the academy news -- february 17, 2012
DESCRIPTION
In this issue: Valentine's Day fun at the Academy, women leaders, and upcoming events near you!TRANSCRIPT
by Phoebe Zhang
Music, chocolates, laughter,
gifts and cards, here comes our
Valentine’s Day Party. Last
Friday, February 10, the Lan-
guage Academy held a romantic
party in Marks Hall. Lots of
students joined the gathering.
Valentine’s Day is a special
day in which people express
their love not only to lovers but
to teachers, families and
friends. We come from different
countries with different cultures
and languages.
We meet at Language Acad-
emy where we fight for our fu-
ture. No matter how well we know each
other, saying hello with a smiling face can
break the ice and make us closer. What are
you going to do to express your love?
At 1 pm, when we entered the Marks
Hall, music was floating in the air, candies
and chocolates were piled on the plates, See Love Party on p. 3
Disneyland Saturday, February 25th 9:00am—Midnight Come with the USC Language Academy to the happiest place on earth! This is the trip you've been waiting for, so don't miss out! There will be a $40 cash payment for this ac-tivity, and you must take the provided trans-portation to attend. Students may only sign up for themselves - one ticket per student. Please bring your USC ID for identification when you sign up. The last day to sign up for this activity is Wednesday, February 22nd.
USC Basketball Game Thursday, March 1st 6:30pm—10:00pm Ready to Fight On for USC? Come cheer the Men of Troy on at the Galen Center for one of the last basketball games of the regular season! See the Trojans beat the Washing-ton Huskies for FREE! Just sign up on Tues-day, February 21st after class. To get in to the game for free, you MUST bring your USC ID card. Remember to wear cardinal & gold!
Love Party in Language Academy
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
Language
Labs
2
Announce-
ments
3
Women
Leaders
4
Chinese
Athlete
4
Presidents’
Day
5
Chinese Speed
Dating
6
Events
Calendar
8
UP C O M I N G AC T I V I T I E S
The Academy News F E B R U A R Y 1 7 , 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 5 3 , I S S U E 5 More women
are taking on
leadership
roles. See p. 4
What do you
know about the
U.S. presidents?
Take the quiz
on p. 5
In these fast
times, is speed-
dating the an-
swer to finding
a partner? See
p. 6
Students, staff, and teachers created special cards for friends.
P A G E 2
Tuesday, Feburary 21st
Time Location Description Facilitator Levels
12:00—1:00 VKC 101 IELTS Test Preparation James Hutzell All Levels (Recommended
for 3-6)
12:00—1:00 VKC 111 Building English Skills
Diana Hiciu Levels Beginner, 1 & 2
12:00—1:00 VKC 160 Writing Skills
Jimenah Espinoza Levels 3, 4, 5, & 6
12:00—1:00 VKC 209 American Culture Natalie Reyes Levels 1, 2, 3, & 4
11:00—12:00
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1 Bella Narvaez Level 1
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2 Justin Chang Level 2
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Micala Mendoza Level 3
JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 5, 6 & 7 Dorothy Chang Levels 5, 6 & 7
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 4
Jemal Williams Level 4
JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 2 Hannah Yoo Level 2 12:00—1:00
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Jemal Williams Level 3
Thursday, February 23rd
Time Location Description Facilitator Levels
11:00—12:00 THH 113 Statement of Purpose Prep Heather Robertson
Levels 3, 4, 5, & 6
12:00—1:00 VKC 111 Building English Skills
Diana Hiciu Levels Beginner, 1 & 2
12:00—1:00 VKC 101 GRE/GMAT Test Prep
James Hutzell All Levels (Recommended
for 3-6)
12:00—1:00 VKC 209 Life Skills Natalie Reyes Levels 1, 2, 3, & 4
11:00—12:00
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1 Bella Narvaez Level 1
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2 Justin Chang Level 2
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Micala Mendoza Level 3
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 4 Dorothy Chang Level 4
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Jemal Williams Level 4
JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 5, 6 & 7 Hannah Yoo Levels 5, 6 & 7 12:00—1:00
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 4 Jemal Williams Level 3
Please remember to sign up for Language Labs starting TODAY at NOON until TUESDAY at 8:00am. Since there will be no classes on Monday due to the Presidents’ Day holiday, you will not be able to sign up with Sky on
Tuesday. If you have questions or problems signing up, please email Sky at [email protected].
P A G E 3
Tips for Success in Applying to a
Non-Professional Graduate School
A candid talk with current USC graduate students about how
to prepare for applying to graduate school as an
undergraduate. Presented by CET
Undergraduate Fellows When: Thursday, February 23
Where: ACB 238 Time: 4:30pm-6pm
Come have some delicious FREE food and
meet USC students! What:
International Student Assembly Food Fair
When: Thursday, February 23
11:30 – 2:00 pm Where: McCarthy Quad
Happy Presidents’ Day! Don’t forget, the USC Language Academy will be closed on
Monday, February 20th for the Presidents’ Day holiday and there will be NO CLASSES.
Love Party Continued from p. 1
and cards were waiting on
the tables. Everything was
ready for us to have fun. We
said “I love you” using the
many languages that we
know. We made cards for
our teachers to express our
appreciation.
We voted on the funniest,
the most romantic and crea-
tive cards. Everyone was
using their imagination to
make their cards special. At
the end of the party, the mail
box which was to be deliv-
ered to our teachers was
filled with cards. We
wanted teachers to get in a
good mood when they re-
ceived our cards.
Pictures and videos re-
corded our happy memories.
Thanks, Language Acad-
emy staff, for providing this
nice party. We all had a
pleasant time together to
celebrate the coming Valen-
tine’s Day. Wishing all of
Language Academy teachers
and students an everlasting
love.
P A G E 4
Famous Athletes
Yao Ming BY HOWARD WEN
As a Chinese sports fan, I'm so proud to introduce you to our best basketball player in his-tory—Yao Ming. He is one of the best-known athletes in China.
Yao Ming was selected by the Houston Rockets as the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA (National Basketball Association) Draft. He was the first foreign player to be the first overall pick in NBA Draft.
I still remember his rookie sea-son in 2002. Yao didn't play well at first. Many people started to doubt his ability. One funny an-ecdote is about Charles Barkley (famous basketball player and basketball commentator), He said he would "kiss (Kenny
Smith's) ass" if Yao scored more than 19 points in one of his rookie-season games on a sport TV show.
On November 17, 2002, Yao's eighth match, he scored 20
points against the Lakers. Barkley had to kiss the buttocks of a fake donkey purchased by Smith for his bet. This was one of the most memorable moments in Yao's career.
After he proved himself, he ac-complished many amazing things, both with the Houston Rockets and the Chinese Na-tional Basketball Team during his career. Even though he retired last year, he will be a legend for-ever.
Yao was also a good role model for English learners. Be-fore he joined the NBA, he knew almost nothing about English. He said, “You may not win even though you did your best. How-ever, you will definitely lose if you never try.
Fight on, guys! We may not beat Yao on the basketball court, but we can beat him in learning English.
By Sara AlShehri
There is a saying
“Behind every great man
is a great woman.”
Women’s leadership is the
major element of many
successful and powerful
men in the world. More-
over, their leadership
serves not only men. In
fact, they become leaders
whether in politics or busi-
ness. They can lead the
community according to
their point of view.
Women have been
leaders throughout history.
We can find many women
who led their countries.
Before 1458 BC, Hatshep-
sut was the first female
Pharaoh of Egypt. Typi-
cally, the position of
"Pharaoh" was only for
men, but Hatshepsut man-
aged to apply the power of
Pharaoh even though she
was a woman. She ex-
pressed her opinions, led
her community, and suc-
cessfully presented the
power of women.
Nowadays, the concept
of women’s leadership has
expanded around the
globe; we can see now
queens and female presi-
dents. For instance, there
are three queens in Den-
mark, The Netherlands
and the United Kingdom.
Moreover, there are ten
female presidents in Ar-
gentina, Brazil, Costa
Rica, Finland, India, Kos-
ovo, Liberia, Lithuania,
San Marino and Switzer-
land.
Finally, when it comes
to leadership, gender
doesn’t really matter.
I think there is nothing
that can stop women from
being good leaders in their
communities and in their
nations.
Women’s Leadership
Yao Ming, the first Chinese player in the NBA, joined the Houston Rockets in 2002.
P A G E 5
Are you excited about
the long weekend? I know
I am. Monday, February
20, is a federal holiday
honoring all the presidents
of the United States, but
mostly to celebrate Presi-
dent George Washington’s
and President Abraham
Lincoln’s birthday. Abra-
ham Lincoln’s birthday is
on February 12 and George
Washington’s is February
22.
Presidents’ Day is usu-
ally celebrated on the third
Monday of February, but
some schools celebrate
Presidents’ Day on the sec-
ond week of February.
Presidents’ Day became
official in the year 1880
when Congress declared
that George Washington’s
birthday would be ob-
served the third week of
February.
On this holiday week-
end, you can find amazing
vacation deals and sales
throughout the stores. Sales
will come about after Val-
entine’s Day, clearing all
the items with amazing
deals. So do not forget to
visit the mall this weekend
and do some great shop-
ping.
What do you
know about the
U.S. presidents? YARA HADI
Here is a quiz about the presidents.
The first one to send the correct an-
swers to Yara will receive a Starbuck’s
coffee card. Her email is yara-
1. Who was the youngest president
in the United States?
a) Bill Clinton
b)b) John F. Kennedy
c) c) John Quincy Adams
2. Which president was in a wheel
chair?
a) Ronald Reagan
b)Theodore Roosevelt
c) Franklin D. Roosevelt
3. Which state is nicknamed “Mother
of Presidents” because 8 presidents
were from there?
a) Virginia
b) Ohio
c) Washington
4. How many U.S presidents in total
have there been?
a) 50
b) 43
c) 44
5. Who was the oldest president in
the United States?
a) George Washington
b) Ronald Reagan
c) Abraham Lincoln
6. Which president ran the country
for a third term (12 years)?
a) Franklin D. Roosevelt
b) Abraham Lincoln
c) James Madison
7. Who was the first president of the
United States?
a) Thomas Jefferson
b) George Washington
c) Abraham Lincoln
8. Who was the first and only presi-
dent to get marries in the White
House?
a) James Monroe
b) Franklin Peirce
c) Grover Cleveland
Presidents’ Day by Yara Hadi
Barak Obama,
president of the
United States,
was elected in
2008 and will run
for a second term
in November.
Federal and State
offices, the Post
Office, and DMV will
be closed on Monday,
February 20
P A G E 6
Vidayla (Lilly) Sabajan
This is a traditional plate
from Guatemala. This dish is
served at weddings and also on
Valentines Day.
INGREDIENTS
4 whole sweet bananas
4 tablets of chocolate
1 cinnamon stick
4 red tomatoes
3 tablespoons of sugar
Sesame seeds(small packet)
Cup of oil.
PREPARATIONS (STEPS) Place your frying pan on
the stove at medium fire
and pour a cup of oil into
the pan.
Cut the bananas into slices
Boil the red tomatoes in a
small pot with enough
water at medium fire.
When oil from the pan is
completely hot, place the
banana slices in the pan.
Once the banana slices are
fried, place them on a
plate/tray.
When tomatoes are ready
and look wrinkled, place
them in the blender to be
liquefied . After that, place
them in a pan (different) at
a medium fire. Add choco-
late, cinnamon, and sugar
to it , and wait until the
chocolate is melting.
Once the chocolate has
become chocolate syrup,
place the fried banana
slices into it, and leave
them cooking for 10 min-
utes.
After the 10 minutes are
up, turn fire off and leave
the dessert to cool down
for 15 minutes. After the
time is up, gather your
plate and serve it with
your spoon. And Enjoy.
OPTIONAL
Once it’s ready to be served, you can add strawberry slices and sesame seeds to com-plete your dish.
ENJOY OUR GUATE-
MALAN DESSERT!!!
Lifestyle Trends
Speed dating, on-line dating and
TV dating shows are growing in
popularity in China. Many young
Chinese — living in a fast-paced
world and facing globalization and
heightened expectations — are turn-
ing to unconventional, even previ-
ously unheard of, dating methods.
People are expecting more from
a relationship or marriage than in the
old days. In the past (our parents'
generation), people may just have
wanted someone to spend time with
them. But now, we want a charming
personality, common interests, hu-
mor or more. So, it's very difficult to
find the right one.
Speed dating provides a great
opportunity for the large number of
men and women who are born in the
seventies, and still haven’t gotten
married. The standards and expecta-
tions continue to rise when they
choose a mate. They believe it may
depend on destiny whether they can
fall in love at first sight.
Speed dating means getting to
know your partner as fast as possible,
when on a date. We Chinese call it
“lightning date”. It’s used as a meta-
phor to depict how sudden something
is happening. Moreover, young
adults in China are busier than ever;
they often have little free time out-
side of their studies or work for net-
working, socializing or dating.
I think there is too much pres-
sure on young people these days. We
don't have much time for social ac-
tivities. Therefore TV, on-line and
speed dating are getting popular, be-
cause all of these methods are effi-
cient.
There will be a speed dating
activity for Chinese students held on
campus on Feb.24. If you are single
and looking for an ideal partner,
come on and join the activity! (See p. 8 for details of this event)
FRIED BANANAS WITH CHOCOLATE
SPEED DATING BY Yining Wei
Welcome Velkommen
Bienvenue Bienvenidos
Benvenuti Bem-vindo 歡迎 환영
ようこそ
ยนิดต้ีอนรับ Қош келдіңіз!
Xush kelibsiz
مرحبا بكم
Добро пожаловать
Courtesy of Google Translate
P A G E 7
Energy—An Ideal Place for Your Weekends
Happy Birthday!
February Sign
Aquarius Mohammed Alshuwirekh 20
Wen (Cloudy) Chen 21
SISI LIN
After a week’s study, do you
always think about doing some-
thing special during your week-
ends? Having a good dinner with
your friends? Watching a new film
with your girlfriend or boyfriend?
Shopping with your sisters? Hav-
ing a party in your family? Those
are all regular options. If you want
to have an exciting weekend,
“Energy” will be a good choice for
you.
Energy is a karaoke club lo-
cated in Alhambra, where people
can sing songs with friends. It is
very close to many shopping cen-
ters, restaurants, and Asian super
markets. Although it is a karaoke
club owned by Chinese, the variety
of the songs is very broad. You can
find songs in many languages,
such as English, Chinese, Canton-
ese, Korean, Japanese. The most
important thing is that the songs
here are always up to date.
Compared with other karaoke
clubs, Energy is very clean and
fancy. Whether you are good at
singing or not, it is a good place
for showing your personality and
having fun with friends. The price
in Energy is a little bit higher com-
pared with other karaoke clubs, but
still affordable. It is $25 an hour
for one to four people, $35 an hour
for five to eight people, and $45 an
hour for more than eight (+8.75%
Tax + 15% Service Charge).
Since Karaoke is very popular, it
is always a good idea to make res-
ervations before you come. Energy
has strict “no alcohol, no smoking,
no outside food or drink” policy.
All work and no play makes Jack
a dull boy. Don’t always study
during weekends, and try some-
thing new and fun. Energy is an
ideal place for your exciting week-
ends.
Energy’s Location
33 E Valley Blvd Suite 206-210
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 570-8118
L.A. Nights
SOCIAL EVENT
Speed Dating Chinese Style
The USC Chinese Student Organiza-
tion is sponsoring a speed dating
event. For more information, visit
the CSO webpage (in Chinese):
http://www.facebook.com/#!/
events/289545937775613/
Where: THH 101
When: Friday, Feb. 24, 7:30-11
p.m.
RSVP Requested. To RSVP, visit
the website above.
THEATER
The Tempest
Friday, Febru-
ary 17, 2012;
Saturday, Feb-
ruary 18,
2012; Thurs-
day, February
23, 2012; Sun-
day, February
26, 2012; Wednesday, February 29,
2012; Saturday, March 3, 2012
Scene Dock Theatre
Tickets purchased in person at the
USC Ticket Office: students, $5;
faculty and staff, $8; general public,
$10. Tickets purchased by phone or
online: $12.
PUBLIC LECTURE
Designated Driver: State Capital-
ism in China’s Automotive Industry
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 :
4:00pm to 6:00pm
Annenberg School for Communica-
tion & Journalism
207
Free. RSVP requested.
Author Greg
Anderson dis-
cusses his book
about the Chinese
car industry and
the delicate nature
of China’s planned
economy.
USC Language
Academy
Rossier School of
Education
Phone: 213-740-0080
Fax: 213-740-0088
Web: www.usc.edu/
langacad
ATTENTION
LANGUAGE
ACADEMY
STUDENTS
Do you have a story to tell?
Do you have an inspiration?
The TAN Staff invites all
students to write stories for
the newsletter. Send your
stories to Editor Sisi Lin at
Assistant EditorYara Hadi at
and we’ll publish them!
Events Calendar: February 17-24
The Academy News is a weekly newsletter pro-duced by students in the Journalism Elective of the USC Language Academy. All students in the Lan-guage Academy Program are encouraged to send news stories and photos to Sonja Lovelace at [email protected].
Check out The Academy News online at www.usc.edu/langacad.Go to “Student Informa-
tion” and then click on “The Academy News.”
P A G E 8 F E B R U A R Y 1 7 , 2 0 1 2
FREE EVENTS Many events on campus are
free. Please go to the Arts and Events Calendar for more de-
tails at http://web-app.usc.edu/ws/eo2/calendar/32/
feature/2819
Editor
Sisi Lin
Assistant Editor
Yara Hadi
Reporters
SaraAlshehri
Tzekwan (Catherine)Cheung
Lilly Sabajan
Yining (Yvoon) Wei
Haoyang (Howard) Wen
Fengyi (Phoebe) Zhang
Advisor
Sonja Lovelace
THE TAN STAFF