My idea of studying in the US was, crunch-hours in the library, making connections, new learning curves and experiences. But life does not always go exactly as planned and being quarantined with a mask was definitely not on my agenda.

When I began law school, I think I suffered from ‘impostor syndrome’ because you get sucked into a vortex with different subjects thrown at you and not necessarily the ones you like. But eventually I fell in love with Intellectual Property and Media Laws and that gave me purpose. Albeit what really promulgated me to want to pursue something in the entertainment sphere was my love for Television. Since we were never offered this specialization at the undergraduate level, I knew I wanted to study further and pursue my Master of Laws (LLM). I applied to a few schools and decided on the University of Southern California (USC) since it has a great program with stellar faculty and was located at the heart of the entertainment industry.

I took on a very rigorous course load since I wanted to make use of the classes and resources available to me. I studied rather niche and fun subjects like Television and Digital-Media Law, Music Law, Hollywood Deal-making, etc., whilst also balancing it out with bar exam subjects as I plan to give the California Bar. I was also an LLM representative to both the Music Law and Intellectual Property Society. I was able to create a good balance between fun activities and study.

At USC we call ourselves the Trojans and the team spirit and oneness were a feeling like no other. I grew to like American College football of which I understood about 10%, rocked up to university in school merchandize and just spent some time lazing on the grounds of my beautiful campus. Los Angeles is a lovely place to be in, with the beaches and mountains, there was always something fun to do especially given the perennially good weather.

Living in a foreign country and starting from scratch is hard, but it makes you, your own person. When I was back home it was easy to rely on someone, here if you need something you must go after it and that will lead you to succeed. I strongly believe that persistence is key.

Studying in the US is not just about the education, it is about building a network and meeting people from different parts of the world. I have cultivated some great relationships and have been fortunate to meet some amazing people. I am a part of the Class of 2020, the class that will go down as being synonymous with Covid-19. Thus, for me an already short course got cut shorter when I was forced to stay home and attend online classes. But as my mum always says, ‘In adversity you find strength” and we will too. The Class of 2020 has found fortitude and resilience in such unprecedented times. USC has a beautiful motto “FightOn” and we intend to do just that and come out of this situation stronger.

Disclaimer:

This article was sourced by EducationUSA.

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