Hi, my name is Helen.
When I was a kid, I came home from school excited to switch on the TV and watch all the cartoon shows. It was with my mom telling me every day to do my homework before I play that I eventually went to do my homework after I played. She would always make me redo my work if it was messy. Sometimes she would force me to say the multiplication table in Chinese, which I once mastered but now cannot do. However, I don’t have to say it out loud to know what 1 x 1 equals or what 12 x 12 equals.
My mom is one of the reasons why I have pursued math up to Differential Equations in high school. She did not graduate from high school in China, but she taught me everything she knew to give me a solid start for my future math classes. My first dream job was to be a math teacher, and I held onto that dream unto junior high school. But who is to say that I won’t go into education?
Although I plan on being an accounting major–one of the reasons being that I love numbers–I also plan on exploring other academic areas to expand the bubble I have been living in and to make more career options for my future.
My kid self has not completely disappeared yet, fortunately and unfortunately. I’m still the girl who would choose TV over homework especially if I induce that I have enough time for homework later. I can’t concentrate otherwise.
Somehow I have managed to do well in school. I have learned to push myself and to manage my time decently despite my past desires to watch cartoons 24/7 (especially when I started having access to a computer 24/7).
I was always a competitive child in games, sports, and tests. But attending Stuyvesant High School taught me that I cannot be good at everything. I could have spent all my time studying American History in sophomore year, but then I would have failed my Chinese class. And even then I would not have gotten 100 on any one of the tests. That was just how bad I was at history. But the important thing was learning that although competition can push you to your limits, too much of it can blind you from seeing the important things in your life: friends, family, and fun.
As a college student, I expect to find something I’m passionate about: a sport, a hobby, an area of study, etc. I found things I liked to do while in high school; but tennis, painting, and math are not what I want to commit time for.
For my first semester at Baruch, I am worried about my grades and finding an extracurricular activity that I strongly like. I hope that I can do well for my classes not just for the grades but also for the desire to learn. I also hope that I can find that extracurricular activity…
I hope to be able to express my ideas and opinions more clearly to my peers and professors. I want to enjoy the the college life and to truly be part of the community at Baruch.
