There is a lot to say and a short introduction won’t suffice. A cluster of events have shaped me into the woman I am today and as this blog unfolds, so will my story–up until now.

To start off, I was born in 1995 in New York City and have lived here ever since. Up until not too long ago, I lived here with my sister, who is almost 17, my mom, and my dad. Life was pretty straightforward. My parents, just like most, encouraged me to stay connected to my culture and my own family’s past. We celebrated all our festivals with eagerness from the very beginning. I still wait for Holi and Diwali to come back around. The Festival of Colors and the Festival of Light.

I remember my dad telling my sister and I stories about his life–his struggles, his successes, his journey–so we would truly understand and cherish what we have. Even those bedtime stories of India and battles that took place long ago had morals hidden beneath the pages. All that was needed was to turn them over and look on the other side. My mom has always been my go-to person. The one individual I can share anything and everything with knowing that she will understand. When I am in need to step away from daily stress and frustration for a few moments, her hug is the perfect remedy. She has given us all that we have asked for. Opportunities to learn all that we wish and experience all that we want. Both my parents were amongst my greatest supporters.

I have grown up to appreciate my culture, the opportunities presented to me, and my family. And along with that, New York City has taught me to appreciate diversity–of religion, of culture, of language, and of thought.

Of course, education has always been a top priority. I am currently a Scholars student at Baruch College. I look towards college for a new beginning–a chance to create my own identity independent from past assumptions–and begin my journey towards success. Success academically, professionally, and socially are my aspirations as a college student. Of those three professional and academic success top the list. College is the journey that will learn me to be independent, that will teach me to further my career and create and strengthen my professional relationships. College is the beginning of my career. The first step of many.

I wouldn’t be the person I am today in respect to my values if my parents weren’t the people who they are and this city wasn’t the one in which I live. But like I said, this isn’t everything. It’s just the beginning of my story.

During my early stages of childhood, I was the only daughter my parents were actually taking care of. Both my sisters were in China. When my older sister came I had to learn to adapt and share everything with another human being. That taught me to be more giving. Before that, I had basically been considered an only child. I didn’t even know what it meant to share. I would cry all the time and want everything my older sister had. I cried so much that my eyes got infected and I had to get surgery. That experience taught me about suffering. I learned that you don’t always get your way and sometimes, it ends up really sucking. However, after both my sister came from China, i learned about family and being kind. I learned to be more generous and caring too. I learned to be a better person. In college I hope to meet more people that push me to be a better person. I expect to be challenged in every single class and i expect to be able to over come those challenges. By the end of college, I would think that I would have outstanding time management skills and have a much greater knowledge on the world around me. I am, however, concerned that i will struggle in certain subjects and i won’t be able to maintain my GPA. Another thing that frightens me is not figuring out what i want to do. I have known for a very long time that i would like to go into the field of business, but i have not figured out with area specifically. I don’t like the feeling of not knowing what I want to do in life. I was hoping college would help me figure that out. However, if college does not help me figure it out soon, i twill probably lead to anxiety.

Hello everyone, for those of you who don’t already know me, I’m Vaibhav ( pronounced Vay-Bov). Yes I realize how hard it may be to pronounce and no I don’t have a nickname.

I came here from India when I was about three years old and started school here. I attended Brooklyn Technical High School and now I’m doing my undergraduate studies here at Baruch. I plan to major in finance but my goal is to be an investment banker on Wall Street one day.

I hope college is a learning experience for me, one that helps me grow not only professionally, but also personally, and one that helps me maximize my potential. I hope to make new friends and build new relationships that will last. I also hope college makes me a more mature, responsible individual, one that’s ready to face the challenges of the working world. I do expect college to be challenging, but I hope to make the best of it, because in my opinion, if we’re not challenged, then we’re not actually learning. I look forward to my time here at Baruch, and I hope I come across life changing experiences.

In my free time, I love playing basketball. It’s my passion, my stress reliever, my way to vent out. In general, I do like playing all different kinds of sports though. My role model would have to be LeBron James. I look up to him because not only is he the best player in the world right now, his journey to the NBA is one that inspires and motivates me to be successful in life.

My name is Nicole.   There have been many experiences that I’ve gone through that have made me the person I am today, but there are two in particular that stand out to me the most.  During my junior year of high school I was in a terrible accident.  I had been upstate with a friend and her family when it happed and I was rushed to the hospital.  After hours of tests, stitches and staples, I was finally done.  Despite the horrible pain from the accident and the staples and stitches in my head, I was focused on seeing my parents.  They were a few hours away and had a long drive to get to the hospital.  Knowing how close I was to never seeing them again put everything into a new perspective.  Ever since the accident, my family and friends have been my main priority.  Nothing is more important to me than those people I care about most.  I know that life is not guaranteed and that anything can happen at any moment, whether it happens to me or to someone I love.  While this was a dramatic experience in my life, another one has helped me become the person I am today.  Watching my sister grow up and change has a person has definitely effected who I am.  I watched her achieve great things and accomplish every goal she has set her mind to.  Seeing how working hard and determination can help you accomplish anything has made me determined to work just as hard as she has and accomplish everything I set my mind to.  Both of these important events in my life have definitely shaped me into the person I am today.

Now that I am finally in college I have a lot of expectations, as well as concerns.  I expect it to be stressful in some ways and filled with a lot of work, but I also hope I’ll be able to handle it all.  I am concerned that sometimes it’ll feel overwhelming, but I will try my hardest no matter what.  I also hope that I will make a lot of friends while at school.  I have a lot of hopes and concerns about this upcoming semester, so I am excited to see what this semester has in store.

If there’s anything that I’ve learned in the eighteen years of my life, it is that “working hard” definitely beats “hardly working” in the long run. After numerous encounters with meeting deadlines that threaten to devour my GPA, I finally learned that work must always come before play. For the sake of this journal entry, and for ease of access, my dear reader, I will tackle the question from this perspective: What is your drive and motivation?

Growing up as an Asian-American, I’ve always had to face the stereotype of perceived intelligence that is attached to the word “Asian.” Societal pressures (along with perpetual pressure from parents) created a stifling environment in which it was difficult for me to grow and excel. I for one, am not obedient and I often think of myself as the most rebellious child. Because of my refusal to meet the demands of my parents I often skimped on my studies, choosing instead to squander my time pursuing idleness. It became a cycle, eventually developing into bad habit.

So what caused me to change? To improve? To wave that white flag of surrender? To finally decide to truly apply myself? Beats me. But perhaps it was desperation and fear. Fear of the mediocre, desperation to be someone better, someone that could stand out above the rest.

I hope that this drive and ambition to succeed, not for my parents nor for anyone other than myself, will carry me through my time here at Baruch. I don’t expect mercy in terms of a light workload or lax professors, but I do expect this to be a “college experience.” A time of good friends, good fun, but most importantly mutual growth in knowledge, maturity, and success.

I will succeed in accomplishing my goals. Setting the bar high, but trusting that if there is a will behind what I do, then there is most definitely a way for me to do it. I refuse to settle for mediocrity, but instead continue and push on toward success. The wise words of Drizzy Drake ring true in the quiet of the night. “Started from the bottom. Now we’re here.”

Leon Jon. Over and Out.

Hey guys! My name is William Jiang and I’m from Canada. Ducks, mooses and maple syrup are my passion. I came to the US when I was in the sixth grade and I was directly put into an ESL class. It took me awhile, but I eventually got used to the place. I quickly caught up and later got placed in the honors classes. I attended Bronx Science and I was happy with my high school experience. I fooled around with my best buds during my free time, but worked diligently in school. From this experience, I managed to separate my work time and leisure time, while at the same time enjoying both.

Now, as a Baruch student, especially as a freshman, I am eager to explore this new environment. I have already begun to familiarize myself with the facilities by first visiting the library, the honors lounge, and then the gym, of which I spend the majority of my free time in. However, as I am still unfamiliar with the college experience, I expect that by the end of this semester, I would gradually grow accustomed and make this the best college experience ever. After all, the best part about college is to create friendships that would last a long time and memories – a lifetime.

Other facts about me: I am an adrenaline junkie. Especially in the afternoon, where my blood level is high, I can’t help myself from doing something crazy. To vent off my energy spikes, I often take my dad’s car (with his permission, of course) and drive 70 – 80 mph on the highway. I’m also in a karate class as a yellow-belt, since I have just begun, to learn the way of the martial arts. When I feel sleepy, I sleep.

Hey guys! My name is William Jiang and I’m from Canada. Ducks, mooses and maple syrup are my passion. I came to the US when I was in the sixth grade and I was directly put into an ESL class. It took me awhile, but I eventually got used to the place. I quickly caught up and later got placed in the honors classes. I attended Bronx Science and I was happy with my high school experience. I fooled around with my best buds during my free time, but worked diligently in school. From this experience, I managed to separate my work time and leisure time, while at the same time enjoying both.

Now, as a Baruch student, especially as a freshman, I am eager to explore this new environment. I have already begun to familiarize myself with the facilities by first visiting the library, the honors lounge, and then the gym, of which I spend the majority of my free time in. However, as I am still unfamiliar with the college experience, I expect that by the end of this semester, I would gradually grow accustomed and make this the best college experience ever. After all, the best part about college is to create friendships that would last a long time and memories – a lifetime.

Other facts about me: I am an adrenaline junkie. Especially in the afternoon, where my blood level is high, I can’t help myself from doing something crazy. To vent off my energy spikes, I often take my dad’s car (with his permission, of course) and drive 70 – 80 mph on the highway. I’m also in a karate class as a yellow-belt, since I have just begun, to learn the way of the martial arts. When I feel sleepy, I sleep.

Hi, my name is Jessica. It is kind of difficult to summarize myself with only a few words. But I am a freshman in Baruch College and I am currently deciding what I would like to major in and what I like to do as a future career. But I do have a list of the job professions that I don’t want to participate in: doctor/nurse, lawyer and teacher. I have decided this even before I coming into college.

Last year, I went to Edward R Murrow High School where I major in the fine arts. I like to draw from photographs and paint them afterwards. As an art student, I had to make sure that my works are original, creative, and complete. Art project deadlines were tight and always near. I didn’t like it at first but then I started to adopt it into my life as a hobby. I made great friends who taught me so much. This was the place where I spent my four years in before coming to college.

Now I am in Baruch, another school where I will continue to learn and find my place in the world. I am currently searching through clubs and making new friends. I tried to get in delta sigma pi, which is a business fraternity club. However, I made some few mistakes and I lost my chance. I also visit Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. That was fun and I plan on staying in this club. I also plan on visiting the Absolute adrenaline club soon. I don’t know what the future lie ahead for me but I am still exploring different paths.

Hi, my name is Jessica. It is kind of difficult to summarize myself with only a few words. But I am a freshman in Baruch College and I am currently deciding what I would like to major in and what I like to do as a future career. But I do have a list of the job professions that I don’t want to participate in: doctor/nurse, lawyer and teacher. I have decided this even before I coming into college.

Last year, I went to Edward R Murrow High School where I major in the fine arts. I like to draw from photographs and paint them afterwards. As an art student, I had to make sure that my works are original, creative, and complete. Art project deadlines were tight and always near. I didn’t like it at first but then I started to adopt it into my life as a hobby. I made great friends who taught me so much. This was the place where I spent my four years in before coming to college.

Now I am in Baruch, another school where I will continue to learn and find my place in the world. I am currently searching through clubs and making new friends. I tried to get in delta sigma pi, which is a business fraternity club. However, I made some few mistakes and I lost my chance. I also visit Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. That was fun and I plan on staying in this club. I also plan on visiting the Absolute adrenaline club soon. I don’t know what the future lie ahead for me but I am still exploring different paths.

I did not draw this picture. This drawing was done by Dayanni Bhagwandin in 2010. The drawing is done with charcoal and it is copy of a photograph of a waterfall.

Hello!

My name is Ying. I enjoy reading and drawing. Even though reading usually leading into good writing but my imagination is …err… what you would call at the bottom of a dark pit. So basically I have no imagination, unless it is about drawing and sketching. Reading on the other hand is different. I don’t need much imagination for it or maybe enough imagination to make the movie in my head.

So … Drawing. Well there is really not much to say about that. Okay, maybe I have something to say about it.
1. I don’t draw portrait, unless you give me a couple of months then I might have it done for you.
2. Any large drawing might take a couple of weeks so don’t rush me unless you want a blank paper then I can give it to you as soon as you give me your request.

Anyway, enough about my rule on drawing and I am not really that serious about them too. I think the first time that I enjoy drawing was when I started high school. I had taken art classes before I started high school but the lesson is not like that in high school. In those art classes I paint and did charcoal drawing, but to me it seems that I was always judge in my art and didn’t care much about it. That change when I enter high school. I start to enjoy drawing especially charcoal. I think for my inspiration in drawing with charcoal, I have to thank my friend Dayanni with her drawing of the waterfall that gives me inspiration to tackle the water aspect of drawing. On my on free time, I like to draw designs, curves, lines, leaves, flowers, or anything things that has curves and no straight lines.

So drawings that I really love are:

I drew this in 2010 with charcoal and it is a copy of a landscape picture. I really like this drawing because it does not really show the complete shadow and there is a large difference between light and dark. As my teacher put it is is like a “watermark* drawing.

I drew this in 2011. This drawing is done with color pencils and color charcoal. This picture is one of the few drawing that I drew with color that I enjoy, The actual picture (an album cover by Adele) has a different color, but i like the color blue and purple to do this drawing.