The Blog Is Back! (Spring 2022's Version)

Hi all!

After a semester hiatus, the Helenes Blog is back! I am elated and honored to be serving as this semester’s blog chair.

Helenes found me one fateful afternoon in early September. I was overwhelmed, confused and anxious for the semester ahead. With the coronavirus pandemic taking away my freshman year and any normalcy that came with it, even trying to find my classes was a daunting task — let alone forming friendships and finding a community within USC. My friend and future fellow Fall ‘21 rosebud happened to tell me about an organization she found at the involvement fair and urged me to attend an information session with her. As I listened to the way she talked about the people she met, I knew I had to experience Helenes for myself.

An open house, test and interview later, I received a phone call that, little to my knowledge, would drastically change my USC experience for the better. Fast forward four months, and here I am trying to find the perfect words to encapsulate how much I adore Helenes. I did not truly understand the phrase when I first heard it, but Helenes undoubtedly found me when I needed it most and I will be forever grateful for that.

Helenes has made a huge and intimidating space feel like home. One of my favorite parts of day-to-day life at USC is knowing I’ll see a friendly face on campus. Helenes made my fantasies of the college experience — singing Taylor Swift songs on the lawn on a warm winter day, pulling all-nighters with people I just met (little did I know it would be at a statue in the middle of the Village) and simply the comfort of having a go-to group of people to rely on — a reality.

I hope this blog gives members a place to share their experiences with Helenes or anything else they desire. Whether it be a current Helene, future rosebud or anyone else, I hope they feel the love radiating through the screen as they read these entries — merely a fraction of the joy I feel from Helenes each day.

Helenes love and all of mine,

Jenna Peterson <3