My name is Uracha and I am a junior majoring in Digital and Print Journalism at the University of Southern California. Before USC, I went to a boarding school in Connecticut called Choate Rosemary Hall. Before that, I lived in Bangkok, Thailand.
It wasn't until I was 14 that I decided I wanted to apply to boarding school. I had attended the same school from kindergarten to eighth grade. My life felt like it was on a loop. Monday through Friday I had school and tennis practice. There was never anything new. That was why I wanted to study abroad. I was ready for something challenging.
At Choate, I took many classes that helped me realize what I wanted to study later in life. My favorite classes were American literature, film photography, psychology and art history. English became my favorite subject because of my teacher, who really helped me appreciate books. I was no longer reading to complete assignments on the syllabus, but was reading for my own enjoyment. I tried to understand texts beyond their literal definition. My favorite book that we studied in American literature was Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises."
During high school, I interned at the Bangkok Post, Thailand Tatler and 2Magazine . I tried to find work experience that would allow me to write. Reporting was very different to analyzing English novels though. I had to develop new skills during my internships. For instance, reporting, AP style writing and copy-editing. When it came time to apply to college, I decided to major in journalism instead of English because I came to love reporting. I found it exciting to meet new people and to talk to them about their life, find out what issues they were facing and really put myself in their shoes. Whenever I had to work on a story, I never felt like I was doing "work," and that's how I knew journalism was something I wanted to study for four years.
Now, with only two years left before my undergraduate graduation, I've changed my mind about becoming a reporter. Even though my journalism classes are still my favorite classes at USC, I've decided I want to be an art director or a creative director. I am sure I will change my mind nine more times before May 2017 when I receive my diploma, though.
When I'm not out and about in Los Angeles doing my reporting or grabbing brunch, you can find me in the dark room developing film and printing. I love digital and film photography. Digital photography gives me instant gratification. I'm able to snap moments and view them right away. I can upload it to my Instagram account, geotag the photo and relive the moment over and over again. (I have tried and failed to keep a photo blog ever since I got my first digital camera. Here is my latest attempt.)
I like film photography even though I don't get the instant gratification that digital photography gives me. Film photography is a much more intimate process. When I am taking film photographs, I am a lot more careful because I don’t want to waste my roll of film, and because the process of developing and printing itself is tedious and expensive. But the feeling I get when I dip my photo paper in the developer and it begins to darken and form the image I captured is magical. It makes everything worth it.
This year, I hope to make the best of my time in college. I feel like my USC experience has gone by so fast. Now that I am half way done with my time here, I really want to make sure I take all the classes I want to before it's time to leave! That is my new (academic) year's resolution!