IMPORTANT UPDATE: Starting Spring 2023, all non-driver trip participant spots will be selected at random due to high demand. Links will accept sign-ups until 12AM Sunday
YAKWGO… it’s time for Point Dume Round 4! Join psychology professors and Peaks legends Leslie Berntsen and Bryan Shilowich as we make our latest venture west to climb some rocks and enjoy the beach. No sweat if you haven’t climbed before—Point Dume is a great spot for beginners. When you’re not climbing, you’re free to enjoy the Malibu coast in all its glory. Feel free to bring Spikeball, books, boogie boards… the sky’s the limit.
No climbing experience is necessary to go on this trip!
PACKING LIST:
Climbing gear (if you have it!)
H2O
Sunscreen
Lunch/snacks
Beach supplies (swimsuit, towel, card games, a volleyball… whatever you feel like!)
WAIVERS
WE WILL PROVIDE:
Climbing gear (shoes, harness, helmet, ropes, etc.)
Juggling equipment
Smiles
PROFESSOR: LESLIE BERNTSEN
DEPARTMENT: Psychology
SCHOOL: Dornsife
RATE MY PROFESSOR: "This is the best professor you will ever have at USC. Labs and lectures are fun and interesting. Do everything you can to take her class.”
Leslie completed her Ph.D. at our very own USC in 2018 and now she’s back as a faculty member, teaching Introduction to Psychology and Abnormal Psychology! Before moving to LA, she completed her B.A. in Psychology at New York University. Outside of the classroom, she serves as one of the Los Angeles-based producers for The Story Collider, a non-profit organization dedicated to highlighting the human side of science through the art of personal storytelling. (She basically hosts stand-up comedy shows, but for science! Ask her about this!).
In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing (best belayer ever), hanging out with her two (flawless) rehabilitated street pups, trying to perfect her mom's Nicaraguan home-cooking, and unabashedly living up to her high school superlative ("Most Likely to Color-Code Her Plans to Grassroots Resistance").
Want to learn more about Leslie's work? Check out her website!
PROFESSOR: BRYAN SHILOWICH
DEPARTMENT: Psychology
SCHOOL: Dornsife
RATE MY PROFESSOR: “Nothing but good things to say about Prof. S! Super caring and understanding guy—he truly wants you to do well in the course.”
Bryan received his Ph.D. from USC in Brain and Cognitive Sciences and now teaches in the Psychology department. Before becoming a Trojan, Bryan earned his B.A. in Economics at Tufts and a Masters in Neuroscience at Brandeis University. Outside of the cognitive sciences, he loves acting, painting, juggling, making music, woodworking, and photography. He also was on twelve episodes of SNL as a kid!
PEAK: Point Dume
DIFFICULTY: 2.5/5
SCENERY: A CLIFFSIDE! IN MALIBU! Also dolphins, dogs catching frisbees, and a mysterious man who runs down the side of Point Dume Mission Impossible-style every so often.
FUN FACT: In the 80s, real estate development interests began pronouncing the name "du-MAY" and spelling it "Dumé.” This did not catch on.
TRIP LEAD: BIANCA
is BACK from the Iberian Peninsula and loves this trip so much
Contact Bianca: bventola@usc.edu
Read Bianca’s bio here.
TRIP LEAD: LAUREN
is prepared to borrow 500 pairs of climbing shoes again
Contact Lauren: laurena4@usc.edu
Read Lauren’s bio here.