Lucia's Blog

I always knew I was going to be an artist growing up. I would spend hours every day drawing the world I saw around me and the world I imagined. I would reimagine the house I lived in– designing new rooms and that you could only travel to through waterslides and secret portals. I began taking art more seriously as I reached high school. I enrolled in an intensive program at the Rhode Island School of Design, where I fell in love with the intersection of design concepts, architecture, and urban design. From there, I knew I wanted to pursue design in college which led me to Roski, the school of art and design, at USC. As a senior looking back with a job in real estate private equity lined up, I feel like I failed my childhood dream. After the first few weeks at Roski, I transferred to Marshall. It was a mix between not liking the classes and the second-generation immigrant guilt that led me into business.  Despite putting art on the side as a hobby now, I found a new way to pursue my ...

I went to see the opera this past Wednesday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and it’s all I can think about now. My friend was performing in the show as the youngest member to ever join the LA Opera, so I was beyond excited to support him. Although I have never been to an opera before, I thought I knew what to expect since I’ve been to plenty of shows, musicals, and choir concerts, but the production, story, and vocals combined was something totally different. Omar is the story of a man’s physical and spiritual journey, referencing his own autobiography of his experience as an enslaved Muslim. The story starts out in West Africa where Omar is captured and forced aboard a ship set for Charleston. The change of scenery was so powerful- the entire stage transformed from a sunny community to a solo journey where Omar couldn’t understand the language everyone around him was speaking. Throughout his tumultuous journey, Omar is haunted by past memories, often reflecting upon his faith and qu...