Los Angeles is the sum of many ethnic pockets. Some of its cultures intermingle and give birth to things such as the Korean Taco Truck and other cultures rest easy within their city's borders where learning English isn't a necessity.
With 88 cities there are people from more than 140 countries speaking 224 different identified languages.
Some ethnic enclaves are clearly outlined: Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Ethiopia and Little Armenia. Whereas, subcultures exist throughout the city.
One culture that is not spoken about is that of the University of Southern California.
USC students can be easily identified in the surrounding neighborhood of the main campus.
USC rests between downtown and South Central Los Angeles in its own bubble with its own culture.
Beyond the stereotypical looks from The Row and Greek life, the members of the Trojan Family have distinct features that make them easy to spot once they step off campus.
It's not about blonde hair, blue eyes, expensive cars or fancy clothes. That's a thing of the past. Was is relevant today is that Trojans who walk and bike down Hoover have an aura of confidence and ownership of the streets.
And when they're not confident they're clinching to their pepper spray and remaining armed in the event that they have to interact with the outsiders who pose a threat to the USC community.
The truth is that before any student attends their first class at USC they are told to be careful of the surrounding community.
On the other hand, students are encouraged to use education as a bridge and participate through programs such as the Joint Educational Project where they can teach students at surrounding schools about various topics.
After attending the training for the JEP program I witnessed program directors trying to convince USC students that the students in the surrounding schools have a lot of potential despite stereotypes about inner-city lifestyles and education.
From the get-go USC students are taught to believe that the kids will learn from them and not the other way around. In this case, USC is not speaking with it's surrounding community, however, they're speaking to the surrounding community.
I just have one question:
Is USC's culture one that can create fusions like the Korean Taco Truck or do its members stick to their own kind and not learn the language in order to create dialogue with others?
Being at USC I've met a lot of people with a really bad outlook on the surrounding area. USC students come in with the idea that USC is in "the ghetto." In fact, so many people I've met who have never been to or seen USC think that it is in Compton or Watts. It always bothers me. The problem is that so many USC students come from such sheltered lifestyles and homes that living in an area like the University Park Campus is such a shock. I think USC as an institution does a great job lending a hand to the surrounding community and spends plenty of time with outreach programs and such. However, I think USC students in general don't come in with the right attitude or outlook on the surrounding area.
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