Hi all! My name is Nicole Figueroa. I’m a sophomore majoring in journalism at Annenberg and double minoring in Cinematic Arts and Entertainment Industry at the School of Cinematic Arts. I was a spring admit alongside my twin brother, so I’ve been at USC for about a year now. I’m a student ambassador in the Admission Center and a student coder for the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
Going into USC, I knew I wanted to do some type of research. USC is an R1 research institution after all, meaning that we have the highest level of research activity in the United States. However, as a journalism major, I wasn’t quite sure what kinds of programs USC offered, let alone if they allowed non-science majors to get involved. When most think of the research assistant position, they think of STEM-related fields, like assisting PhD students in a lab. But upon taking the time to explore the niches and fields I was interested in, I came across the organization I would eventually do research for: The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative (AII).
It was at Annenberg’s Fall Involvement Fair that I was able to learn more about AII. As per usual, I had so many questions — What does the program consist of? Is there an application? What was the time commitment like? Every program is unique in its own way, so it was imperative for me to ask as many questions as possible. At the fair, I met the AII leadership team as they were tabling and giving out free merch. This was my chance to ask them all of my burning questions.
The Inclusion Initiative is the leading “think tank” in the world studying diversity in the entertainment industry. Every year, AII releases various data-driven reports that carefully study inclusivity in entertainment media, such as films, TV shows and more. As I mentioned, their research is data driven. And who exactly gathers that data? Students!
To get involved in AII’s research, I went through a six-week training in the form of a class called COMM494. I took it for two units, but it can be taken for up to four. The curriculum consists of learning how to develop skills for accurate and consistent data collection. We also have lab time in addition to the course where we practice how to code and eventually begin analyzing films for AII’s projects.
Since taking the class, I’ve now become a paid student coder for AII. I’ve worked to analyze films for the Annual Top Grossing Report and various Netflix projects! Some of my favorite films I’ve coded for are Elio (2025), The Black Phone 2 (2025), and One Battle After Another (2025). But one of the best parts, undoubtedly, about working for AII is the team. I’ve truly made so many meaningful connections with my fellow student coders and with the leadership team. I am extremely grateful to them for everything they have done for us.
Written by: Nicole Figueroa, class of 2028