USC Honesty Hour

In this episode of the USC Honesty Hour Podcast, hosts Nathan and Vanessa delve into meditation practices, topics of identity, and adaptation to new environments, aiming to destigmatize mental health challenges and promote open conversations. Joined by Vraja Kumuda, Director of the Music Meditation Club and a practitioner of Bhakti Yoga, the discussion explores his personal background, involvement with the club, and insights into s...

In this episode, our host, Darin Jawahar, will interview our guest speaker, Sabrina Atkin. Sabrina is a senior at USC studying mechanical engineering with a minor in dance and a minor in computer programming. She has been a classical ballet dancer her whole life and really enjoys watching stand up comedy. This past February, she started the USC chapter of a mental health org called IfYou'reReadingThis with the hopes that is wou...

In this episode, we will interview Dr. Rogelio Alejandro Lopez, a scholar and media maker with an interest in social movements, media activism, and youth civic media. Dr. Rogelio earned his doctorate in communication at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, where his dissertation examined the media practices of youth activists involved in social movements. He is currently teaching as an adjunct at USC Annenberg.

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In this episode, Sasha Lawrence, majoring in Psychology and a Community Health Organizer in USC's office for health promotion strategy, and Allan Riedel, majoring in Communications, share their experience as black students at USC, a PWI (predominantly white institution).

Interview questions:

1:50- What kind of community did you grow up in? Was it predominantly white, black, etc.? How did that shape your perceptions of soci...

In this episode, we will meet Dr. John Walsh, an Associate Professor of Gerontology and Neuroscience and Assistant Dean of Gerontology at USC, and hear some of his valuable advice about mental health. He was a UC Irvine undergrad, went to grad school at The University of Pittsburgh school of medicine, and finished his Ph.D. at the University of Texas School of medicine. Then, he progressed through various research about the brain, ...

Our guest speaker this week is Tiana Day, a 20-year-old activist, speaker, and the founder of the nonprofit organization Youth Advocates for Change. Tiana has been named CNN’s “2020 Hero of the Year, Young Wonder,” a Golden State Warriors “Bay Area Impact Warrior” and recognized by the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women for her intersectional activism. She has also spoken on panels for companies such as The New York Ti...

In this week's episode, we will interview Patrick Cates, who has worked at USC for nearly 15 years and is the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Marshall, where he also serves as one of Marshall's DEI Fellows. In addition to his duties as Associate Dean, he teaches Organizational Change and Leadership classes as an adjunct faculty member at Marshall and Rossier. Patrick and his parents are mental health advocates. They us...

Our guest speaker this week is Dr. Michelle Dexter. She is a licensed clinical psychologist & Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. In this episode, she will talk about her Roadmap to Resilience course and how we can stay resilient while facing challenges, how students can manage stress and anxiety, how we can destigmatize mental health stigma...