Hollyhock House at Barnsdall Art Park
Perched atop Olive Hill, the Hollyhock House stands as one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most significant West Coast works and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in the early 1920s for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, the home represents Wright’s experimentation with blending architecture and environment, what he called “organic architecture.”

Students explored the house’s Mayan Revival influences, geometric motifs and the iconic hollyhock flower design woven throughout the structure. The site offered a powerful introduction to how Los Angeles became a testing ground for architectural innovation, especially during a time when the city was rapidly expanding and redefining itself culturally.

Downtown Los Angeles: Layers of History and Movement
Traveling via the Los Angeles Metro, students experienced the city as Angelenos do, through its evolving public transit system, before diving into the heart of downtown.

Union Station – Opened in 1939, Union Station is often called the “Last of the Great Railway Stations.” Its architecture blends Spanish Colonial Revival, Mission Revival, and Art Deco styles, reflecting Los Angeles’s layered cultural identity. Inside, students observed the grandeur of its waiting rooms, tiled floors, and wooden beam ceilings, symbols of a bygone era when rail travel defined urban movement.

Angels Flight – Just a short walk away, Angels Flight, the world’s shortest railway, offered insight into the city’s early 20th-century infrastructure. Originally built in 1901, the funicular once transported residents up Bunker Hill, a neighborhood that has since undergone dramatic redevelopment. Its preservation speaks to ongoing efforts to maintain pieces of Los Angeles’ historic fabric amid modernization.

Los Angeles City Hall & Chinatown
At City Hall, students discussed civic architecture and governance, noting the building’s Art Deco style and symbolic prominence in the LA skyline. Nearby Chinatown provided a contrasting cultural lens, highlighting immigrant histories, urban displacement and the evolution of ethnic enclaves in Los Angeles.

Olvera Street
Often referred to as the birthplace of Los Angeles, Olvera Street immerses visitors in Mexican-American heritage. Students explored its marketplace, murals and historic buildings while discussing the complexities of cultural preservation versus commercialization. The site reflects both celebration and simplification of heritage, an important conversation in art and public history.

Angelus Temple & Echo Park
In Echo Park, students visited Angelus Temple, a striking example of early 20th-century religious architecture and a cornerstone of the Foursquare Church movement founded by evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. Built in 1923, the temple reflects a blend of revivalist architecture and emerging media-savvy religious practices, as McPherson was one of the first to use radio to reach a national audience.

The surrounding Echo Park neighborhood added another layer to the visit, offering insight into how communities evolve over time. Once a streetcar suburb, Echo Park has transformed into a culturally vibrant area shaped by waves of immigration, artistic communities, and, more recently, gentrification. Together, the site and neighborhood sparked discussion on the intersection of faith, media and urban change.

The Gamble House
In Pasadena, students visited the Gamble House, a masterpiece of the American Arts and Crafts movement designed by architects Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene in 1908. Commissioned by the Procter & Gamble family, the home emphasizes craftsmanship, natural materials, and harmony with its surroundings.

Students examined intricate woodwork, custom furnishings, and the intentional use of light and space—hallmarks of the Arts and Crafts philosophy, which emerged as a reaction against industrialization. The visit provided a striking contrast to Wright’s modernism, allowing students to compare different architectural responses to similar cultural shifts.

Looking ahead: Final excursions
As the semester continues, students will expand their exploration of the city’s artistic and architectural landscape with one final site visit.
The course will conclude with a visit to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. Celebrated for its sweeping stainless-steel forms and innovative acoustics, the building stands as a defining example of contemporary architecture in Los Angeles. Here, students will consider how modern design continues to push artistic and structural boundaries while shaping the city’s global cultural identity.

These excursions bring course themes to life, allowing students to critically engage with Los Angeles as a living museum. From early 20th-century architectural movements to the layered cultural histories embedded in downtown neighborhoods and beyond, each site offers a unique perspective on how art and environment shape one another.

By navigating the city firsthand, students not only deepen their understanding of art history but also develop a stronger connection to LA itself—its stories, its communities and its ever-evolving identity.

The immersive Study USA Los Angeles semester and summer experiences offer students opportunities for alumni engagement, community service, unique academic classes with industry professionals and site-based experiential learning. .

This new, customized workshop also presented an opportunity for ������Ƶ LA students to learn from and share the creative process with a group of students from other study-away LA colleges and universities, who, along with ������Ƶ Los Angeles, are members of a coalition of nearly 20 schools that offer semester-in-LA programs. Each semester, ������Ƶ LA and these other schools share professional development opportunities for students, allowing them to mix, mingle, network and learn together.

Each semester, ������Ƶ students explore and discover Los Angeles and the diversity of professional career opportunities that await them through academic classes with professors who work in the industries that align with their courses, immersive, site-based experiential learning, alumni engagement and community service.

Applications for the Study USA Los Angeles spring 2027 Creative Industries & Community Experience open on April 1. Students can visit the  to learn more and to begin the application process.

The gathering, held at The Belmont in West Hollywood, brought together an enthusiastic group of alumni, many of whom had participated in the ������Ƶ LA semester experience during their ������Ƶ academic journeys.

Current students shared internship and academic class experiences with their new ������Ƶ connections. Many took advantage of the opportunity to request meetings later this semester with individual alumni as a part of the ������Ƶ Los Angeles “Coffee with an Alumnus” program.

The immersive Study USA Los Angeles semester and summer experiences offer students opportunities for alumni engagement, community service, unique academic classes with industry professionals, and site-based experiential learning.  for Spring 2027 open April 1.

In accordance with the terms of their grants, alumna Bex Evans ’16, Julie Boyd ’15 and Mirai ’07 have each created opportunities for spring students to participate in and/or observe both their pre-production process and on-set work.

Pre-production of all three short films is slated to begin this week, with production to start shortly thereafter. Production of all three films will be completed by the end of the Los Angeles spring semester in April. The three short films will have their world premiere this July at the first ������Ƶ Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Festival.

Through Study USA�����Ի���National Campus Programs, ������Ƶ Los Angeles offers an immersive spring and summer semester of academic classes, experiential learning, professional development and community service opportunities for students with a variety of majors. For information about the Los Angeles experience and 2027 opportunities, please visit the �����Ի���National Campus Programs���ɱ�������ٱ��.

A Saturday morning orientation introduced students to the ������Ƶ Los Angeles home base at The Preserve, in Hollywood, and included presentations by all of this semester’s faculty about their courses and the content of their classes.

Returning instructors include director and long-time ������Ƶ LA professor Boris Schaarschmidt, who is once again teaching a directing masterclass. Entertainment attorney Daniel Spitz has returned to teach Media Law and Ethics, and writer and longtime ������Ƶ LA professor Matthew Antonelli has returned to teach a unique, one-evening master seminar in March, called Inside the Writer’s Room.

New to the ������Ƶ Los Angeles faculty team this semester are art historian and educator Charles Peterson, who is teaching a course in Los Angeles art and architecture history, and award-winning global strategist, thought leader and educator Brandon Shamim, who is teaching “Principles of Management,” with a Los Angeles focus.

������Ƶ Los Angeles director and long time industry professional Brad Lemack is once again teaching the experiential learning course this spring, which focuses student internship experiences on work culture, industry shifts and transitions, and professional development.

������Ƶ Los Angeles program assistant and ������Ƶ alumna Macy Mills ‘23 led students on their first excursion this semester after orientation, with an immersive day of LA experiences at the world class Getty Center, followed by a visit to the historic Los Angeles Farmer’s Market and The Grove, at Third and Fairfax.

In addition to unique academic classes and internships, this spring semester experience for students will also include a day of community service at the Hollywood Food Coalition, alumni engagement gatherings and the opportunity to participate in and/or observe the production of the three short films being produced by the ������Ƶ LA-based alumni recipients of the 2025-26 ������Ƶ Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Competition.

Through and National Campus Programs, ������Ƶ Los Angeles offers immersive spring and summer semester programs for students with a variety of majors. For information about the Los Angeles experience and 2027 opportunities, please visit the and National Campus Programs websites.

Students were fully immersed in their work and in the city. Skylar Cook ’28 took the LYNX Blue Line from her apartment in South End to Bank of America Tower in Uptown every morning. It was a big transition from walking to class on ������Ƶ’s main campus in ������Ƶ, North Carolina. This was also the first time that many of these students were responsible for their own meal planning, as they had no access to a dining hall. These lifestyle changes helped students experience what it would be like to live in Charlotte post-graduation.

“Through this program, I have been able to meet so many people in the sports industry that I would have never been able to meet at the main campus,” said Gabe Chapman ’27. “On top of that, being able to experience what life after college might look like has prepared me for the future.”

Students made connections through their internships, but also through programming organized by Associate Director of ������Ƶ Charlotte Karen Neff. One of the student’s favorite opportunities was a private networking panel with staff members of the Hornets. These generous employees, such as Account Executive, Onell Gibson, helped students realize how small the sports industry actually is, and how important it is to maintain a good reputation.

“There is a lot of opportunity here, but you have to put 100% of your effort into it,” said Jack Gill, class of ‘27. “I’ve learned a lot about how I can better manage my time, even though I thought I was pretty good at it already. This program allows you to grow and contribute these skills to other aspects of your life.”

This program also offered students many chances to network with successful ������Ƶ alumni. Neff hosted three “Food for Thought: Alumni Insights” networking events. Each event took place over lunch, creating a more casual environment for students to converse with high-ranking alumni. Neff and ������Ƶ Charlotte Program Assistant Kaitlyn Hannan offered some guiding questions for discussion, but students were able to take charge of the conversation and really get to know the guests. Students are also encouraged to deepen the connections made at these lunches through the “Take a Professional to Coffee” program, where ������Ƶ provides a student with a gift card for a local cafe, so they can take an alumnus or local professional out for coffee and conversation.

Students celebrated the end of the semester with a different version of College Coffee, the weekly ������Ƶ tradition on the main campus. Students, their internship supervisors, and local alumni and professionals were invited to the event. While students were able to say goodbye and thank you to their internship supervisors, it was yet another chance to network with the other professionals present. Two students gave speeches about their internship experiences, highlighting all they had learned over the past four months. In her speech, Skylar Cook highlighted the importance of saying yes to new opportunities, even when it is intimidating.

When students sign up for the Study USA Charlotte program, they are not just signing up for a semester away from campus, but a truly immersive experience where expectations are high. Students must juggle three classes, an internship, professional networking, and enrichment activities while staying on top of deadlines and maintaining strong communication. It is undoubtedly intense, but the opportunities for professional and personal growth make it all worth it.

Through generous donations, the grant supports students participating in registered, unpaid internships in the Charlotte metro region through the Study USA Charlotte program. Study USA programs combine coursework, internship experience, enrichment activities, engagement with alumni and industry professionals, and housing. The grant is available through ������Ƶ’s National Campus Programs in coordination with the Student Professional Development Center (SPDC).

Zach Smith interned with the American Cornhole League (ACL). Thanks to the Queen City Internship Grant, Smith said he “had the opportunity to explore my passion for sports media and identify the type of role I want to pursue after graduation. I am incredibly grateful for this experience and the support that made it possible.”

The internship and the Study USA Charlotte program allowed him to connect what he’s learned in his sport management and communications coursework to a real-world work environment.

“I built strong connections with my co-workers in the ACL office, whom I can count on to guide me and give helpful insight into the sports industry as I launch my career,” said Smith. One of his favorite projects during the internship was contributing to the ACL’s TikTok strategy, where he analyzed performance trends and helped develop creative highlight videos to reach younger audiences.

Skylar Cook’s internship at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) “has been nothing short of incredible.” During her time at the ACC, she “made lifelong connections, gained invaluable experience, and learned a great deal about collegiate athletics.” She worked in the Game Day Operations Center on most weekends where she logged flags, fouls, timeouts and other game details for ACC football games. She also worked the ACC Tipoff, the basketball media day event for all 18 teams. During that event, she was the ACC representative for Dream on 3, an organization that gives special needs children memorable experiences in the sports world. She “showed the guests around the event and introduced them to legendary players and coaches.” She was also invited to go to Louisville, Kentucky, for the ACC Cross Country Championship. This type of exposure, visibility and first-hand experience was only possible through the Study USA Charlotte program.

Anthony Eppolito interned with NASCAR Studios where he got exclusive access to how professional sports media is planned, produced and delivered. Eppolito reflected on his experience saying that “working alongside producers, editors and coordinating staff has shown me how crews communicate under pressure, manage tight deadlines, and keep a project aligned with both creative goals and sponsor expectations.”

He sees the connection to what he’s learned in his courses at ������Ƶ, especially in areas like storytelling, brand integration, and event production. Eppolito said the experience has “strengthened my technical skills, given me confidence in a fast-paced professional environment, and helped me see a clear path toward a career in sports production. It also made Charlotte feel like a place where I can see myself living and working after graduation.”

At the Carolina Ascent, Gabe Chapman was part of sponsorship meetings, conducted research for new sponsors, worked on proof of performance, and broke down assets. The experience opened his eyes to the world of partnerships/sponsorships and now he is interested in exploring career opportunities in these areas. For Chapman, the grant “helped show that what I am doing isn’t going unnoticed and has impacted me in a great way.”

Ethan Berman also interned at the Carolina Ascent. He worked in several areas while focusing on the marketing department. He participated in marketing meetings, collaborated on engaging projects, and connected with great people who supported my professional growth. He also created a marketing schedule for both home and away games to help plan out the timing of all broadcast-related tasks. Berman said that the grant “showed me that my hard work is important and has helped me gain experience in the sports industry.”

Blake Mobley also worked in marketing during this internship. He interned with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and “gained an entirely new appreciation for the world of sports marketing.” This opportunity showed Mobley “what it truly takes to execute a high-level sporting event, especially championship events. Behind the scenes, there are countless moving parts and an entire team working in sync to make everything come together.”

Mobley reflected that strong attention to detail is critical.

“Whether it’s ensuring sponsorship and brand logos are positioned correctly for TV visibility, or dressing mannequins, so they look uniform and polished, the level of precision required is extremely high,” said Mobley.

Mobley has taken full advantage of the access and networking opportunities this experience provided.

“I’ve had the chance to meet coaches, players, SIDs, athletic directors, and even the Commissioner of the ACC; Dr. Jim Phillips knows who I am. Being allowed into meetings and rooms with leaders at this level is something I’ll always be grateful for,” Mobley said.

Applications for the fall 2026 Study USA Charlotte program are open until February 15.

The 2025-26 Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Grant competition was open to all Los Angeles-based ������Ƶ alumni to submit proposals this past fall for consideration for production funding. A selection committee comprised of both industry professionals and ������Ƶ alumni was assembled to read, review and rank all proposals received. From those rankings, the top three highest-ranked projects were selected to receive grants. Grant funding was made possible, in part, by the financial support from members of the ������Ƶ Los Angeles alumni community and others.

The three grant recipients are Julia Boyd ’15, for her short film “The Life and Times of …”, Mirai ’07, for her short film “#StopAsianKate” and Bex Evans ’16, for their short film “Shadow Dusk.”

Production of these funded projects will commence in early 2026. As a component of the grant requirements, filmmakers will make opportunities available to ������Ƶ Los Angeles Spring 2026 students to participate in their projects through direct set experience and/or production observation. ������Ƶ Los Angeles program assistant and alumna Macy Mills ’23 and alumnus Jordan Roman ’15 were co-chairs of this year’s grant competition.

The selection committee members included Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and showrunner (“Lost,” House,” “The Good Wife”) ������Ƶ parent Leonard Dick P’20 (father of Julie Dick ’20), Emmy Award-winning producer Marsha Posner Williams (“The Golden Girls”), actor Eric Rollins, and LA-based alumni Frankie Campisano ’16, Mia Ginae Watkins ’16, Lauren Duncan ’18 and Alyssa Needham ’19.

The three short films funded will have their world premieres at the first ������Ƶ Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Festival in late July 2026.

Sixteen students in The Sport Experience program in Charlotte supported the largest Novant Health Charlotte Marathon in the race’s 21-year history, contributing more than 140 hours of professional event-operations work during the annual event’s race weekend.

More than 11,000 runners participated across the marathon, half marathon and 5K — an all-time high — and ������Ƶ students were embedded in nearly every aspect of race execution. The day before the event, three students supported the marathon expo and assisted with pre-race setup. Then, beginning at 4 a.m. on race day, students helped with start- and finish-line logistics, runner information services, medical tent coordination and the distribution of thousands of branded beanies to participants.

Among those deeply involved in race operations was , a sport management major who is interning with the Charlotte Marathon under Executive Director Alaina Williams. According to Young Do Kim, associate professor of sport management, Williams helped create the internship specifically for ������Ƶ and also facilitated this year’s race-weekend placement for The Sport Experience cohort.

“Alaina has provided an incredible pathway for our students – both through this hands-on event operations opportunity and through Ramy’s internship,” Kim said. “It’s the type of industry partnership that elevates our program and prepares students for professional success.”

Now in its third year, The Sport Experience in Charlotte continues to expand ������Ƶ’s footprint in one of the nation’s fastest-growing sports hubs. While studying in Charlotte, ������Ƶ students have interned at several organizations, including Fox Sports and the Atlantic Coast Conference, conducted site visits to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Team Penske, Bank of America Stadium, and the Spectrum Center, and attended sporting events to watch the Checkers, Knights, Panthers, Hornets, and Charlotte FC.

The marathon – which drew runners from all 50 states and 19 countries – saw Knoxville’s Carter Coughlin win the men’s division in 2:31:44 and Matthews native Jessica Sarnicola claim the women’s title in 3:01:48.

To learn more about The Sport Experience program and its opportunities to live, learn and intern in Charlotte, visit the program website.

Open to all majors, Study USA’s Capital Connections: An ������Ƶ Core Capstone and Internship in Washington, D.C., gives rising juniors and seniors the opportunity to make the nation’s capital their classroom while gaining professional experience.

Taught and guided in the first year by Associate Professor Joel Shelton in the Department of Political Science and Public Policy, students will learn in the classroom, on guided excursions and explore connections between power, institutions, culture and economy.

“The Capital Connections program is designed to engage students across the university,” Shelton said. “If you are interested in politics and policy, Washington, D.C., is the obvious choice, but Washington, D.C. is also a global city that is home to world-class cultural institutions and a dynamic and diversified economic landscape. It’s a great place to learn about and experience public architecture and urban planning, and to explore opportunities and challenges facing different communities that call the district home.

“Our goal is for students across a range of programs to find something about themselves and their interests reflected in the curriculum. Whatever your major, living, working and studying in Washington, D.C., will help you become a knowledgeable professional at home in the world.”

The deadline to for the Capital Connections program is Dec. 1. Participants will take a pre-departure course with the Student Professional Development Center to gain the skills and resources needed to succeed in Washington, D.C. 

The first year of the program runs late May through the end of July. Each student takes a four-credit core capstone seminar, Capital Connections: Power, People, and Place in Washington, D.C., and enrolls in up to four hours of internship credit. Throughout the program, students will connect with industry leaders, engage with ������Ƶ alumni living and working in the capital, gain valuable career readiness training and build professional, cultural and social capital.

In addition to the course and internship, an integral part of the program includes site visits and meet-ups that connect classroom learning to life in Washington, D.C.

“Students will live like locals by commuting to internship sites, walking neighborhoods, experiencing world-class theatre and street festivals, cheering on the Washington Nationals, and exploring museums and monuments across the district,” Shelton said. “We will visit Congress alongside ������Ƶ alumni, see democracy in action through conversations with D.C. officials and connect with local activists and community organizations. Because the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence will be celebrated during the summer session, we will build experiences and reflections on this anniversary into the programming.”

The course is designed to introduce students to aspects of the city and its people that tourists often overlook. Drawing on perspectives from sociology, geography, political science and public policy, history, economics, journalism, museum studies and environmental studies, the course will bring these different areas together to examine how power, culture, economy and identity intersect in the nation’s capital.

“Sometimes it can be challenging for students to link their academic interests in the liberal arts and sciences to a specific career path,” Shelton said. “The Capital Connections program supports students’ professional development through mentored internship experiences in a city that offers opportunities across sectors, not just in government. “Students interested in ‘trying out’ Washington, D.C. before a potential move would benefit from being in this program.”

Shelton added that a Washington, D.C.-based program connecting education in the arts, humanities, and the social, behavioral and natural sciences with professional development opportunities will be especially valuable for students and will strengthen the liberal arts core of the university.

“Capital Connections is a bold step forward for Study USA,” said Ronice Johnson-Guy, director, Study USA. “Under Professor Joel Shelton’s dynamic leadership, students will experience Washington, D.C., as a living classroom, engaging with the city’s institutions, leaders and communities while connecting their studies to the real-world experiences through mentorship, reflection and purpose. I’m confident students will return with new perspectives, stronger connections, and a clearer sense of how they can make an impact.”

Expanding academic and professional development opportunities for students in D.C. aligns with the goals of the Boldly ������Ƶ strategic plan.

“It is exciting to see the committee’s hard work pay off with our very own, ������Ƶ faculty-led, signature summer program coming to fruition,” said Ashley Pinney, director, National Campus Programs. “Based on the strong application numbers, it’s clear that students are enthusiastic about living and working in D.C., and we love seeing that enthusiasm.”

The launching of the Capital Connections program reflects a two-year collaborative effort between Study USA, ������Ƶ’s National Campus Programs, the SPDC, Alumni Engagement and faculty across the university.