August 21, 2025
On behalf of the USC Board of Trustees, the esteemed deans and leaders sitting behind me, and all of our faculty and staff: welcome to USC!
When you join USC, you’re not just joining a university with amazing professors, an unparalleled breadth of courses, and a football team that’s going to crush it this year.
You’re also joining a community steeped in history, impact, and traditions – traditions like the convocation bringing us together today.
USC appears to be unique in the word that it uses to describe the extraordinary university and alumni community you’re now joining.
That word is “family.”
Being a member of this Family means that you could be in an airport in Chicago, Nairobi, or Tokyo, and if you’re wearing your USC merch – which you’ll be collecting a lot of this year – people will flash the victory sign or tell you “Fight On!” as they pass you by.
Being a member of this Family means that when you’re looking for a job, you may get noticed not just because you have a great résumé, a sparkling personality, and tons of rizz. But also because the person hiring is a Trojan who understands the value of a USC education.
Some of you may be from small families, some from large families – and some of you may feel like you’re finally escaping your family. (Just kidding, parents.) But now that you’re at USC, you’re part of a family that’s over 500,000 strong.
Welcome to USC, and welcome to the Trojan Family.
Whatever you end up doing in your lives, you are – starting today – Trojans for life.
Now, your family may be different from mine, but just because you’re part of a family doesn’t mean everyone in it always gets along.
Not too long ago, two incoming students were sitting where you are today.
One was born in Oakland, California. He was raised by two working parents – his mother was a community organizer, his father a juvenile hall probation counselor. This student had played football on an athletic scholarship, had long hair, and initially thought he wanted to become a doctor.
The other student was from Sweden. His Swedish father was a guitar teacher, and his Polish mother was a florist. He was named after a composer, and he loved music – whether it was playing guitar in a rock band or listening to his favorite band, Metallica.
Basically, these two guys had nothing in common.
One had never left California, and the other had never been to the United States.
But one night, they met at a dorm party over a game of pool. And during the game, they realized they had something in common: they were both homesick.
They took a risk and opened up to each other about it.
And the more they talked – whether it was about fashion, music, or movies – the deeper they started to connect with each other. Pretty soon, you couldn’t separate them.
The roommate matching algorithm wouldn’t in a hundred years have paired these two together. But guess what? They became roommates.
Not only that, but the two students ended up getting to know a Cinematic Arts professor named Kenny Hall. Professor Hall was a legend who had worked on the scores for movies like E.T., Star Trek, and Mulan – and yet he always encouraged his students to break the mold by bringing together their own ideas and perspectives.
For a class assignment, which was to create a silent short film, the two students came up with an idea they never could have discovered alone: blending sound effects with music. They literally found their music in the noise.
Unfortunately, there’s not much more to say about their short film, which I doubt any of you have seen. But you may have seen some other movies the two students went on to make together: Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther, Wakanda Forever, and Sinners.
Since coming from across the world to meet at a random party, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson – the two friends – have gone on to win an Oscar, three Grammys, a Golden Globe, and have become one of the most prolific creative partnerships in Hollywood.
Now, not all of you may go on to win an Academy Award with your roommate. But each of you will encounter people here at USC who will change your lives in ways you can’t imagine.
But how will you find them?
One of the amazing things about USC is that, if you’re, say, a twin who’s interested in neuroscience, graphic design, and binge-watching Love Island, you could probably find enough people here with the exact same background and interests to form a club. I have no idea what you’d call that club, but the point is that it’s perfectly natural to want to surround yourself with people similar to you.
But USC also offers you the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Ryan and Ludwig took advantage of – the opportunity to meet people whose talents and beliefs literally span the globe.
Some of these people will have backgrounds similar to yours, and others will have backgrounds totally different.
Some will have views you like, and others will have views you can’t stand.
Some will share the same interests as you, and others will have interests you’ve never even heard of.
While it’s easy to shy away from all these different perspectives, leaning into them can open up so many new pathways and possibilities.
Maybe you’ll change your mind about something, or maybe you’ll change someone else’s.
Maybe you’ll learn something you didn’t know about the world, or maybe you’ll learn something you didn’t know about yourself.
Maybe you’ll end up making a blockbuster movie together, or maybe you’ll make something just as valuable: a lifelong friend.
Just like Ryan and Ludwig before you, each of you will find your own music here at USC. But you won’t find it alone. You’ll find it by engaging, listening, and interweaving your great ideas with other ideas that are even better.
It’s that spirit of collaboration and caring for one another that makes USC and our Trojan Family so strong, and so special. And now it’s your time to join the family and add your own unique stories to it.
Welcome to USC, welcome to the Trojan Family, and now let’s all say it together: Fight On!