Mariela was an English major at USC with a minor in Sociology as she felt in both areas of study, a connection, as they both involve interactions. She explains that in reading novels, the author provides the reader with a social context of what life was like in the time of the story. In the area of sociology, one learns about the shaping and meaning of societal issues in a specific time frame and culture.
Mariela was on the Dean’s List consecutive semesters following her freshman year and presented research at the 2019 USC Undergraduate Symposium for Scholarly and Creative Work and has generously donated time to those in need in the USC community.
She volunteered for the I Am Mentor program, through USC’s Rossier School’s Pullias Center for Higher Education. Through this program she returned to her high school, Belmont High, to tutor and help high school seniors to prepare their college applications.
In her final year at USC, she worked at the Joint Educational Project House (JEP) on an initiative to better understand homelessness. Through JEP, Mariela volunteered her time at the Skid Row Midnight Mission. Her fluency in Spanish made her a critical asset to the program. Her immediate goal after graduation was to apply for an opportunity to teach English in another country, an experience she sees as helpful when applying to graduate schools. Mariela looks forward to graduate school and plans to earn a PhD to teach English and related courses at the college level.