Hey, guys! My name is Freshta, but you can call me Freshtadeath as most people tend to do. I was born in Flushing, Queens and was raised in an apartment building right across the street from CUNY Queens College actually! (Fun Fact: I went to PS 219Q for a while with fellow Baruch Scholar, Karen!) I moved to Long Island while I was still in the 5th grade and experienced quite the culture shock in transitioning from urban to suburban life. I lived within the Plainedge School District, which also happens to be “the fourth whitest district on LI” with approximately 94% of the students being Caucasian. That being said, there was no diversity! I’m extremely grateful for the diversity present at Baruch. It’s refreshing to meet people with different backgrounds and ideologies. I’ve always been fascinated with people and their cultures and religions. I’m super tolerant of everyone (except the intolerant). In general, I’d say high school was a pretty rough few years for me. I would have anxiety attacks on a daily basis and would rarely ever speak. I started opening up more during senior year; I got a job, became a committee member of Relay for Life for two years, volunteered at Stony Brook University Hospital and was becoming a more active member of society. I’d consider myself a much a better person now! YAY!

When applying to colleges, I thought of Baruch as my absolute last choice. I was all set to attend Stony Brook University until I received a voicemail informing me that I had gotten into the Baruch scholars program. After learning more about what that meant, I withdrew from Stony Brook and here I am…! During this first semester, I would love to grow closer with my learning community seeing as it is composed of such kind and talented individuals. I find myself inspired by them everyday. As of right now, I’m just trying to manage my time more responsibly as well as keep my GPA up. Being a biology major, I cannot wait to take the natural science courses! Well, that’s all I have to say…best of luck!

My name is Maria Domenique Margaret Mary Lorenzo (oh yeah, it’s a mouth full) and I was born in Brooklyn, NY. I moved to Levittown on Long Island when I was a toddler, so I am not really a city girl just yet. I grew up in a very close, Italian-American, family. My mother is a very strong influence in my life. She taught me to love myself no matter what and to never lose faith. She never expected me to be the perfect student, athlete, or person, and I believe the laid back attitude is what actually allowed me to succeed… on my own terms. I was captain of my varisity lacrosse team two years in a row, I have been working for two years now, and graduated 3rd in my class all because I wanted to; no one else was putting pressure on me. With the support of my family, friends, and boyfriend I really found myself in high school. I learned to be independent, yet accepting of others into my world.

I expect college to be rewarding in a lot of aspects. I will gain an even greater education than prior, I will make new friends who share their own unique stories and backgrounds, and I will further develop myself as a person. I hope to maintain a high GPA and decide on my major, as well as explore the beautiful city I can now call my second home.  I’m still getting accustomed to the new routine, but I am staying optimistic.

Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes,you can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know, and you are the guy who’ll decide where to go. – Dr. Seuss

My name is Maria Domenique Margaret Mary Lorenzo (oh yeah, it’s a mouth full) and I was born in Brooklyn, NY. I moved to Levittown on Long Island when I was a toddler, so I am not really a city girl just yet. I grew up in a very close, Italian-American, family. My mother is a very strong influence in my life. She taught me to love myself no matter what and to never lose faith. She never expected me to be the perfect student, athlete, or person, and I believe the laid back attitude is what actually allowed me to succeed… on my own terms. I was captain of my varisity lacrosse team two years in a row, I have been working for two years now, and graduated 3rd in my class all because I wanted to; no one else was putting pressure on me. With the support of my family, friends, and boyfriend I really found myself in high school. I learned to be independent, yet accepting of others into my world.

I expect college to be rewarding in a lot of aspects. I will gain an even greater education than prior, I will make new friends who share their own unique stories and backgrounds, and I will further develop myself as a person. I hope to maintain a high GPA and decide on my major, as well as explore the beautiful city I can now call my second home.  I’m still getting accustomed to the new routine, but I am staying optimistic.

Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes,you can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know, and you are the guy who’ll decide where to go. – Dr. Seuss

I don’t think I can really define myself, now or ever, because who I am changes everyday. The Victoria I was yesterday isn’t the same  I am Victoria today, or the same Victoria I will be tomorrow.  As for my expectations of college, I know that college is a place where one learns what they want to do in their future. Hopefully, by meeting new people and being the student of inspiring professors, I can gain a more clear vision of what I want to do for the rest of my life. However, there is always that underlying fear, that what I truly want to choose as a profession won’t be able to sustain me financially. Or even worse, what I finally get my degree in or start my career in won’t make me happy and I will have to start all over again. During my first semester, I hope to meet new people,  learn how to be more articulate in my opinions, and become more educated on current issues. I aim to start college on the right foot, and hit the ground running. I don’t want to lag behind and get lost in the onslaught of information and assignments. I’ve always thought that I had a good handle on my social life and my education, learning how to balance both–however, since starting college I’m not so sure. Although it may seem immature and naive, I don’t want to sacrifice either at the expense of another. I suppose that these are all common fears, and  hopefully through talking with my peers, I will learn to overcome these concerns.

-Victoria Toloza

I don’t think I can really define myself, now or ever, because who I am changes everyday. The Victoria I was yesterday isn’t the same  I am Victoria today, or the same Victoria I will be tomorrow.  As for my expectations of college, I know that college is a place where one learns what they want to do in their future. Hopefully, by meeting new people and being the student of inspiring professors, I can gain a more clear vision of what I want to do for the rest of my life. However, there is always that underlying fear, that what I truly want to choose as a profession won’t be able to sustain me financially. Or even worse, what I finally get my degree in or start my career in won’t make me happy and I will have to start all over again. During my first semester, I hope to meet new people,  learn how to be more articulate in my opinions, and become more educated on current issues. I aim to start college on the right foot, and hit the ground running. I don’t want to lag behind and get lost in the onslaught of information and assignments. I’ve always thought that I had a good handle on my social life and my education, learning how to balance both–however, since starting college I’m not so sure. Although it may seem immature and naive, I don’t want to sacrifice either at the expense of another. I suppose that these are all common fears, and  hopefully through talking with my peers, I will learn to overcome these concerns.

-Victoria Toloza

Hello fellow Baruchians!

My life isn’t as simple as some of yours might be. I have a long history of moving around to different places and meeting new people. I was born in Korea and I moved to the United States when I was seven years old with my family. I first settled in Georgia for a year and then moved to Queens, New York. Spending all of my elementary years in Queens, I guess my mom thought we hadn’t moved around enough. She told us that she had bought a house in Roslyn, Long Island after I had just finished sixth grade. Roslyn was a 99.99% Jewish orientated school and obviously I was a little intimidated by that fact (because you know… I’m not…Jewish). However, I came to know some of the coolest people there that are still my best friends till this day. The journey doesn’t end here. Over the past summer, I got an apartment in Manhattan with my sister and officially moved in before college started. So yeah, a lot of moving here and there if you were still following.

As you can see, I have been exposed to many different cultures and environments within a span of just seventeen years. Thus, explaining my ability to adjust to new atmospheres wherever I go. I’m always up for meeting new people and experiencing new things. For these reasons, I’ve heard many times that I’m comfortable and easy to be around with

At Baruch, I wish to build a strong foundation for my major and take advantage of all the opportunities that are offered here by the Zicklin School of Business. Despite what others might say about Accounting at Baruch, I want to be able to push through all those discouragements and graduate with as an accounting major. In addition, I also want to get involved a bit more and just make a lot of good friends!!

We all know the feeling of achievement. We also all know the feeling of bitter defeat. The worst defeat I have ever experienced was not getting into the college of my dreams. It was an extensive application process that required several interviews with politicians and their associates, several thousand words worth of essays, and dozens of letters of recommendations. To not get in was the bell toll that instantly created my life’s path for me. I’m still trying to figure out if I can get used to this path, which I’ve always considered my safety net. I know several people who all shared the same negative opinions about Baruch, and honestly, I can see where they are coming from. I am working as hard as I possibly can to see Baruch in a light differently than they have seen it in, and I’m happy to say that it’s working. Yet learning to get to like or even love something I never intended to is something I’ve never faced before. But here I am. I guess that’s what college is all about- giving yourself time and space to form into the mold you create for yourself. After all, these are the most mentally formative years of our lives, right? So here’s to an optimistic future. As for my goals for the coming semester, activeness in E.C. affairs is my top priority; it shares the spot with getting straight A’s (as I’m sure all freshman have prioritized).

We all know the feeling of achievement. We also all know the feeling of bitter defeat. The worst defeat I have ever experienced was not getting into the college of my dreams. It was an extensive application process that required several interviews with politicians and their associates, several thousand words worth of essays, and dozens of letters of recommendations. To not get in was the bell toll that instantly created my life’s path for me. I’m still trying to figure out if I can get used to this path, which I’ve always considered my safety net. I know several people who all shared the same negative opinions about Baruch, and honestly, I can see where they are coming from. I am working as hard as I possibly can to see Baruch in a light differently than they have seen it in, and I’m happy to say that it’s working. Yet learning to get to like or even love something I never intended to is something I’ve never faced before. But here I am. I guess that’s what college is all about- giving yourself time and space to form into the mold you create for yourself. After all, these are the most mentally formative years of our lives, right? So here’s to an optimistic future. As for my goals for the coming semester, activeness in E.C. affairs is my top priority; it shares the spot with getting straight A’s (as I’m sure all freshman have prioritized).

We all know the feeling of achievement. We also all know the feeling of bitter defeat. The worst defeat I have ever experienced was not getting into the college of my dreams. It was an extensive application process that required several interviews with politicians and their associates, several thousand words worth of essays, and dozens of letters of recommendations. To not get in was the bell toll that instantly created my life’s path for me. I’m still trying to figure out if I can get used to this path, which I’ve always considered my safety net. I know several people who all shared the same negative opinions about Baruch, and honestly, I can see where they are coming from. I am working as hard as I possibly can to see Baruch in a light differently than they have seen it in, and I’m happy to say that it’s working. Yet learning to get to like or even love something I never intended to is something I’ve never faced before. But here I am. I guess that’s what college is all about- giving yourself time and space to form into the mold you create for yourself. After all, these are the most mentally formative years of our lives, right? So here’s to an optimistic future. As for my goals for the coming semester, activeness in E.C. affairs is my top priority; it shares the spot with getting straight A’s (as I’m sure all freshman have prioritized).

I am actually not a very “tech savvy” person, so it will be a bit difficult getting used to a online journal (which I’m pretty sure what a Blog is). I am a very private person and am thus a bit technophobic to a certain degree: a great icebreaker is when people ask why I put a post-it over the camera. For curious readers(?), viewers(?), passersby(?), it’s because of this article I read in the past: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/school-accused-of-using-webcam-to-photograph-student-at-home/ Sorry, I don’t trust you Baruch.

As you can tell, I am very cautious and practical. Growing up, television was absent in a good part of my childhood so I do believe that attributes to my slow uptake of technological innovations. I can’t really think of particular experiences but I believe my family and being raised as an Asian-American in general taught me many things such as patience and tolerance. I have a really close relationship with my mom, and have inherited her interest in statistics; I hope to learn more about it and the many statistical software like SAS in college. I honestly can’t wait until I can pack my schedule with only math classes… I don’t really have any specific expectations as every great expectation I had always ended in a grand disappointment and disaster so I just hope to do well in the first semester and start getting into the stat classes.