Baruch Scholars 2016

In my second year of highschool is when I really found out what I want my career to be. I got an opportunity to be part of a work experience program in a big Financial Firm called Mitsubishi Securities! It was here where I first learned about the stock market, mutual funds and bunches of other terms relating to the finance field.

Later on in highschool I took economics where I learned about those terms in more detail. I began to understand how they came together and, for example, how interest rates affects the money supply or why high inflation as well as deflation can both be perceived as negative aspects in our communities. I found myself even more interested in understanding these concepts and I wanted to go to a good bussiness college.

In my senior year I decided on going to Baruch and majoring in Finance. I still didn’t decide on a minor, but I am thinking about maybe minoring in economics because I enjoyed the course so much. I am hoping for a 4.0 GPA in Baruch and I’m working hard to get it!

In the future I would like to intern in firms like JPMorgan or Goldman Sachs. When I was little I dreamed of having my own office in one of those companies overlooking the city, although I know now that practically impossible I still would, nevertheless, love to work in those companies.  

About 4 years ago, if you had told me that I would be performing my heart out on stage all throughout high school and that I would actually enjoy it, I would have never believed you. But here I am, having performed in at least one musical production every year in high school, and still reminiscing about all the fun that I’ve had.

Participating in shows such as Festival of Nations and SING! not only helped me form strong bonds with a number of people but it also helped build me into the person that I am today. The ever so awkward freshman girl who could barely hold a conversation turned into the slightly less awkward senior girl who felt more comfortable in social settings. Maybe it was the endless laughs at practices or the nerve wracking anticipation right before it was time to perform but, either way, something kept bringing me back to that stage.

Looking back now, I’ve noticed that a majority of my most memorable experiences in high school are related somehow to these performances and I almost didn’t even do them freshman year. Thinking about this brings me back to the present because I am a freshman once again at Baruch and I feel maybe even more lost now than I did in the 9th grade. I don’t really know what the future holds, and that is both really exciting and really daunting at the same time. I’m not sure about a lot of things, but I am sure that if I want to make it in college just like I made it in high school, I have to try something new. I need to try out things that I never thought about doing before, because those experiences can end up being the most precious. Most importantly, I need to get out of my comfort zone, because I truly believe that only then would I be able to really enjoy my 4 years here at Baruch, however that may be.

“There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect”(Ronald Reagan).

There’s a moment in everyone’s life when you just can’t move, when the situation must play through and you must submiss to the outcome; a moment when just three seconds ago all was well, but now it was life or death.

We are heading home around 8 pm. On Atlantic Avenue, there’s a green arrow pointing, signaling it is safe to turn left. As any driver would do, my grandfather drives into the intersection and makes a crisp left turn. That’s when it goes down. A black Dodge Charger comes in speeding at us, and a single collision relays several reactions. I just sit there, with my heart beating too fast to count. I watch as my grandfather swerves the steering wheel in an effort to prevent another crash in the gas station we were pushed into. My mother grabs a hold of me and screams, “ARE YOU OKAY?”. My sister just sits there as well. We are all perfectly fine, but on the inside I am shook.

A couple of car rides later, the incident had become nothing but a memory; perhaps, another story to tell or to write about in a blog. Yet, the experience conveyed life’s importance to me. I came to value moments with my friends and family a lot more because of this experience; not just moments, but my education, my relationships, my interests, and my pursuits. I wanted to live life without restraints and I only realized that after that momentously crisp left turn.

Here at Baruch, I hope that I am able to tackle the constraints of the mind by pursuing mathematics and economics. I hope to break down the walls around human spirit by getting involved and meeting new people. I expect to step far enough outside the line (my comfort zone), to where the point of growth begins. Growth as an individual, a member of society, and as a Baruch Scholar.

 

Peruvian and Dominican. While both have many similarities they also have many differences in many aspects. The way people are raised; their values and overall culture is different.

My mom is Dominican and being born and raised in the Dominican Republic has shaped me. The education in the Dominican Republic is very low. To be more specific only 4% of the government’s money goes towards public education. This being the case and the fact that my family from my mom’s side is not very successful due to the lack of education impacted me. I felt pressure indirectly into becoming someone better, surpassing that and demonstrating that we could break that as a family.

In my dad’s side, the case was different. They had all been pretty successful and they had expectations to me, which brought pressure on me in a different way. I felt I had to do a good job and excel in school and become great in life to not let my Peruvian family. My Peruvian family had expectations of me, which surpassed that of my Dominican family, not only in an academic way but also in a cultural way.

Whenever I went to visit my grandma in Peru they had always complained how I had to be like my aunt who would iron her dad’s clothes by the age of nine and cook by the age of twelve. That seemed a little tough on me because that is not like the Dominican culture, at least those values, are not kept anymore. My Peruvian family knew this and because of it, they looked down on me and me becoming a failure because I would fail to meet all their expectation solely based on where my mom and I were from.

Both circumstances pushed me to become a better person and succeed, not only academically, but also as a person. I am proud to say that I was able to achieve that. I became the first person from my mom’s side to come to the States for college and although that was not something new for my Peruvian family, it still managed to meet their expectations academic wise. I also dedicated myself to becoming independent. I learned how to manage my time on my own and decide when I had to complete certain tasks or chores. Aside from that, I learned how to cook many Peruvian plates, do laundry, clean the house; all expectations my Peruvian family had for me.

I am thankful because due to this I have turned out to be dedicated and passionate about achieving my goals. I am consistently ambitious on how to achieve more instead of being okay with where I am.

As a college student, I hope to continue being the ambitious person that I have been, by trying to achieve all my goals and not let obstacles get in the way. Sometimes it is hard to stay dedicated and motivated about what we want to achieve, and that is certainly true for me, too. Regardless, I have hope and I know that I am capable of it as long as I keep in mind my priorities and what I want to achieve in life in the long run.

I still can’t believe I’m a college student. Just the other day, I was in the 3^rd grade looking up to the 5^th graders thinking “Man, will I actually make it there?” Now, I’m old and forming my future goals that are intended to make me happy, and honestly, I wouldn’t have known how to do this if it wasn’t for the 4 years in high school.

I started Brooklyn Technical High school as a shy and awkward person (I’m still awkward; that hasn’t changed,) but with that, I was also a very insecure and too kind of a person. Since I went to a TINY catholic middle school, I didn’t know what to expect as I got dunked into one of the biggest high schools in America. The diversity there was the first thing I noticed and the diversity is what changed me.

As I went through sophomore year, a lot of conflicting situations happened to me that made me realize what I was weak in. I no longer became a push over, I became blunt, but I still had the soft heart that I try to maintain. Junior and senior year came and that was an esteem booster. I started taking care of myself, lost weight and, simply put, became a lot happier with life. Of course, the work load was ALOT, but I managed.

Now going into college with this open out look of life, I expected to meet new people from around the world, with different viewpoints in hopes of learning even more. Hopefully it’ll be fun when I get more involved.

As of right now, I just hope I can manage things. I want to be social but I also want that 4.0. So let’s see if I can attempt to balance that. I also hope to find a place where I truly belong. Besides that, I can’t think of much when put on the spot. Ask me back in a few and watch me rant about 1000 different things I want to do.

Hello World!

My name is Tam Phuong, destined for greatness and success. At least that is what my family always tells me as the only form of encouragement I know. Coming from the humble beginning of the dirty Saigon streets in Vietnam, I am blessed to currently live and attend school in New York City right now.

I was born into a traditional Vietnamese family, raised by what everyone would call “asian stereotypes”. In this family, there is an arsenal of unlimited weapons utilized to beat my ass whenever I slack off my path to success: Haven’t done homework? A whip to the butt. Sneaked out to play? a belt to the butt? Too much time on TV? A sandal across your butt cheeks. At that time, I resented it because no kids would want a bright red butt cheeks every time they see themselves in the mirror. Thanks to my parents’ strictness, however, I learnt humility and discipline. These two factors have helped me a lot in life and are crucial on my path to success.

My family was by no means rich but we were quite well-off. My parents make enough that they can afford to expose me to different elements of life. I travelled a lot as a kid and was exposed to many different cultures. I was fed many types of exotic food and cuisines. My parents encouraged me to play sports and do extracurricular activities. Thanks to their encouragement and the opportunities they provided, I can be proud in my preference to be multicultural.

My family has done a lot for me. They have provided me with many opportunities which has shaped who I am today. I intend to study hard, have a blossoming career and provide back for them. I also plan to mature as a person, developing my personality, couture, ethics and manners. I want to make my family proud of who I am.

Play this song while reading. It’s the English version of a song from the Descendants of the Sun OST.

Artist: Gummy [] Song Name: You Are My Everything

 

“What is so good about Korean dramas?” my brother asks. I feel joy from watching them. When I am resting, it is my form of excitement. I watch Korean dramas (K-dramas) for the unique storytelling and screenwriting. Most of them have similar concepts: Cinderella and her stepmom, rich guy and poor girl, a rich girl and poor guy, old women and young man, an old man and young women, and sick man and healthy girl. Even though these concepts are so similar, I watch for the drama hence the genre, drama.

Korean dramas are not similar to American dramas because American dramas represent the mindset of the one’s directing the drama, while Korean dramas can focus on a wide set of people and mindsets. The really good dramas are able to differentiate between good writing and good directing. There are really not separate, but synonymous with each other. For all Kdramas, there is only one writer and one director. Once all the writing is done, the actors are hired and the director is chosen. Most dramas that had popular actors act in them had high ratings. In South Korea, since these dramas air on a TV network, the drama’s life is determined by the percentage of people watching the drama as it airs.

2016 has been one of the best years for K-dramas. Many of the highly rated dramas aired this year and last year. Dramas like Signal, W-Two Worlds, 25 Task Force, Uncontrollably Fond, and Doctors. All 5 of these have different flavors. Signal was about a guy getting a radio that enables him to communicate with a person in the past. W-Two Worlds is thriller K-drama about a female surgeon that has a father who draws a cartoon comic named W, but the surgeon is able to travel to the comic world. 25 Task Force is about conning people for the good of society. Uncontrollably Fond is a melodrama that focuses on a rich actor who becomes diagnosed with a terminal disease and falls in love with a girl. This one hits the correct emotions at the right moment. Doctors is about two neurosurgeons falling in love but meet several obstacles in the workplace and their private life. There are a variety of dramas about different things.

Amazingly enough, all those dramas I mentioned are better than most of the trash that are made in the US. If people were to ignore the culture differences and watch Kdramas without any prejudices, they would enjoy watching the art.

Thank you for using Blogs@Baruch!

This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start publishing.

You are using a new WordPress theme that places widgets such as “Recent Posts,” “Recent Comments” and “Archives” in the footer, leaving you maximum space for publishing in this central area. If you prefer to have widgets on the right side of this page, these can be added by going to “Widgets” under the “Appearance” tab in your Dashboard. You can also choose from more than 100 other themes from the “Themes” menu in the Dashboard.

Thank you for using Blogs@Baruch!

This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start publishing.

You are using a new WordPress theme that places widgets such as “Recent Posts,” “Recent Comments” and “Archives” in the footer, leaving you maximum space for publishing in this central area. If you prefer to have widgets on the right side of this page, these can be added by going to “Widgets” under the “Appearance” tab in your Dashboard. You can also choose from more than 100 other themes from the “Themes” menu in the Dashboard.

Thank you for using Blogs@Baruch!

This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start publishing.

You are using a new WordPress theme that places widgets such as “Recent Posts,” “Recent Comments” and “Archives” in the footer, leaving you maximum space for publishing in this central area. If you prefer to have widgets on the right side of this page, these can be added by going to “Widgets” under the “Appearance” tab in your Dashboard. You can also choose from more than 100 other themes from the “Themes” menu in the Dashboard.