Hello! Hola! Bonjour! Hallo! Szia! This summer I had an incredible opportunity to participate in the International Communications Studies Program (ICS). Over the course of five weeks, I visited London, Madrid, Paris, Berlin, and Budapest and met with various companies to learn about the international media landscape. I was very passionate about studying abroad while at USC, and the ICS program allowed me to get that study abroad experience with an added bonus of forming connections and gaining exposure to major media conglomerates including The Walt Disney Company, CNN, HBO, and Fox Sports to name a few.
ICS sparked an inner confidence in myself that shone through. It is a crazy experience to be dropped into a city and learn to navigate the people, the culture, and the food, and once I finally had the hang of it, I was pulled out and placed into the next new environment and repeat the process. There are many reasons why ICS is incredibly special, but getting the opportunity to constantly change my atmosphere and learning to adapt is a key skill I developed.
This independence also allowed me to see the potential of moving to a new city. I instantly fell in love with London and saw it as a potential place for me to move after graduation. A fellow ICS member pushed me to reach out to a company I interned for in Los Angeles who also had an office in London. Even though I believed it to be too late, I sent a few emails and as luck would have it, a meeting was scheduled! I hopped on the Tube by myself, epically failed to blend in and act like a local, and found my way to a company that I love and made meaningful connections. It was always fun getting lost in the Camden markets, dining on high tea, and strolling through the beautiful parks, but forming relationships with international companies helped enhance my future trajectory.
Through weeks of traveling in close quarters, living out of a suitcase and navigating new cities, I learned a few tips and tricks along the way. First, always have a team player mentality. When I put on a smile, even if I was exhausted or wasn’t as excited about a particular company visit, I always tried to have a positive attitude. Positivity fosters great group dynamics! Second, take the initiative to learn a few phrases in the language of the city. It always served us well when asking for directions or even getting better service at restaurants and not being ‘that tourist.’ Third, be a detective. I learned so much from paying attention to the little details and nuances in the architecture, the people, and mannerisms and I asked questions that shaped the city in a whole new way. In Berlin, I took notice of random gold stones I found sporadically throughout the city. After asking our guide and doing my own research, I discovered they were an art installation that served as a memorial. The stumbling stones were placed in front of the once homes of victims from the Holocaust.
ICS has shaped me to be a global thinker and I am more interested in global current events and how other countries use media. The program complemented my education at Annenberg and I was able to take the concepts of what I’ve learned in the classroom to analyze real-world situations and international markets. Additionally, listening to guest speakers made me so stoked about my future career and made it less intimidating. Multiple guest speakers focused on reminding yourself that life if a journey and every job is a baby step to your end career goal.
Julianna D’Auria
is a senior studying public relations at USC Annenberg. Julianna is passionate about exploring new cities and finding the comparisons of different cultures and their media marketing.