Although I am a journalism major, I am usually late to the party when it comes to current news.
I am the type of person to finally hear the full story weeks after the event has occurred.
For once I am fully in the now of a current story: various people were caught in a heinous college cheating scandal. One of these people happened to be Lori Loughlin, better known as Aunt Becky from “Full House” and “Fuller House.”
On top of Loughlin receiving hateful comments, her youngest daughter seems to be receiving just as much backlash. Olivia Jade Giannulli is a social media celebrity and student at the University of Southern California. She is better known for her self-titled Youtube channel “Olivia Jade.”
In the past, Giannulli has made jokes about her parents paying for her education since she was not too smart in school. It is crazy to look back and realize she was not joking about the issue.
Recently, fellow YouTubers took to the platform and commented on the scandal. One of these Youtubers is Emma Monden, a freshman at California Polytechnic State University located in San Luis Obispo.
Monden is one of the many students who was rejected from USC. In her video, she expresses how painful it was to be rejected and see those who cheated get into your dream school.
As a fellow college student, I feel for Monden and the others affected by the events. It is heartbreaking to work so hard and not end up with the results you want.
Throughout high school, I felt pressured to be the best and get into the best schools. I studied for hours, got involved with extracurriculars, volunteered and even worked a part-time job to add a little flair to my college applications.
Living in a world where cheaters get ahead even in college is exhausting and at times makes me wonder if it is even worth continuing trying as hard.
Personally, I was accepted into every university I applied to, including George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. Although George Mason has a 69 percent acceptance rate, it is still a hard school to get into and I’m proud I did. For a while, George Mason was my top choice school, and I felt amazing that it wanted me too.
Recently I have thought about what life would be like if I didn’t get in. Would it have been because of my application or because of cheaters like Giannulli? Would my hard work be pushed aside by someone who gets ahead because of the amount in their bank account?
It’s scary that these are things future and current college students have to worry about on top of all the stress college already brings.
For now, Giannulli has not received any legal charges. She has only been dropped by beauty partners like Sephora and Tresemme.
Giannulli’s return to to USC is still to be determined and I will be sure to keep an eye on what comes next.
OLIVIA HAHNER
