I haven’t written on my blog since my freshman year, but two years later, I finally have something to say! In my three years at Baruch College, I’ve had the good fortune of having some downright amazing professors and classes. So, here it goes. My favorite classes/professors in chronological order (my freshman year to present). Key: Classes  Professors

PHI 1700H with Professor Teufel. NOTE: Looks like teaching PHI 1500 next semester! Take it if you can!

ENG 2150 with Professor Gempp

ENV 1020 with Professor Zarnoch NOTE: He’s teaching ENV 1020H next semester

COM 1010 – I took it with Professor Bonanno (sp?), but she isn’t teaching it next semester. I’ve taken Professor Garvey, who is teaching COM 1010, for another class. Great professor!

SOC 1005H with Professor Plekon

ENG 2850 with Professor Merle. NOTE: Looks like Professor Gempp is teaching 2800. Both excellent professors!

LAW 1101H with Professor Axelrod. Made me decide I wanted to go to law school, just saying!

ECO 1002 with Professor Malca. NOTE: He’s also teaching ECO 1002H! Take Honors!

LAW 3122H with Professor Watnick

PSY 1001H with Professor Locke (dear freshmen, I know you’re taking it now!)

THE 1043. The professor I took it with is no longer teaching, but great class to learn a little about acting!

CIS 2200H with Professor Izen

LAW 3102H with with Professor Mullings. NOTE: I don’t see an honors section for Spring 2013, but both Professor Mullings and Professor Axelrod are teaching the regular sections.

THE 3044 with Professor Garvey. NOTE: He’s no longer teaching it, but great advanced acting class.

That’s all for now, folks! I will add more as I continue my time at Baruch!

My dad told me something that I find very true: “Those who are unsuccessful do not know what they do not know.” Seeking assistance and realizing what one doesn’t know are keys to success. When we visited the library and I found out that there were actually websites to find non-profit organizations, I realized that I didn’t know a lot about researching.

I went home that day and explored the databases and online resources that the Newman Library offers. I was so interested by the varieties of research databases. I used them to look up information for my classes and I found that these databases are much more efficient than good ol’ Google.

Another thing I learned about from Stephen Francoeur was www.idealist.org. Idealist helped me and my group find a community organization that we were interested and one that was close to us. When we decided that we wanted to volunteer at an animal shelter, Idealist helped us locate an animal shelter that wasn’t very far from Baruch and provided shelter for cats and dogs.

The first few weeks of school, I was content with spending my two hour breaks with my friends but I wasn’t doing anything productive. I was exploring the area around the Baruch and scoping out vegetarian-friendly places to eat but it wasn’t really fulfilling. So I went to the Club Fair and signed up for a few clubs and attended meetings. I learned from a friend that there was a club called the South Asian Student Association at Baruch. Curiosity led me to find out when and where meetings were taking place and I attended a meeting. It wasn’t just the Indian food that was appealing; it was great to reconnect with my South Asian roots. So, I decided to join the club and I’ve been attending meetings to learn more about my culture. It’s been a great experience thus far and it has made me realize that there are so many ways to give back to the community.

On March 13^th, 2010, I remember getting a phone call from Baruch College. My dad answered the phone and a few, long seconds later, smiled broadly, thanked the person on the other end of the line, and replaced the phone in its charger. He told me that I had gotten into Baruch Honors, meaning I had the opportunity of going to college for free! It was the best birthday gift ever.

However, gifts like this one come with one golden rule: pay it forward. Whether it’s being involved in a community or being a Baruch Scholar, the one rule is to pay it forward. So, I got involved with a charity organization called Two Cents of Hope that is helping raise funds for education. The organization identifies students (elementary school-level as well as medical students) and raises funds and gives the money to the students’ education.

Being part of Baruch Scholars or even an organization like Two Cents of Hope is about doing something to help someone else. The Honors program gave me an opportunity and now it’s my turn to give an opportunity to someone else.

My community does so much for me. The channel that India Talks airs on is a public access channel, meaning the studio, the crew, and the equipment is free. I pay the opportunity to host my own television show forward by featuring community organizations on my show and getting the word out about their respective causes.

The Honors Program encourages us to accept opportunities but not take them for granted. Helping the community and giving opportunities to others does just that. While the Honors Program provides us with educational opportunities, it also provides us with the opportunity to become better people.

The biggest journey of my life was my relocation from Chennai, India to Queens, New York. My father had come to New York on a business trip and my mother and I came for a brief vacation. I don’t know why they listened to an eight-year-old child, but my parents agreed without a moment’s hesitation when I told them that I wanted to live in New York permanently. On July 2nd, 2001, my parents and I moved to New York for good. Everybody knows that children always want to know, “Are we there yet?” I’m sure I asked my parents that question every five minutes on a trip that took about 18 hours! That’s because I was more excited than I had ever been.

Moving to New York changed everything. I had my first encounter with a multiple choice exam. In India, the education system was completely different! There was no concept of choosing between three possible answers. So, when I saw that the answer to the question was provided on my test, I informed the teacher that I had the answer key to the exam. The teacher just told me to “bubble in the correct answer.” Although the education system was alien to me, I still embraced the changes. I learned to think for myself and I learned to be creative. For the first time, I did school-related projects that involved art. It was a whole new world for me. The creativity that I learned in elementary school still helps me with my TV show, India Talks.

I thought that moving to New York would be the most exciting thing that could happen to me. However, college has changed that idea. I’m learning so much everyday and making new friends. Coming to Baruch has been amazing thus far. I’m learning so much more than I expected to. At first, the hour-and-twenty- minute classes took me by surprise. I had only had forty-six-minute classes in high school. So I was concerned about my ability to focus. However, I’ve since gotten used to the class timings. Now, my primary concern is budgeting my time efficiently between my TV show and school. However, I’m excited to take on the challenge and make it work.