As a Trojan fan my entire life, I grew up going to football games. I learned the SoCal Spell-out when I barely knew how to speak; I was the kid decked out in cardinal and gold, challenging the others in my elementary school to try and prove that USC was not the best (don’t worry, it still can’t be done). Yet, despite 18 years of training to be a Trojan, I found that actually being a student – officially joining the Trojan Family – changes everything.
We were playing our cross-town rival, and it was the final football game of the season: a combination that obviously led to our 28-14 win. Combined with the Alma Mater stuck in our heads (each of the graduating football players had just conducted the Trojan Marching Band – trust me, it would’ve been on repeat in your head too), we were feeling especially Trojan spirited. So obviously, the only thing left to do was hum one of USC’s unofficial anthems: The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” Dun nuh nuh nuh nuuuh nuhhh. Before we knew it, more and more people started joining in. Dun nuh nuh nuh nuuuh nuhhh. Hundreds of students had joined our group! Starting with a small cluster of five people, we’d grown into a massive conglomeration of chanting and dancing Trojan fans, all throwing our arms around each other and cheering for our victory.
Though I couldn’t tell you the names of a majority of the people there, our Trojan spirit nevertheless bonded us. There was an inexplicable connection that only the Trojan Family could provide. We launched from “Seven Nation Army” into the SoCal Spell-out, and however cheesy this may seem, I swear that there were tears in my eyes. If you have no idea who Tommy Trojan is or have never heard of Traveler, don’t worry. Once you walk onto the second happiest place on Earth (though that’s debatable – USC gives Disneyland a run for its money) and call it home, the Trojan Family envelops you and makes your life better than you could have ever imagined.
Best Trojan Family memory. Dun nuh nuh nuh nuuuh nuhhh!