As a Viterbi student, you will start to notice that many of us have involvements that stem beyond the classroom. Involvement in student organizations offers opportunities for personal growth, networking, and applying your engineering skills in exciting ways. There are also various types of organizations that you can pick and choose from ranging from Greek life, cultural groups to pre-professional organizations and design teams.
Why Join Student Organizations?
Getting involved in student organizations offers numerous benefits. You’ll acquire skills that not only enhance your resume but also make you stand out to recruiters. Employers love to see how students apply their engineering knowledge outside of academic settings, especially through hands-on projects and leadership roles. Additionally, being part of these groups allows you to nurture your passions, giving you a healthy balance between academics and extracurricular activities.
One of the great things about involvement at USC is the flexibility. You can dedicate as much time as you want, so there’s no pressure to overcommit—especially during busy periods like midterms and finals.
My Involvements: NSBE & USC Racing
Within the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), I serve on the Pre-Collegiate Initiative (PCI) Committee. On the PCI Committee, we host outreach events to provide support and resources to help minority students pursue a career in engineering. One of my favorite events we hosted was a hackathon where K-12 students came to campus to participate in a coding project. Throughout the day, we held a scavenger hunt, a college talk panel, and then we brought in pizza for the students to eat while they presented what they had been working on. I love working on the PCI committee because it’s rewarding to give back and inspire the next generation of black engineers.
Another one of my involvements is my role as Powertrain Lead on USC Racing. My responsibility involves designing, building, and testing the powertrain system for our Formula 1-style car. This is essentially everything dealing with the engine and its supporting systems, like cooling, intake, exhaust, etc. It is certainly a huge responsibility to be sure, but we are a team with a history of success—like when we beat UCLA at NASCAR’s Clash at the Coliseum—and we are working to expand that success in the international FSAE competition coming May 2025.
How to Get Involved
Getting involved is simple. You can explore organizations that interest you by attending involvement fairs or checking out the list of Registered Student Organizations on USC’s website. My advice is to bring a friend to your first meeting—it can take a bit of the pressure off by not being the only new member. Once you find a group that resonates with you, getting involved will come easy.
