Valentine’s Day is not just a day for celebrating romantic love but also a time to reflect on the passions that bring joy and fulfillment to our lives. For many students, that passion is their chosen field of study. Whether it’s the excitement of making a breakthrough discovery or the satisfaction of solving a complex problem, students often find themselves deeply in love with what they study. To celebrate this particular day, we asked eleven USC students to share their stories of falling in love with their chosen field. From Computer Science to Music Industries, here are some of the most inspiring tales of academic romance.
Julius Semenya, Ghana, Ph.D. in Chemistry at the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences:
I fell in love with chemistry when we had a new chemistry teacher in high school. His teaching method was so engaging that I began to love the subject and became his favorite student. At that point, all I could think about was chemistry, and today, I’m proud to be earning a Ph.D. in chemistry. My high school chemistry teacher is also in the U.S. now. He completed a Ph.D. program and works at Sigma. I am grateful for his continuous mentorship and support for my studies from Ghana to the U.S.
Laura Korobkova, Russia, Ph.D. in the USC Neuroscience Graduate Program, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles:
I was five years old when I saw a picture of the human brain for the first time, and I was both scared and fascinated by it. At that moment, I realized I wanted to learn everything about brain anatomy and how our brain controls every aspect of our being, from thinking to movement. Later, as a freshman in college, I also saw a video with a mouse wired to direct light stimulation, which controlled its behavior via optic fiber, which was implanted directly into the mouse’s brain. That is how I fell in love with optogenetics.
Neshat Darvishi, Sweden/Iran, Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences:
I studied English Language and Linguistics for my bachelor’s degree, but my interest shifted toward language development after encountering a colleague’s son on the autism spectrum. The encounter sparked my curiosity about why children on the autism spectrum struggle with communication, leading me to pursue graduate studies in language development.
Cynthia Siebrand, The Netherlands, Ph.D. in Biology of Aging at the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology:
I did not expect to find my passion and career calling when I attended a professional conference. But to my surprise, one of the keynote speakers presented on a fascinating field I had never heard about – Aging. I was instantly captivated by how aging is a significant risk for diseases and how various molecular pathways affect the rate of aging. After finally collecting all the courage to walk up to the professor, we had a great discussion, and I ended up interning in his lab. That was in 2018, and I’ve been dedicated to the field of aging ever since.
Madhumanti Datta, India, Ph.D. in Linguistics at the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences:
When I was 17 years old, my friend gave me an introduction to Linguistics textbook. I read about the concept of a phoneme – a perceptually distinct unit of sound in a language. It refers to the representation of speech sounds in the minds of speakers. I had never read about language from its cognitive aspect and that language can be studied in such a scientific and abstract way. I was amazed! Once I finished reading that textbook, I knew I wanted to pursue Linguistics as a career.
Yingyi Lin, China, Ph.D. in Population, Health, and Place at the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences:
A fundamental methodology guiding my research is survey research. Even though I have had extensive experience working in this field for many years, I did not actually fall in love with survey methodology until I came to the U.S. Getting to know American politics and things like the presidential election offer a valuable window into how my discipline is applied in real-world settings. I am genuinely intrigued by the polling industry as I strive to measure and understand why and how people make their choices.
Kamiar Asgari, Iran, Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at the Viterbi School of Engineering:
There is a notion in reinforcement learning called “Optimism in the Face of Uncertainty.” Algorithms designed based on this concept are typically used for decision-making problems. When I discovered how effective these algorithms are, I also decided to be optimistic about my own decisions! And it has improved my life ever since.
Jorge Duarte, Colombia, M.S. in Music Industry at the Thornton School of Music:
I fell in love with the music industry as a teenager, driving around with my friends after school and sharing electronic music. Music has been my obsession for the last decade.
Farah Al Qallaf, Kuwait, M.Arch in Architecture at the School of Architecture:
I attended a lecture about technology, AI, and architecture in 2016, and it changed me. The talk was eye-opening. When I left the auditorium, I was in tears knowing this was what I would be burning for, for the rest of my life. Seven years later, I am working on integrating advanced technology, complimenting and respecting vernacular architecture. Architecture needs to be nature-centric, not human-centric.
Javin Liu, Canada, M.S. in Computer Science at the Viterbi School of Engineering:
My love for computer science did not start with a burning desire to change the world or help others. Instead, it began with a television show I had loved since I was a little boy called “Astro Boy.” In the show, a selfish mad scientist built a robot to try to replace his dead son. The robot could show emotion and reason and think like humans. However, the mad scientist realized the robot couldn’t replace his son. Astro Boy was limited by his robot body and could not grow like the scientist’s deceased child. Astro Boy’s existence reminded the scientist constantly that his son was gone, so he abandoned Astro Boy. Another scientist, Dr. Hiroshi, discovered Astro Boy and became a father figure to him. He took care of him and helped him discover his purpose in life. Astro Boy then began fighting crime and helping the world become a better place. Originating back to the 1950s, it is one of the first shows to depict robots in a good light… that’s why I love it. It also brings up many questions that researchers still discuss today. I think technology can be good, but we need to be extra careful to guide it toward a good path, just like Dr. Hiroshi did with Astro Boy. Also, I have loved typing since I was little, so why not combine being a scientist and typing… computer science!
Dario L., Italy, Ph.D. in Economics at the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences:
There was no moment in which I fell in love with economics, but a moment in which I realized I was trying to avoid what I had loved for a long time. I was frustrated with my macroeconomics courses during my undergraduate degree, but I continued with the major. After my first graduate-level macroeconomics class, a fellow student was shocked by the number of questions I asked during a 90-minute lecture. I realized those questions came from my love for the subject, not my frustration. So, I realized I had to try harder and take a chance on the subject, and I am happy that I stuck with it because I am now earning a Ph.D. in economics. Thank you, USC, for everything.
This story was first published on February 13, 2023.
Written by: Yana Borodyuk, M.A. Public Relations and Advertising, Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, Class of 2023
Written by: Devanshi Punch, M.A. Marketing Analytics, Marshall School of Business, Class of 2023