several days after land-
ing on American soil, I called my parents
using my China Mobile SIM card. The
rate was about $0.15/min. Later, things
got better as my new Verizon iPhone 5
arrived. I could call at $0.06/min accord-
ing to the contract. Of course, App is
also another way. Skype is one of the
handy ones, but it requires either Wi-Fi
or a computer, and the cost is a horrible
$0.23/min. Finally, after trying various
means, I found the perfect service in the
world: the Google Voice.
Cheap and easy is how I describe
it. All you need is a Google account with
an activated Google Voice number. After
adding money to your account, the only
places you are unable to reach will be the
Antarctic and the Arctic Poles then. You
can simply call via your phone, without
requirements for Wi-Fi or computer or
anything.
To call both landlines and mobiles
in China, the price is a surprising $0.02/
min. It’s even cheaper than calling
within China. This does not only apply to
China. If you want to casually talk to
your friends in UK, Germany, Japan,
Brazil or wherever else, you can always
reach them with your Google Voice.
So, bothered by how to call back
home? Google Voice helps you to hear
“hello” from your loved ones in a better
way.
USC Language
Academy
Rossier School of
Education
Phone: 213-740-0080
Fax: 213-740-0088
Web: www.usc.edu/langacad
Pics of the Week
The Academy News is a weekly newsletter pro-duced by students in the Journalism Elective of the USC Language Academy. All students in the Lan-guage Academy Program are encouraged to send news stories and photos to Sonja Lovelace at [email protected].
Check out The Academy News online at www.usc.edu/langacad.Go to “Student Informa-
tion” and then click on “The Academy News.”
P A G E 8 J U L Y 2 6 , 2 0 1 3
New Editor of The
Academy News
Valeria Wei, the new editor
of The Academy News, comes
from China. She holds a BA in
Italian from Communication
University of China. During col-
lege she studied in Italy for one
and a half years as an exchange
student. She graduated in 2011.
Before joining the Trojan family,
she worked for the magazine
Cosmopolitan (China Edition) in
Beijing. After Summer Session B
she is going to continue her edu-
cation for a masters’ degree in
Strategic Public Relations in
Annenberg School for Commu-
nication and Journalism.
THE ACADEMY NEWS STAFF
Editor: Valeria Wei
Assistant Editor: Leo Wu
Reporters: Faisal Almutairi, Zhiqi (Scarlett) Chen, Shangyi Cheng, Fitsum
Fanta, Yuan Feng, Xi (Silvia) Feng, Ranran Li, Zijun (Mike) Lu, Peiyang Shi, Zhaka Shulenbayeva, Mingxu Sun, Lun (Allen) Tian, Jingyi Wang, Yumeng
(Valeria) Wei, Daojun (Leo) Wu, Meiyi Yu, Weiwei (Vivian) Yu, Yerkanat
Zaitov, Assyl Zhakupov, Yating (Evelyn) Zhao
Language Academy students went to the Orange County Fair last Saturday. The pig
races were one of the highlights of the trip. Game booths, rides, and food were all part
of the fun. The weather helped with cooler temperatures that day.