It’s a good question to ask.
An Ethical question to say the least.
Who is Shehab Chowdhury? Madam Bovary once was asked “Quelle est Madame Bovary?” and she responded “C’est moi”. And I shall respond in a very similar fashion.This is me.
I’ve been a New Yorker all my life. A Brooklynite by heart. The people I met, the things I’ve interacted with changed my life. It’s me getting lost at the Statue of Liberty at the innocuous age of four that’s made me who I am. It was a hot day, and the giants around me hovered above high. I was lost. I didn’t know where I was or where my mom was. All I knew, All I saw was that Green Statue-That statue that held a green light with a warm glow. I looked at it, and to this day I still remember the comfort that Statue even though I was lost in a big scary world. The constant proletariat-bourgeois values that I grew up with and New York’s brilliant melting pot environment around me made me who I am. A belief in one’s self, a belief in working hard for a better tomorow, and a belief to an open mind in an open community really made me become the person that I am today.
Civic duty is a key to my life. Now to say the least from a perspective of an outsider looking in, Public service is the greatest one can offer to his community. In the sunny summer of the 2008, I went out and took action. You see there was a movement-small at the time but rapidly growing. It was a crusade of Change and belief within the people. Yes We Can. I went door-door that summer. I registered young and energetic voters. I was part of a movement, a foot soldier in this movement of change. The collective experience of this civic duty, of awaring voters who weren’t often aware of the issues at stake, who were often shunned out of the process, who were often seen lurking in the shadows of the corporatocracy felt revived. They felt moved and I am proud that I was part of that experience.
Now many college students have the common perception of college as Asher Roth’s stellar hit “I love college”. Sure there is this aspect but college is more than just about getting wasted. It’s more than about just “Chug, Chug, Chug”. It’s more than just about passing out at 3 and then waking up at 7 just to do it again. It’s about making friends, creating relationships that often last for a lifetime. It’s about opening a person’s mind and being aware of what’s happening in the world. It’s about taking charge of your life through the new profound liberties that were secretly placed in each individual’s hand. So you see College is a time to enjoy, live life to the fullest, and even indulge in some hedonistic pleasure while being focused on the future. My hopes- to suceed, to achieve the unattainable and to bring success to Baruch by invigorating energy into the commuting campus.
My concerns- You have nothing fear but fear itself. I hope the FDR mantra doesn’t fail me.
And as Asher Roth (I rather refrain from using him so often) once said about the college state of existence “Do I really have to graduate or can I stay here for the rest of my life?”