USC is a long way from Stuttgart, Germany, but freshman Ryan Stevenson was filled with anticipation as his family helped him move from his European home to Parkside Arts & Humanities Residential College this week.

“I was excited from the moment I stepped on campus,” said Stevenson, a biochemistry major studying in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. “Maybe it’s the sunshine, but I just think the atmosphere on campus is really nice. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and just getting to know the whole city.”

Stevenson’s parents, Mike and Lisa Stevenson, are retired U.S. Air Force veterans who accompanied their youngest son on the transatlantic move.

“This is what he wanted and he’s been excited since he got the news that he was accepted to USC,” Mike Stevenson said. “He’s been excited the whole trip here and has barely slept because of it. We think it’s going to be great for him.”

Stevenson is one of more than 8,000 freshmen, returning students, transfer students and graduate students settling into USC’s residence halls during move-in week, which began Sunday and ends today. During a visit with some of the newcomers over the weekend, USC President Carol Folt said, “I always look forward to meeting our new students. I’m sure I see people who are going to go out and change the world.”

College becomes a reality for new Trojans

Freshman Kayla Jeong, who will study human security and geospatial intelligence at USC Dornsife, is excited about being a Trojan and living on campus.

“It feels like it’s fake; it doesn’t feel real yet,” she said, laughing.

But for her father, Andy Jeong, it was very real, and he couldn’t hold back his tears outside Birnkrant Residential College as he talked about how it feels to see his daughter start her new life as a Trojan.

“I am the crier,” he said.

USC COMES TO LIFE
Parents and friends help the Trojans, new and old, settle into the new semester. It’s time to look back with pride and look forward to the future with excitement. Check out the photo gallery.

Jeong had advised his daughter to attend a university far from their home in Gardena because he himself commuted while in college, but he’s glad she won’t be far away.

“I want her to have a good experience and just have fun – especially in this first year,” he said.

Also living nearby will be Samantha Duran, one of 60 USC Leslie and William McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative scholars who begin their freshman year in the fall. The program provides students living in neighborhoods near USC’s University Park and Health Sciences campuses with opportunities for success in higher education and beyond.

“I want to have my own independence, but also socialize and meet new people,” said USC anthropology student Dornsife as she prepared to move to Parkside. “Being Latina drives me because I want to represent my community and grow as a person.”

Duran’s mother, Martha Vasquez, is from Los Angeles and beamed with pride as her daughter spoke.

“She’s been here since sixth grade, and it’s been a never-ending journey to get here,” Vasquez said. “It’s exciting that someone from our family is finally coming to USC. For my daughter to be the first is very exciting.”

Parkside will also be home to freshman student Jamie Choe, whose family accompanied her this week from their home in Chicago.

“I wanted to get away from home and am looking forward to being more independent,” said Choe, a chemistry major who is also starting at USC Dornsife.

Although she is looking forward to more independence, Choe was heartbroken when her giant teddy bear – a Djungelskog from Ikea – did not fit in her suitcase for the flight from Chicago.

“I promised her we would buy another one, so we went shopping yesterday,” said her mother, Jenny Choe. “I’m just thrilled that she got accepted into her dream school. She really wanted to come here.”

Marcus Choe giggled at his daughter’s bear dilemma, but couldn’t hide his immense pride in her.

“She worked so hard throughout high school to get here, and she did it all on her own,” he said. “She saw something at USC and realized what she wanted to do. I’m just so proud of her.”

USC wins over many options

USC Viterbi School of Engineering freshman Rylan Hedges visited 17 universities and chose USC because it was the highest-rated engineering school to offer him a spot. His parents, Mark and Denise Hedges, traveled with their son from their home in Nevada, Missouri, to USC just one day after his twin sister transferred to the University of Missouri.

“It’s a little scary to send someone so far away to school,” Mark Hedges said. “He had a lot of options, but when he got accepted to USC, he said, ‘This is the place.'”

Rylan said his goals at USC are simple: “Be involved, be prepared for my career and make memories.”

Sean Byrne, a freshman at USC Dornsife and narrative studies student from Norwalk, Connecticut, surprised his parents when he chose to attend a school across the country.

“USC wasn’t on my radar at first because it’s so far away, but I toured the campus and fell in love with it,” Byrne said. “Throughout the application process, as I got news from other universities, USC just stayed in my mind. This is a great place in one of the greatest cities in the world.”

His mother, Karen Byrne, grew up in England and also studied there. But as a mother she is nervous.

“He took the step and decided to come here,” said Karen Byrne after moving to Birnkrant with her son. “But I think he’s growing up a lot and learning some independence because of it.”

Father Michael Byrne said: “It’s a lot of miles but we’re never far away. I think he’ll just thrive here.”