SUMMER TROJAN WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 2021 | STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SINCE 1912 | VOL. 203, NO. 1 Kellie Chen | Daily Trojan Commencement comes to Coliseum Week-long commencement celebrates classes of 2020 and 2021 In-person ceremonies were In her commencement address, the able to even give us an in-person com- to attend the in-person ceremony. first of the week, President Carol Folt mencement was really great,” said “My mom, dad and my broth- held twice a day at the L.A. acknowledged the 38,000 graduates Gregory Huffman, who received a mas- er were the most important ones for Memorial Coliseum. being celebrated this year. She also rec- ter’s degree in physician assistant prac- me to have there, and it sucked that ognized the events of the past year, in- tice. “It might not have been as func- my brother wasn’t able to make it,” By IGNACIO VENTURA- cluding the coronavirus pandemic and tional as last year or run as smoothly Amezquita said. “Most of the motiva- MAQUEDA AND KACIE national outcry against racism, hate as other years, but it was something.” tion that I’ve had throughout school YAMAMOTO and social injustice. Each student was allowed to in- and through every challenge that I’ve Daily Trojan Staff “Here at USC, I am inspired daily vite two guests to the in-person cere- been through was to set an example With socially distanced chairs by the courage and the perseverance mony, who were required to be either for him and at the end of the day, to not dotting the field of the Los Angeles that I see,” Folt said. “I have been deep- California residents or fully vaccinat- have him there was really disappoint- Memorial Coliseum and a total of 14 ly moved as I watched you discover ed. Guests were seated, socially dis- ing.” in-person ceremonies held by indi- new opportunities to contribute and tanced, in the stands of the Coliseum. The ceremonies were hosted at the vidual schools taking place over one grow, even during these difficult times. Kelley Lu, who received a master’s Coliseum twice a day for one week, week, the USC Class of 2020 and the Whatever its impact, COVID didn’t de- degree in physician assistant practice, with a majority of the speakers and Class of 2021’s commencement looked rail or defeat you. It certainly didn’t de- invited her two parents to her in-per- performances presented through vid- a bit different than commencement fine you.” son ceremony. Lu said that because her eos. ceremonies held in previous years. Folt announced USC’s plans to host parents are both vaccinated and resi- During the ceremony, Tianna Shaw- Ceremonies were live broadcast- in-person commencement ceremonies dents of Los Angeles County, the pro- Wakeman, who received a bachelor’s ed through the virtual event platform for both classes in a Universitywide cess of bringing them to the ceremony degree in psychology and a progressive 6Connex. The platform also featured email in mid-March. Originally, the was “a little bit less complicated.” master’s degree in social entrepreneur- on-demand recordings of each cere- ceremonies were limited to California For Omar Amezquita, who gradu- ship, spoke about being the first Black mony, a digital copy of program books residents, before it was expanded to in- ated with a bachelor’s degree in po- valedictorian at USC and about choos- for both classes, a virtual processional clude all students on April 9. litical science in 2020, the guest limit ing to be kind and compassionate. “I think that the fact that they were meant his younger brother was unable and an online photo booth. | see COMMENCEMENT, page 2 | INDEX 2 · News 4 · Opinion 6 · A&E 8 · Classifieds 10 · Sudoku 10 · Sports PAGE 2 MAY 19, 2021 | WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM NEWS Graduation bittersweet for international students International students because I knew that all the experience just really [did] the same, like what that I had during the master’s [pro- they did last year,” Idrus, who attend- celebrated online or gram] wouldn’t be possible to relive … ed the Class of 2020’s virtual ceremony without family in L.A. because I had a lot of classmates from last May, said. “I thought it would be all around the world,” Fontoura said. different because they already learned By FRANCESCA DE NES “I was expecting to have this reunion, about the situation. I thought there Assistant News Editor and for me, it’s really sad that I won’t was going to be more festivities.” When Mariana Fontoura started have this opportunity, and I don’t Anushka Sapra, a 2021 graduate her master’s degree in social entrepre- know when I will have the opportuni- who majored in international rela- neurship in Summer 2019, she never ty to see my classmates again.” tions and political economy, was able imagined that she would spend most Although Fontoura will not be able to attend the in-person commence- of her degree program online after to attend both her in-person and virtu- ment ceremony. However, her family USC transitioned to virtual learning in al commencement ceremonies, she is in India were unable to attend due to March 2020. Fontoura, a 2021 gradu- celebrating her accomplishment with India’s ongoing coronavirus crisis. ate, like many other international stu- an online brunch with other Brazilian Sapra said that during the days dents, is unable to attend her in-per- students in her cohort who are unable leading up to commencement, she son commencement ceremony. to attend the ceremonies either. saw “so many parents and families in Originally from Brazil, Fontoura Novalino Idrus, an internation- the village and walking around with moved to Los Angeles for the MSSE al student from Indonesia, was also their kids.” program in 2019 before moving back unable to attend the in-person com- “It was a lot harder in the days lead- to her home country at the end of mencement ceremony. ing up to graduation,” Sapra said. “I 2020 to start working. According to Idrus, who received master’s de- guess that was when I was really miss- the Centers for Disease Control and grees in engineering management and ing my family, but it’s okay. They real- Prevention, Brazil is currently still at business analytics in December 2020, ly enjoyed the virtual celebration and the highest level of risk regarding the assumed commencement would be they watched it, and I called them and coronavirus. As a result, many coun- online and made the decision to move being in the [Los Angeles Memorial] tries around the world, including the back to Indonesia in March. However, Coliseum and graduating felt surreal United States, have imposed restric- right before he left, President Carol for me itself.” tions against Brazilian travelers be- Folt announced that USC would be Sapra, who last saw her family in cause of the Brazilian coronavirus holding in-person commencement December 2019, plans to return to variant. The U.S. has also banned peo- ceremonies. Although Idrus consid- India in June. With the recent large- ple who have been in Brazil in the last ered postponing his move, he ulti- scale coronavirus outbreaks in India, 14 days, with exceptions granted to mately decided to return home be- Sapra knows she won’t be able to cele- U.S. citizens and permanent residents. cause he was starting a new job, and brate much or go outside. Nonetheless, Academic student (F-1) visa holders said that if he had stayed in L.A., the she is excited to be able to see her fam- are not exempt from this new restric- 14-hour time difference was “not good ily again and have dinner together tion. for [his] body.” with them. Fontoura said with coronavirus However, Idrus decided to at- “I feel like it was really hitting me cases in Brazil being terrible, she is sad tend the virtual ceremony held by the that this was the end of a really, re- that she will not get the opportunity Viterbi School of Engineering. Due to ally big chapter in my life and some- to celebrate in person with the rest of the time difference, Idrus said he woke thing that was only possible because her cohort. Due to the four-hour time up at 5 a.m. and watched the ceremo- of my family and all of their sacrifices,” difference between L.A. and Brazil, ny on his laptop in his room by him- Sapra said. “The fact that they weren’t Fountoura said she will also not be self. able to be there to see me graduate and able to attend the virtual graduation “I actually joined the Viterbi [cer- see me finish what they sacrificed so ceremony due to work. emony] for my department, but … it much for was … a really awful feeling, “I was expecting to have this op- was just like a video recording, so they but at the end of the day, it was much portunity to meet my classmates just played people talking, and they safer for them to be home.” NEWS MAY 19, 2021 | WWW.DAILYTROJAN.COM PAGE 3 From the Class of 2020, with love COMMENCEMENT | After a year of waiting, that she was unable to experience President Carol Folt announced in Ceremony broadcasted online the ceremony in person with her par- March that the University would hold the Class of 2020 attend ents and younger siblings, whom she a combined in-person ceremony for in-person ceremonies.