Tobi Ogundipe

Date of Birth: April 11, 1988
Year in School: Sophomore
Major: Music Industry B.S.
           
Why did you choose USC:
It was originally NYU because I was looking for schools with the best Music Industry programs. In the end I was accepted to both NYU and USC and chose ‘SC for two reasons (1) It was close to home  (2) Though I had not, at that time, received any scholarships from ‘SC I knew that my chances of applying and obtaining in house scholarships at ‘SC were far higher than any other university in the nation. Since arriving on this campus on Wednesday August 16th, 2006 I have never regretted my decision to come to USC.

Favorite Memory:
My recent favorite memory is walking out of Parkside International Residential College on a given morning, on my way to class, and just taking the time to look down McClintock and think of the road that led me to USC; the work, the sleepless nights, the waiting and knowing in my heart of hearts that it was all worth it because I cannot honestly see myself anywhere else.

Favorite Quote:

Person most influenced by and why?
My family. They are constantly growing as individual people even though—take my parents for instance—are past 50. I figure if they can try new things and dream of other ways to use their God given talents then there should be nothing stopping me from doing the same.

Short Bio (Tell us a little bit about yourself):
Born and raised in Inglewood, CA as a child and on down through my teens (of which I am in my last year) there were soo many career aspirations. First it was to be a singer like Whitney Houston, then an architect. I was told that I talked a lot so that I should pursue law. During my teenage years I pursued acting but felt that it was not a feasible career path nor was it using all of my talents that I thought I possessed. In high school I found the Riordan Scholars in Business hosted by UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and for the next three years I explored the world of business from about every field one could think of. I began to think of college and majors and majoring in business seemed like a good idea. In the meantime I tried to be involved in my high school as much as possible. I was a member of the jazz ensemble, in drama class and, technical theatre. I had always had a love for music and performing but did not really think that I could turn it into a successful career. For years I struggled with whether I would have to choose between my passion for music and my natural affinity towards business. I did not occur to me until the end of junior year that I could possibly do both! It was also towards the end of junior year that I participated in the Fox/Hamilton Mentorship program that brought together Hamilton Music Academy Students with Fox employees. I was fortunate enough to get Robert Kraft, president of Fox Music, as my mentor. And for the next year and a half he paved the road for me to enter into a program that during my junior year I would have never thought possible. The rest of the story, well you know.

How do you plan to contribute to society/community?
Other than future plans, right now I am contributing to the Residential Education community and the general student society. What do I contribute? My time and my experiences as a student, as woman, as an African-American.

Please tell us how BAA has contributed to your academic/personal success and/or aspirations?
By letting me breath easier and not feel as though I am robbing my younger brother of any funds that could put towards his college education. Though it is only $3,000 it still goes a long way to me accomplishing my goal of, by my senior year, going to USC for free.