Mastered LA LA Land

It was a long journey. Anyone who has opted to pursue tertiary education understands the rigors of student life, especially when you are employed and have a whole life tearing your time and attention away from this goal you’ve poured money into and can’t allow to be wasted! This was me for the last 2 years, at the University of Southern California, where I felt academically supported and seen. There is a reason they are so highly ranked and it is not just the stellar faculty or George Lucas being alum. They do ensure that you are always informed as a student, and they provide support and tools to get you where you want to go.

The pandemic hit as soon as I started and then almost every school begin delivering education online but I already had the USC advantage. The pandemic came, it lasted, I endured online but a time came when I did wonder about my decision to delay graduation to accommodate the hot new courses that were becoming available. Will this degree take forever? Am I wasting time? Don’t you just want to get the credentials and move on?

The answer was no. I wanted more than just a piece of paper to frame, I wanted the actual education! This meant it would be worth the sacrifice of the semester off and delayed graduation date. I can look back now and acknowledge that it was the right decision (cheers for intuition and listening to your gut!). I found those last 2 courses, the ones I waited for, just like most things you have to wait for in life, to be good lol, very good, excellent! They made me feel more prepared for work in the current digitally enhanced entertainment marketplace. Then I blinked twice and it was May 2022- time for graduation!

I saw my name there in the program and I felt full, full of pride and a little disbelief that the journey was over! We all know the panny stole time but I can say that during that unusual time in history, I was using my time confined behind doors on an investment (and let’s not forget this is when Super Single Cindy was also birthed). I am a proud Trojan and I exhibit the 5 traits, I am grateful for the experience and those 3 letter acronyms on my resume, USC and LL.M. I celebrated in epic fashion with some of my nearest and dearest to close that chapter of my life.

As I say close, you know that old saying about doors… Well I wasn’t just celebrating the closing of the Masters journey. I was also celebrating the opening of the door to my Los Angeles journey, because during that semester that I was off from USC (the same one where I questioned ALL my life choices including delaying graduation), I discovered my next step. In that little window, I identified my next goal quite serendipitously and it entailed, wait for it, more school!!! It sounds crazy and like I want to be a perpetual student but I knew that this would be the missing link in my professional journey. I had to go to UCLA! I had to pursue practical training in Entertainment and I had to be on the ground in LA. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it, or afford it for that matter, but I knew in my soul that I had to find a way.

I am writing now from La La Land as it is affectionately called, after having survived my first month (a whirlwind adjustment) and I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that I made the right decision. I know it’s early on and I can’t see the future, but I feel pretty confident and empowered by all that I am exposed to, and I feel ready to make a mark. There is a need for diversity in storytelling and I know I can be a useful resource. My ultimate aim of course, is to be a bridge, the bridge between T&T and Hollywood. It feels almost like I have a responsibility and patriotic duty! I know I’m being extra lol but I am also being honest, a quality that seems rare and valuable in Tinsel town. I hope to make it my calling card and I charm them with island vibes 🙂