Baruch Scholars 2011

My name is Johanna and the first thing you should know about me is I like turtles and don’t like sweets. I wouldn’t mind a sweet turtle though. I grew up in Flushing, Queens with an older sister who is currently in Paris doing a study abroad. I hope to also be able to study abroad and go different places in the world so I can meet new people and have new experiences. This past summer I traveled to Taipei, Taiwan to study Chinese. It was a new experience living on my own. I learned how to take care of myself and really be independent. Before I went to Taiwan I used to be very closed person, but overseas I made a few good friends and learned how to let others in. I also did some self-discovery and soul searching. I came to realize some things about myself and I guess you could say I got to know myself better. I hope to adjust to college life faster because I think my brain is still thinking about the past summer and traveling around the world. As a college student I expect to be challenged but also to manage my time. I expect that I will push myself to be a better person academically and physically (going to the gym every week). I am worried about my grades because as an Honor’s student I have to maintain a certain GPA. I hope to meet new people and establish connections because I hear college is the best time for doing that. Above all, I wish to have a good college experience because everyone tells me how fun college is.

My name is Johanna and the first thing you should know about me is I like turtles and don’t like sweets. I wouldn’t mind a sweet turtle though. I grew up in Flushing, Queens with an older sister who is currently in Paris doing a study abroad. I hope to also be able to study abroad and go different places in the world so I can meet new people and have new experiences. This past summer I traveled to Taipei, Taiwan to study Chinese. It was a new experience living on my own. I learned how to take care of myself and really be independent. Before I went to Taiwan I used to be very closed person, but overseas I made a few good friends and learned how to let others in. I also did some self-discovery and soul searching. I came to realize some things about myself and I guess you could say I got to know myself better. I hope to adjust to college life faster because I think my brain is still thinking about the past summer and traveling around the world. As a college student I expect to be challenged but also to manage my time. I expect that I will push myself to be a better person academically and physically (going to the gym every week). I am worried about my grades because as an Honor’s student I have to maintain a certain GPA. I hope to meet new people and establish connections because I hear college is the best time for doing that. Above all, I wish to have a good college experience because everyone tells me how fun college is.

To be honest, I don’t exactly like the idea of blogging for a public I don’t know. I have blogged before, but never for a class and never did I expect it to be personal in this sense. But one does what one needs to for a grade.

Where have I been?

I grew up in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. It’s a neighborhood that’s primarily middle class African-American, with a surge in middle class whites over the past decade or so. There’s a vibrant student population, from the Long Island University Brooklyn Campus, St. Joseph’s College, and Pratt University. There’s also about 4 public schools and two private schools in an 8 block radius or so from my apartment building, 3 of which I have attended. The public schools are some of the better ones in this part of the borough, so it attracts some kids from other neighborhoods to its population, largely comprised of children from Fort Greene, Clinton-Hill, and Bedford-Stuyvesant.

So I spent most of my childhood in the neighborhood, with outings occasionally to Jackson Heights, where my parents met with other Bengalis to congregate. It’s also where I spent a great number of years at test prep, preparing for important tests and the such. I grew up amongst an African-American and Hispanic community with a few Koreans and Chinese on weekends.

I spent the last four years at Stuyvesant High School. I can’t exactly sum up the experience in words, but it was immense. I made myself known in a school of 3,000+ and it wasn’t easy nor was it always pleasant. But it was done, and I could not have been more proud of anything else in my life.

So that’s where I came from.

Where am I going?

If you asked me this question one year ago, I could give you a straightforward answer. Now, I’m not so sure. My end goal is the same, if that interests you. I want to open my own financial services firm in about two decades. I am very convinced of what I want to do eventually. What concerns me, however, is how.

I’m giving Baruch a fair chance to enthrall me this first term. I’ve joined a few clubs and I have attended my first meeting at one. It seemed interesting. I’m a fan of having Friday off from school (for the time being anyways). I appreciate the Macbook. Having to not pay tuition and getting extra aid is always nice.

I’m not exactly enjoying the lack of clubs at Baruch. I’m not enjoying the lack in school spirit (although admittedly, I’m no stranger to it). I’m also waiting for the college challenge to kick in. Perhaps high school had me expecting more from college.

So where I’m going is still very much up in the air.

My name is Brian Ganley and I am from Brooklyn N.Y.  In general, I would say my family and my connection to sports have truly shaped who I am.  My immediate family consists of 9 people and my twin and I are the youngest.  Some of my older sisters are married and have children, therefore I am an uncle to a niece and a nephew.  Having such a large family means that I am always busy and always doing something with somebody, which at times gets complicated.   As for my connection to sports, this has truly shaped the competitiveness of my personality.  Ever since I was little I’ve played football, baseball and basketball where I have competed in various championships as well as traveled to various states.  I always want to win no matter if it’s a championship game or a family board game.

My expectations as a college student are pretty basic.  I expect to be working hard, studying long hours and passing all my classes.  I hope I will be able to maintain my scholarship, enjoy college a little bit more and if the workload slows down, join one of the major sports teams.   Playing basketball and/or coaching it in high school has given me a college interest, but as a Baruch scholar my schoolwork comes first.  Also, since I started college I’ve had a few concerns.  These consist of grades and jobs.  As a scholar we must maintain a certain GPA, however some classes seem to be very challenging.  Furthermore, I have lessened my work schedule, so I hope I will be able to balance both work and school more efficiently now.  Time management will be the key to my success.  This is a little bit about me as well as a little insight into my future.

Throughout the 18 years I have been alive, I encountered various values and beliefs. The first set of values originated from my family. As soon as I was able to talk, they instilled the importance of respect and education in me, which reflects their Confucius background. I grew up believing that I have to respect people in order to receive respect, and education can affect my life. It is an intangible item with great value that I can take with me anywhere I go.

By age three, I was “expecting” a little brother, which means I was “expected” to be independent. My family’s Confucius background gave me new responsibilities, therefore I was “expected” to care for him in the future. At age three I was not thrilled to have a younger brother. Today, caring for him have became automatic for me. Without a second thought, I would make sure he eats and complete his homework daily. Having a younger brother taught me to be patient.

I was a shy girl, but high school helped me become more confident. I took part in various clubs and internships that gave me a “voice” so people would know that I exist. Taking part in these activities allows me to feel like I belong to something bigger.

I know that my experience at Baruch College will have an impact on my life. My goal for the first semester is to leave a good impression on my professors. I also want to find a club that I am passionate about, and stick to it for the next four years. Throughout my whole college experience, I look forward to completing my four years with a high gpa, in addition to finding myself. People say that college will expose you to many things, which will help me figure out who I want to be.

Ever since I was a child, I had dreams of making it big in life. That is why I believe coming to the States was such a large step in my life. In Korea, it is very hard to get into a college and even harder to find employment because of the job deficit. However, opportunities are just waiting to be grasped here in the States. Hence, in December 1999, my parents and I moved to Flushing, New York and have been living here ever since.

My mom and dad are very hard working. They haven’t taken a vacation since we got here. They work from morning to night, and seem to have no problems or complaints about the work they do. My parents work hard in order to provide the bet for my sister and me. I can say that they are the greatest inspirations of my life.

If I can wrap up my values and beliefs in one word, it would be perseverance. I will not give up on achieving success, for the sake of my parents.  And like I said, I’ve always wanted to make it big.

My expectation as a college student is to be crafted into an important contributor of society. I want to learn skills I will benefit from and use for the rest of my life, such as time management and becoming a better speaker. I hope to meet a lot of different people as well. My only concern for my first semester is my GPA. I hope to start college with a big bang, and am working hard to do so!

What am I, an entity, an individual, a soul, or all three? Where have I been lost in this large, ongoing world? I am one person, in millions of people that reside on this earth. I am one student striving to find herself and carve out a path in this never-stopping world, out of the millions of students trying to do the same. Not everyone will find success, because that is the way of the world. The world is not fair, and it never has been. There are many faces of ‘evil’ hiding in the world, in the form of hatred, poverty, ignorance, violence, etc., just waiting to find prey. It’s not easy for anyone to find success, but with a little courage, perseverance, and knowledge, anyone can, even me. I am, like many, not the first to seek success and definitely not the last, but I am a dreamer, a realistic dreamer, who believes in her dreams and carries the potential to fulfill them. I am a city girl through and through, but also am in tune with the rest of the world and where it stands. With some direct, but mostly indirect experiences, I have slowly become aware of the cruelty of hatred, the ruthlessness of poverty, and the danger of ignorance. Being the dreamer that I am, I envision a world with widespread love and peace. Of course, the ‘evil’ will never stop; it can only be overpowered with love and forced to a minimum. I hope to advance myself in college, gaining lots of knowledge, better social skills, and a better sense of the world around me, in order to prepare to enter the real world, stand independently, and take some action. I hope to study abroad and travel the entire world one day in order to gain a better sense of and explore the many rich cultures that the world has to offer.

Where have you been and Where are you going?

I am definitely one to be shaped by my experiences. I’m sure everyone is, but I feel like especially I am shaped through experiences rather than acquiring knowledge or logical thought processes. Hm, so what experiences have shaped a big part of who I am? For one, just the experience of living with each of my family members molded my attitudes, values, and beliefs. My dad showed me never to settle for anything less, in all aspects. My mother showed me how to love, forgive, and understand unconditionally; because that’s what this world needs more than ever. And my brother tested my temper and gave me a light perspective of seeing things; in other words, he had part in delivering my humor.

I was pushed into going to korean school every week when I was younger, pushed into weekly piano and violin lessons, pushed into going to an academy everyday after school. More or less that was my dad. He would push me to do my best and I am thankful (not back at that moment) that he showed me to give it my all even if it was a struggling challenge; I never would have thought I had it in me until I finished through the hard-grinding process; because now I know I can do anything I put my mind to. My confidence as well as my independence was unleashed.

My expectations as a college student is to greatly develop and grow personally and professionally. I want my self to blend all my learned knowledge and experiences into one big productive, wise being. I expect myself to come out of college, the most confident being I could become with a wise mind of determination and capability. Just for my first semester I want to find out all the tricks of how all of Baruch College’s resources can benefit me to its fullest; that’s including all the clubs, workshops, professors, and facilities. The only thing I’m concerned with for this first semester is winning a bet with my friend of who will achieve the higher gpa; other than that, life is good 8).