My name is Jose Ayala and I was born in Puerto Rico. I only lived there for 3 years before me and parents moved to New York. Since then I’ve just been raised by my father and my mother. I suppose that a unique thing about my upbringing is that I am an only child. I don’t know what effect that has on me but I think it’s worth mentioning.

I don’t really have any culture that I would define myself by so in regards to values, I really just believe in what I think is morally right. My expectations in college are really just to get involved and make some new circles of friends. I also do want to learn new things for some classes but I really want to take advantage of the extracurricular activities in Baruch. One club I joined was Mock trial and I thought that would be cool because I like shows like Law and Order. My only concern for this semester is making sure my grades are excellent so I may maintain my scholarship. I don’t feel like any of my classes are very difficult this semester so it could potentially be pretty easy. I guess the only class I may have difficulty with is art history and that’s only because I don’t really appreciate art very much. I’m hoping that by listening to the professor and taking good notes that I will be able to truly understand art and their historical significance. Art history is not my favorite class at all.

My name is Jose Ayala and I was born in Puerto Rico. I only lived there for 3 years before me and parents moved to New York. Since then I’ve just been raised by my father and my mother. I suppose that a unique thing about my upbringing is that I am an only child. I don’t know what effect that has on me but I think it’s worth mentioning.

I don’t really have any culture that I would define myself by so in regards to values, I really just believe in what I think is morally right. My expectations in college are really just to get involved and make some new circles of friends. I also do want to learn new things for some classes but I really want to take advantage of the extracurricular activities in Baruch. One club I joined was Mock trial and I thought that would be cool because I like shows like Law and Order. My only concern for this semester is making sure my grades are excellent so I may maintain my scholarship. I don’t feel like any of my classes are very difficult this semester so it could potentially be pretty easy. I guess the only class I may have difficulty with is art history and that’s only because I don’t really appreciate art very much. I’m hoping that by listening to the professor and taking good notes that I will be able to truly understand art and their historical significance. Art history is not my favorite class at all.

An experience that has shaped who I am as a person is my parents’ divorce. Like all divorces, it was an unpleasant occurrence that has had a major impact on the way I grew up and developed into a mature person. Personally, I feel that it caused me to be more serious and responsible at a young age than most of my colleagues. For the most part, my mother had to play the role of two parents and I had to help her. Trying to be the “man” of the household, I had a screw driver on my desk for whenever I had to put together a new piece of furniture and a map in hand whenever I went on road trips with my mom. The divorce also made me stronger emotionally. No longer do I allow certain problems to break me apart and affect me.

My expectation as a college student is to become more independent of my mother and to be able to manage more things on my own. In order to succeed in this, I will have to learn how to manage my time well, so that I can balance school, work, friends, and family. I also hope to end the semester with a high GPA so that I will have greater chances of receiving an internship or a better job position. As the semester progresses, I would like to come closer to choosing a major or at least a direction in which I would want to go in. When I first decided to come to Baruch, I was set on international business or finance, but I am no longer as confident in that decision as I once was. I understand that most undergraduates are confused about their career goals, but I find it very unsettling and would prefer to know who I would like to be in a few years.

Hi everyone,

My name is Karen Lam and I currently live with my family in Astoria, Queens. The three things I value the most are my family, my academics, and my time. Before coming to Baruch, I attended school at Brooklyn Technical High School. Having been at such a competitive school, I have been surrounded by highly motivated students for most of my high school career. As a result, my grades became one of my top priorities. The other two, although they have always been important to me, has always been placed below my academics until two years ago.

During my junior year of high school, my family and I received news from my grandmother that my aunt has been diagnosed with Leukemia. This news had shocked and impacted our lives even though we live an entire ocean away. Up until that point in my life, as far as I’m concerned, tragic events like this only occurred in movies and books. At first, an aura of gloom hung around our house. But at some point, it became one of hope and acceptance. This experience helped me to live life one day at a time, cherish every opportunities I receive, and most importantly value the time I am privileged enough to have especially with my family.

I expect college to be a rewarding experience not only in that I earn a degree but also in helping me develop as an individual. I hope I am able to maintain a high GPA and improve on my work ethics. Hopefully, along the process, I would discover what I would like to pursue after college.

PS: For those wondering, my aunt made it past all her medical treatments and she is living as normally as she can.

Hi everyone,

My name is Karen Lam and I currently live with my family in Astoria, Queens. The three things i value the most are my family, my academics, and my time. Before coming to Baruch, I attended school at Brooklyn Technical High School. Having been at such a competitive school, I have been surrounded by highly motivated students for most of my high school career. As a result, my grades became one of my top priorities. The other two, although they have always been important to me, has always been placed below my academics until two years ago.

During my junior year of high school, my family and I received news from my grandmother that my aunt has been diagnosed with Leukemia. This news had shocked and impacted our lives even though we live an entire ocean away. Up until that point in my life, as well as I’m concerned tragic events like this only occurred in movies and books. At first, an aura of gloom hung around our house. But at some point, it became one of hope and acceptance. This experience helped me to live life one day at a time, cherish every opportunities I receive, and most importantly value the time I am privileged enough to have.

I expect college to be a rewarding experience not only in that I earn a degree but also in helping me develop as an individual. I hope I am able to maintain a high GPA and improve on my work ethics. Hopefully along the process, I would discover what I would like to pursue after college.

PS: For those wondering, my aunt made it past all her medical treatments and she is living as normally as she can.

Hello, recently I have had an experience that truly shaped my life, because it gave me a different outlook on everyday activity. That experience being, a labral tear in my shoulder. This tear meant I would need to have surgery and thus refrain from activity for months on end. However, the most influential part of this was how sudden it really was. One day I am playing baseball, and the next I am getting prepared for surgery. Just like that, with a snap of the finger my activities were shut down. This really showed me that things can change so dramatically in an instant, and I truly need to take care of my body because anything can happen and maybe there will not be a surgery available to fix it. It is just a break from the common young theme of invincibility, and I know realize that I just need to be much more careful, but that does not mean that I should restrict my activities. I know believe nothing should be taken for granted, specifically from a physical activity standpoint. As a college student I expect to do well, and to be learning interesting new information from all different types of people and different areas. I hope that I can broaden some of my horizons and try new things. My only and major concern is that the work will pile up once everything really starts going.

Hello, recently I have had an experience that truly shaped my life, because it gave me a different outlook on everyday activity. That experience being, a labral tear in my shoulder. This tear meant I would need to have surgery and thus refrain from activity for months on end. However, the most influential part of this was how sudden it really was. One day I am playing baseball, and the next I am getting prepared for surgery. Just like that, with a snap of the finger my activities were shut down. This really showed me that things can change so dramatically in an instant, and I truly need to take care of my body because anything can happen and maybe there will not be a surgery available to fix it. It is just a break from the common young theme of invincibility, and I know realize that I just need to be much more careful, but that does not mean that I should restrict my activities. I know believe nothing should be taken for granted, specifically from a physical activity standpoint. As a college student I expect to do well, and to be learning interesting new information from all different types of people and different areas. I hope that I can broaden some of my horizons and try new things. My only and major concern is that the work will pile up once everything really starts going.