Keli Lynch looked for her daughter in a sea of black gowns.
“I always cry,” she said, but today she was hoping to keep dry eyes.
Standing by the flags at Von Kleinsmid Center, she listened as USC President C. L. Max Nikias welcomed the Class of 2020 at the school’s annual convocation.
Lynch’s daughter Danielle Festa was one of nearly 4,000 freshmen and transfer students sitting in front of Doheny Library, about to embark on her journey at USC.
“We are so excited because it’s opening so many new areas for her,” said Lynch, who lives in New Jersey.
Competitive class
This year’s class was the most competitive in the school’s history, with a 16 percent acceptance rate, Nikias said. Roughly 54,000 applicants competed for 2,700 spots in the freshman class.
“So if you feel very special because you are here today, it is because you are,” Nikias said.
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