This is a guest blog entry written by Aarav Dholakia and edited by Sejal Sharma. If you want to read more stories, visit viterbiadmission.usc.edu.
Hey! I’m Aarav Dholakia, and I’m majoring in environmental engineering. Why?
Because all other engineers are constantly making things bigger and better, but someone has to clean up after them, someone has to ensure that it’s not at the cost of our planet and the natural world.
Now in my third year at USC, I love it here. One of the best parts about USC is the spirit that’s everywhere. From the “Fight On!” you hear when you wear any USC merch anywhere in the world to the entire community coming out on game days.
My love for this spirit and free football even outweighed my lack of experience with marching or playing the trombone as I joined USC’s marching band, the face of the Trojan spirit. Since joining, I’ve had incredible opportunities like appearing in commercials, playing for Snoop Dogg, and meeting Mark Sanchez and Olivia Rodrigo.

As an engineer, I love problem solving and getting my hands dirty. I’m now the structural captain of the concrete canoe team in the ASCE club. My experiences at USC also helped me get a job at a wastewater plant last summer.

Concrete Canoe!
As a senior in high school, I would never have imagined myself playing the trombone in front of Jake from StateFarm or building a canoe, especially out of concrete. Try new things, get involved, you won’t regret it.