Stamps Scholar Juliana Porter reflects on her time as a Trojan

Juliana Porter has reached a reflective phase in her life — that time when a person looks back on their college experience and becomes nostalgic. The senior, who majored in industrial and systems engineering with a minor in cultural anthropology, is on the cusp of starting her first real job and heading north.

There is a lot to process.

“I don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to go to USC,” Porter said, pointing to its captivating campus, the ever-sunny weather and nearby downtown. “I’m so incredibly grateful.”

Last year, she interned as an advisory summer associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and in a couple of months, will be packing her things and moving to San Francisco, where she’ll work for the prestigious company as an advisory associate in technology consulting.

Her four years at USC have been busy.

The Stamps Leadership Scholar has been a leader on campus. She was on the executive board of the Trojan Scholars Society as the co-chair of special events. She’s in her third year as a Viterbi Student Ambassador, coordinating large-scale events for prospective students and families visiting the University Park Campus. She also conducted student panels and information sessions to answer questions about engineering at USC.

“I have a lot of passion for what I do, and I work really hard,” Porter said. “I hope that pays off and comes across in what I do.”

It’s been an ‘incredible experience’

She is active in the Society of Women Engineers and Delta Omicron Zeta, USC’s leadership fraternity. She interned at Eaton Aerospace, a manufacturing engineering plant in Michigan.

Porter also spent two weeks in Guatemala as a participant of the USC Dornsife Problems Without Passports program, which combines problem-based learning with study in a foreign country. She studied how the Maya people of Central America have forged a strong cultural identity in both the past and present. Her group traveled to four different regions of Guatemala and visited archaeological sites, museums and Maya communities.

“This was an incredible experience and certainly one I will never forget,” she said. “I feel very lucky that USC has provided me with the unique opportunity to participate in some amazing experiences unrelated to engineering along the way. I think I’ve taken advantage of a lot of those resources. The environment is exciting here. You’re in an environment of people who are always learning.”

Asked what she will miss the most and Porter’s response is simple.

Everything.