Oliver Zehetner-Loffredo
Class of 2006
Oliver Zehetner-Loffredo was born in Austria and attended the American International School of Vienna, where he received a Bilingual International Baccalaureate Degree. At the age of eighteen, he moved to California to attend USC as a Religion major. He has a diverse list of interests including painting, photography, nature and wilderness, and various sports. In-between his studies, he co-owns and operates a screen-printing business. Oliver plans on living in many countries throughout his lifetime and pursuing a career in archaeology, writing and/or filmmaking.
What drew you to major in Religion at USC?
“I’ve always been tunde into religion because my father studied Comparative Theology and now he’s a filmmaker who draws a lot on history and religion for his inspiration. I also like the fact that Religion is an interdisciplinary major. There is a lot of archaeology, linguistics, anthropology, and other things mixed into the field.”
What do you think is the coolest thing about the Religion major?
“At this school, the absolute biggest strength of the Religion major is the faculty. At USC, I’ve never had a Religion professor who I would evaluate as being anything less than excellent. The professors are passionate about their fields and engaged in them in a way that the student can really see.”
How will you relate what you have learned to the world?
“I want to relate it through the arts and creative pursuits like documentary and other types of filmmaking. In many ways, religion and art are one and the same because the process of becoming inspired by what you see and learn is only as good as what you do with it.”
How has your experience as a major enhanced your view of the world?
“It’s helped me answer some important questions like where did the things that we take for granted nowadays come from? And how did all these cultural artifacts and systems evolve so that entire branches and university departments are devoted to them? We didn’t always break up knowledge in this way (i.e., particular disciplines). Religion is at the core of this endless asking of questions--an essential human characteristic.”
