Blog Posts from Baruch Scholars

The dreaded question: Who am I? You’d think after all of those college admittance essays I would’ve coined the perfect two-sentence description of myself already, but I don’t think my eighteen years of experience can be summed up in just a few lines (or maybe its just a good excuse for my writers block). This introduction is going to be a little trickier than anticipated.

Born and raised in a suburban neighborhood in Brooklyn, I jumped at the chance to go to the city whenever I could. Although one may not know everyone else’s business, my town was still ordinary. The same routine day after day, I craved the excitement of the city and I was drawn to the city lights like a mosquito. The fast-paced, “time is money” type of lifestyle intrigued me. In New York City you’re able to be whoever you want to be without the fear of people judging you. There are far more important things here than not matching your shoes to your outfit. Luckily, I actually have the opportunity to be whoever I want to be and study (for free!) at Baruch College in a beautiful NYC area.

Who I will become in the future is yet to be determined; however, I owe who I am today to my grandfather. A few years ago, my grandfather fell victim to Alzheimer’s. I watched the wisest, most intelligent man I’ve ever known slowly lose all of his faculties. Accepting that my only grandfather would slowly forget my existence was a tragedy in itself; however, the real burden came when I realized he would eventually forget the events in his life that defined him. Every frivolous argument, warm embrace and tear that has ever streamed down his cheek would be erased from his memory; gone forever. As I was saying what turned out to be my final goodbye, I can’t say I experienced an epiphany, but it definitely was a transformative moment. I’ve realized how fragile life really is. Instead of rushing around dwelling on past inadequacies or future problems, Alzheimers taught me to step away from the pressures of society and appreciate the splendor of the moment. What was once just another disease has transformed the way I perceive my surroundings and has endowed me with a new appreciation for life.

Coming into this new experience is definitely a huge transition, but I intend to make these years of my life count. Accepting change is difficult and there are times where I just want to rewind back to my childhood and stay there, but this isn’t Neverland and I’m no Peter Pan. Change is gradual and fearing the future is natural, but Baruch enables me to be in control of my future and grow as an academic and a person. What I do with these resources is up to me. The juggling may be a struggle, but I do expect a lot of myself and I will keep myself motivated.  In my upcoming years here at the college I intend to break the commuter-college curse. I will try to get myself involved as much as I can while maintaining my grades and building life-long friendships. Here’s to the future and the freshman college rollercoaster ride!

Life is full of self-defining moments. Most are bittersweet.

Everything that I’ve been doing up until this moment has been a huge blur. I’ve been living in a whirlwind of movement; I traveled back and forth through time, analyzing my past, trying to understand my present, and simultaneously building towards my future. Every day I found that I’d been looking back towards a certain moment in my life, or some situation, that led me to see things the way I do now.
In fact, there are still many things that I look back to. Many moments in my life that I, almost, wish I could rewrite. But then I stop myself. Every day. Every moment. Every second. Every unfortunate incident still led me to become the person that I am today- and I couldn’t imagine being anybody else.

Sometimes, I am insecure. I don’t trust others. I am withdrawn. I lack confidence. I get nervous. I doubt myself. I can’t rely on others. I get uptight. I worry too much. I fall apart. Sometimes, I think of all the times that made me this way. Ever since the day I was born something has been going on and, many times, going wrong.
I moved to America when I was just 3 years old. My mother and I didn’t come over here because she needed a new job. She didn’t come over here because she needed a better education, or freedom of religion, or any of those things that we usually assume come along with immigration. We moved because my mother and I needed a new beginning. We left my no-good, abusive, selfish, greedy, ‘father’ in hopes of starting a life free of oppression and abuse within the family. A few short years later, my mother married again. Later that year, she filed for divorce. I wasn’t that disappointed, to be honest. I never really felt like I had a father anyway. A few men came along, here and there, but most of them didn’t last more than a few weeks. In fact, I barely remember a single one. I was in fifth grade, however, when my mother finally met someone decent. He lived with us, worked nearby, and always treated me well. After years of dating my mother, and taking care of me as much as he could, the two of them got married. I probably should have been happier for them than I really was. Don’t get me wrong, though. I love my step-father. He’s a great man who’s intelligent, hard working, and supportive. However, he’s never around. I don’t remember just how many years ago he became a truck driver, but I know that It’s sure been a while. When you’re driving a truck, and making deliveries, you’re making grand voyages across the 50 states. My step-dad works out on the road about 3 weeks in a row, and comes home for a very unpredictable amount of time; he could be home for a week or home for an hour. With this kind of schedule, I end up seeing him a week out of the month at most. We never talk. We barely ever discuss school. He doesn’t know about my friends or my relationships. We don’t spend any quality time together. We barely ever hug. But, once again, don’t take it the wrong way. He really is a good guy. But, ever since my sister was born, he never has time for me. Whenever he makes it home he takes time to spend with his daughter (his real daughter) and give her as much love as he can. But, I guess he runs out of it when it comes to me. But, anyway. I believe I made my point. I never really felt like I had a father, and my mother never understood.

When we’re children we absorb all of the things around us. Our surroundings, our environment, the actions of the people around us, and many other things. When I was a child, I absorbed the way that people treated me. By the time I made it to third grade, I had moved 8 times. Finally, by that time, I found a place to settle in. I started off that school year realizing that I was different from everybody else. I was a little reserved. I was a little poor. I was a little uncool. It seemed as if everybody around me wore brand names, knew everybody else, and knew exactly what was going on. I was the odd one out. I guess that was an invitation to make fun of the new kid. So, that’s exactly what they did. By the time I had graduated elementary school, I’d been made fun of, teased, ridiculed, taken advantage of, and outright outcasted. By the time I started middle school, I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I knew exactly what people were capable of, by then. I knew that, once they realized you were different, they would try their hardest to take advantage of you. And I was right. The three years I spent in that school were probably worse than the three I spent in elementary school. People spread rumors. People put gum in my hair. I was literally pushed around. I was criticized. I was called names. I was ugly. I was friendless. Through them, I learned to focus on my schoolwork, ignore everybody else, and eventually try to prove them all wrong.

Why am I even writing this right now? These experiences, specifically, helped me become everything I am today. I may doubt myself, I may feel weak, I may feel lonely, and I may not trust other people. I may feel a lot of things inside, but I know that I will find a way to get through it. I’ve built up true strength, courage, and resilience. I rely on myself more than anyone else and I try to never let myself down. I may be walking the beaten path, but I will never wish to have it any other way. I am strong and independent because of who I was before. I am outgoing, sarcastic, and studious because I’ve made these things a habit. Every single part of me has grown into something new. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, each and every time I look back to where I was, I will rise again and endure.

These experiences not only made me who I am, they have led me strive for an even better life for myself and everyone around me. I believe in justice. In freedom. In understanding. I will never look down on anybody else unless I’m helping them up. I will always do my best to give back to my community, be a leader, be a friend, and make sure no one has to suffer as long as I can do something about it. I believe in change.
Now that I’ve started college, and embarked on an amazing journey, I will be that harbinger of change. I expect to make friends, I expect to excel (hopefully), and I expect to grow even more as a person. I do have my worries about my grades, but I will do my very best to keep them under control. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve got the world ahead of me. I will be sure to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way and become the best that I can be.

Before high school, I was a different person. I lacked confidence; I feared public speaking. Today, I can say that I am confident, hard-working and well-spoken. And this is in large part because of my four years of running track in high school. Track helped me build up my mental toughness, showing me hard work pays off and that there are no shortcuts to success. I refuse to give up. There are sometimes track workouts that may seem really hard. But as in life, these “workouts” are simply obstacles that can be overcome with persistence and dedication. Conquering these “workouts” allowed me to build my confidence; I learned that I can succeed in anything I do if I set my mind to it. Being apart of Student Government in high school allowed me to become more well-spoken. As secretary, I would record the notes at meetings, but I was not afraid to voice my own opinion either. I learned that it’s better to say what’s on your mind and let others know what you think so that they can consider an angle that they might not have seen themselves. I also spoke in front of large groups when I was apart of Student Government. This helped me to continue to improve my public speaking skills. Now, I embrace the opportunity to speak in front of a group, rather than dread it.

As a college student, I expect to make new friends that will last me a lifetime. At the moment, I want to major in business. But I hope that I can learn more about business so I know that this is the right major for me. I want to learn as much as I can and know that I love whatever field I decide to go into. For my first semester, I’m hoping to work hard and build up my GPA. I’m also hoping to get involved in some way – whether through a club or an organization.

Somebody needs to come up with a shorter title for the first journal entry. Anyway, I’m Fionnuala O’Donnell, born and raised in a small town on Long Island (I think it’s actually “in” Long Island, but that just doesn’t sound right to me). Growing up in a small town like Lynbrook, while many people see it as a negative, I’ve grown to love the physical closeness of everyone. I’ve grown up knowing that all of my friends are within a 10 minute walk from my house, so college was a big adjustment for me when all my friends left. And to me, my friends are everything. I tend to be the mediator and advice giver of the group, not always putting in my two cents unless it’s asked for, but it is appreciated that much more.

Living in such a small town would assure something else: attending a small high school. I had a graduating class of 240, and while it is bigger than other towns’ high schools, we all still knew everybody walking across that stage at graduation. Over my 4 years at high school, I’ve developed relationships with a lot of classmates and teachers (good or bad) that I will never forget.

One of the biggest influences to my life was the music department (band geek alert). I was the drum major of the marching band, on the board of the music honor society, and my favorite thing of all, a clarinet and sax player for the pit orchestra for the yearly musicals. Some of the friendships I’ve made over the past 4 years wouldn’t have been possible without the musical. We would start practicing, as an orchestra, in September and not come together with vocals until about 3 week before the show. That rehearsal is called a sit-and-sing and usually happened nice and early on a Saturday morning (not pleasant). Then the last week before the show, “Hell Week”, was exactly what it sounds like: hell. It was 4 never ending nights of dress rehearsals. And although “never ending” is obviously an exaggeration, we would arrive at school around 5 and get out around midnight; we would sleep walk through school that week. All of that work was put in so we could have 3 shows: Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday matinee. My last show was a difficult show to perform. I was exhausted from track and late night rehearsals and applying for colleges, but it was also the best one. All the seniors couldn’t perform the exit song when the house lights went up because we realized we would never be doing this and got a wee-bit emotional. But I couldn’t have asked for a better last performance.

For the first semester, I hope to make friendships that last throughout college. Whether or not we have as many classes doesn’t matter but I want to be able to look back and feel like my “college experience” of commuting had some positive gains (certainly NOT the “freshman 15″). Of course I want to succeed in any and all classes that I take and I want to look out for every opportunity to better this experience over the next semester and the other seven. College was a difficult transition from high school, but I feel like I am adapting well to not being “spoon-fed” (as LHS so kindly did).

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Greetings my fellow LC, Baruch students and faculty, and well, everyone reading this blog.  My name is Alex Boumoussa, I’m 18 years old, and I started Baruch this year as a little freshman, even though no one in the school thinks I’m a freshman.  Beside enjoying long walks on the beach, I also have many other passions, such working on cars, hunting, watching NFL football (The New England Patriots are my favorite team), working out, and meeting new people.  Knowing only 2 people entering Baruch, making new friends and connections is something i have been doing almost every day since I have started here.

Everyone has had events occur in their life that have shaped their values and beliefs.  Though not one specific event comes to mind, my general experiences growing up in a catholic high school, financial plummeting of the U.S. market, and the passings of my grandmother and dog have taught me to be loving and accepting of all people.  To have respect for everyone and not take anything granted because you never know when something you, such as your family and financial security, is going to be taken away in an instant.

My expectations as a college student is to not only make new friends and associates, but to become a better educated person.  I hold education as the foremost important thing in life, for without it it is difficult to earn a good living, help others in your family and community, and be a informed citizens to improve your country.  I know college will equip me the skills I need to succeed in my future.  For my first semester I hope to maintain high grades so I keep my scholarship and to remain a fighter in todays competitive society.  I hope I adapt to the very different college style of taking notes, reading textbooks, and writing papers to do well in my classes. I also hope to absorb the information being taught to me, but most importantly, enjoy the city environment around me that offers such an abundance of great and diverse people, and even better food. My only concern is I hope I control this adventurous want to try new foods and to avoid gaining the “Freshman Fifteen.”

Who am I? Where am I from?

Well as you may have heard, I grew up on a farm. Just Kidding. But, I lived a few blocks from a farm most of my life; the closest movie theater was a 30 minute drive, Applebee’s was 20. I didn’t actually mind that lifestyle much though, I got really involved in everything. Yeah, I was that kid in high school. Eagle Scout, FBLA President, Mock Trial Co-Chair, Econ Challenge, etc. I was even a member of the town’s Borough Council.

Some things I’ve done that made me who I am:

• Staffed and eventually directed the Youth Leadership Training Program (teaching hundreds of kids the skills to be strong leaders).
• Travel: Greece, Italy, France, Road-trip to the Gulf of Mexico, alone to Chicago, alone to Orlando.
• Hiked 96 miles across the Appalachian Mountains.
• Eagle Scout, scouting in general
• Started a music production company with hometown friends (since left, but they’re doing alright)
• Moved to New York City!!!

My experiences have taught me many things. Work hard and play hard, because life is short. Keep a positive attitude, and go out of your way to help people, and good things will happen to you. In addition I have learned and reflected upon the words I have been taught to live by–Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean & Reverent.

I expect college to be an exciting adventure. I expect to learn new things I can’t imagine. I expect explore the city that I now call home. I want to break into the world of music and art that this metropolis has to offer.

The only real concerns I have is that I won’t have enough time to do everything I want to do & that the exams are going to be completely different than I expect; but I’m not actually that concerned.

Let’s just rock this city class of 2016!

A few years ago, I was playing basketball in a park with some friends when my father happened to walk by and continued  to watch the game. Afterwards, sitting at home, my dad smiled at me and said, “I saw you play today… and man, you are such a competitor! You never quit!” Now that might have just been my dad trying to make me feel good, but at that moment, I vowed to myself that no matter what I did (whether I was good at it or not), I would be a competitor. I would be passionate and committed to making myself better and stand up to any challenges. For me, nothing brings out that passion more than sports.

One of the hardest challenges in my life was when I dislocated my shoulder and was forced to sit out from playing sports for almost 3 months. That time not playing made me truly realize how much sports means to me. My life revolves around sports. In High School, I was on nearly every athletic team the the school offered, and participated in sports 7 days a week. For me, it didn’t matter whether I never got any playing time on those teams (which happened more than I wanted), or if I played every minute of the game; being on those teams was about bringing out my inner competitor. Playing sports allowed me to push myself, and somewhere in all the blood, sweat, and emotions of the game was an opportunity to show people what I was truly made out of. There was nothing more sweet than the feeling of victory; nothing more painful than the stinging agony of defeat. It was Ezra against the world, and I was not going to lose without a fight.

I will hopefully bring that focused competitiveness and work ethic to Baruch this semester. Besides possibly dying from starvation, I don’t have many concerns regarding my classes. I know most will require my hardest effort, but success is within my reach. I do hope to join some kind of club in the future when I finally figure out this maze of a campus. All in all, I am definitely enjoying Baruch thus far.

Who am I? Where am I from? Where am I going? The basic answer to these questions is that I am Jonathan Haviv from Queens and Indiana and I am attending Baruch College. In only two hundred fifty words that might be the best answer possible. But I am going to give it a shot, because that is just how I do. Also that’s what the assignment is, so I should probably answer the questions.

I am most recently from Floral Park otherwise known as FloPo. I don’t call it that but I have heard it called that. I went to high school an hour and a half away from my home because I really did not have anything better to do between six and eight in the morning everyday. High school taught me to always look at things in the best light possible and to always have fun. If you don’t then life is going to be tough.

The next importance influence on my life is the rapper Lil B. I discovered him during my junior year of high school and thought his message held a lot of meaning. Although many people believe that Lil B only releases stupid songs as a parody of rap, he actual does stand for something. If you don’t believe me just check out his speech at NYU. He talks about looking at people as more than just their race or appearance but at who they are. I think there needs to be more people who believe in that.

Now that I have given you some background on me, its time to talk about where I am going. Tomorrow I going to class and I’ll see my learning community. They are probably some of the best people I have met so far at Baruch. I don’t really know where I’m going beyond that. I still haven’t chosen my major or what I want to do with my life. I want to play in the NBA one day, and completely believe that I will if I keep practicing. I’m happy to see where life takes me and not to try to tie myself down with too many plans. Wow. I’m starting to sound like a hippie. I wonder when that happened.

Deuces <3

P.S. My blog post title came from a wu tang name generator. Read into that what you will.

Welcome to Blogs@Baruch!

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