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!