Hello everyone. My name is Ka-Ho Andrew but you can call me Andrew. which is legally my middle name but been using it as my first name since I could remember. My pronouns are he/him. I was born and raised in the Netherlands a small country in Western Europe. I moved to Brooklyn, New York when I was 14 years old. I went to Leadership and public service high school in lower Manhattan near Wall Street. My ethnicity is of Chinese descent, my parents are from China making me Dutch-Chinese. I’m able to speak 3 languages Dutch, Cantonese, and English. In my spare time i like to go to the gym. It keeps me distracted/calm mentally and physically and its healthy for you so its a win-win. also I really enjoy cooking from time to time. Chopping the onions, making porridge, Steaming the broccoli, etc.  I think its important for someone to watch what they are consuming in a everyday bases. I enjoy listening to music i usually listen R&B and hip-hop or anything that comes on the radio. In the past I traveled to several bordering countries London, England seeing tourist attractions like  Big Ben, Buckingham palace, going down the tube. Also to Paris, France seeing the Eifel tower, going to Notre Dame cathedral and also seeing the Mona Lisa in person. I can guarantee you if you ever have the chance to go to Europe you should do it you won’t regret it. Something i enjoy doing is learning more about my Asian Culture. Since i came to the States i have been much closer to my roots than years past. understanding the language more and speaking more often. It brings me closer to my ancestors. I’m excited about my new chapter in life. I hope here at Baruch I can make more lasting memories for years to come.

When I was reading “The First Day” by Edward P. Jones there was one line that surprised me and it was when the kid said “long before I learned to be ashamed of my mother” and I was like why would anyone be ashamed of their own mother. While I was reading through the passage it just showed how the mother and the kid went to the wrong school and when they got to the right school the mom had to fill out a piece of paper. The mom then asked for help to fill out the paper because she didn’t know how to read or write. The author shows the mother as protective and caring because the passage shows how the mom went through all the trouble to get her child to school, towards the end of the passage it even talks about how the mother kept on giving the person who was helping her fill the form every type of document she had on her.

While I was reading “The First Day” by Edward P. Jones, there was one line that grabbed my attention, when the narrator says, “long before I learned to be ashamed of my mother”. This made me wonder why someone would even say this. I felt eager to read on and find out more about the list of reasons why she was ashamed. However, it seemed like the mom was helping to prepare for the first day of school and nothing seemed odd at all. I got frustrated when I found out that the mom cannot read or write because as the daughter, shouldn’t you be helping your mom when she needs it most? I realized that it was her first day of school and she didn’t want her mom to ruin her reputation already. I remember my first days of school each year, I was worried about all the what-ifs so I can understand where she’s coming from. Overall, I would say that I experienced a wave of emotions from the start to the end of the text.

Upon reading Edward P. Jones, “The First Day”, I felt that it was really relatable. When the narrator states “then she shakes her head and says we were at the wrong school, that we should be at walker-jones.” This shows that when the narrator and their mother went into the school, the women at the school was quick to judge them even though there’s usually more than what meets the eye. I thought that women at the school discriminated against or stereotyped them based on what she assumed and because of the area they lived in. I personally think this left a strong impression on me because I believe it has happened many times to many, myself included. Even if you are quick to judge you shouldn’t, go out of your way to act upon it and make them feel lesser than you because there’s no reason for them to. I think the author’s entrance to the school was unfair because they discriminated against her in a way that people should not be treated. An element of this narrative that could be possibly a theme because it’s showing the audience and readers how this discrimination and unfairness can affect everyone. 

When reading “the first day,” at first, I simply thought it was just going to talk about the importance of the first impression because it was talking about the narrator’s clothing. As I continued to read, I saw how it’s actually about how the narrator is witnessing her mother give her the opportunity to get an education that she never had. Her mother doesn’t want the narrator to struggle like she did because now she has the resources to educate her daughter for her to learn those skills. Now this is the part i find the most interesting. the narrator notices behavior in her mother that she’s never seen before. Her mother asking for help. To me this could be because she was too embarrassed to ask for help in the past, maybe to avoid judgement from other people. But since she has lived a life not knowing how to read or write, she now knows what her daughter does need in order to succeed in the world and is only trying to give her a good education.

Hi everyone, my name is Fatima Barrie and my pronouns are she/her. You can call me tima for short since there is another person in this class who shares the same name as me. As of my background, my parents originated from West Africa, Guinea. I can best describe myself as shy and introverted, but it’s also not hard to hold a conversation with me and get me to open up and be more comfortable towards you. I was born in Brooklyn, moved to the Bronx, Manhattan and then the Bronx once more. I moved a lot as a kid because my parents were always looking out for what’s best for their kids. More about my origin, I’m specifically fulani which is my ethnicity and language name as well. We’re also nomads so our place of origin isn’t exactly accurate but it’s believed that we originally migrated from North Africa. I hope to take away many benefits from this class such as how I can improve my writing and just understand more about writing in general. I’m excited to see what I will learn and how it will impact my future.

Hey everybody! My name is Michelle. My pronouns are she/her. I never really know what I should talk about, but I guess we start with a bit of background. I’m Latina, Peruvian and Ecuadorian, to be exact. If you look at me, I probably don’t even look Hispanic till I start talking, and then you’ll notice it. Born and raised here in new york, that also tends to surprise Hispanic people because when I speak Spanish, I sound like I’m a native, which is a great compliment for me. Fun fact: I mainly listen to music in Spanish because, in my opinion, it sounds better and the words flow better in Spanish, so I got a tiny idea of who are the current American artists are. Another thing is that people like to say I’m like pandora’s box. You just never know what to expect from me. I take an interest in a lot of things, I’m passionate about a lot of stuff too, and in all honesty, I’m simply just curious about everything, which makes me want to know about everything, even if it’s a strange question I must google it and find an answer because like I always say its better to know more than you should instead of nothing at all. Something else about me is that I like to say I’m old school with a modern twist. I’ve taken a lot of what my parents have taught me from their generation and have applied it to now, and honestly, it’s the most helpful skill because I know how to deal with most ages, except for the newer generation. They scare me and make me feel old, so I try not to deal with them. It just blows my mind the things they do or say. And well, that’s a bit of me. There’s a lot more than you will probably learn about me throughout the semester, so be prepare. I’m excited about this class because I genuinely enjoy writing in my spare time, so this is very fun for me. I can’t wait to learn new skills in this class.

Following the reading by Edward P. Jones ” The First Day,” my initial response to hearing the narrator say they were ashamed by their mother was surprising and made me ponder on why. The part where her mother explains that she can’t read or write, made me sympathize with her mother, rather than the narrator. With the background knowledge on the mother. I believe that she is just a mother wanting the best for her daughter. As for the daughter being ashamed, I believe she is in the wrong. she should be grateful to have a mother who cares about her education so greatly. Furthermore, after reading about her entrance into school, it was like deja vu. I remember when my mother used to walk me to school every day While Waiting to see all my friends walk with me. An element the narrator utilizes is sensory details. She describes her outfit, her entrance, and the school to help give the audience a better scope on her First Day.

Hey everyone, Khushpreet here. You guys can call me Khush if Khushpreet is too long. My pronouns are he/him. I was born and raised in Queens but ethnically I’m Punjabi. I grew up in Richmond Hill until I was 12 and then my family and I moved to South Ozone Park. I lived in NYC for my whole life and am very fond of this city. I attended Brooklyn Technical High School and my experience there made it much smoother for me in adjusting to college. With a high-school that had 6,000+ students and moved at a fast place, it almost felt like college. I really enjoy playing soccer as it has taught me a lot and helped me grow as a person. I love listening to music and am usually open to any type so let me know if you have any recommendations. I also enjoy socializing with new people and friends and going out since I love to travel to new places. I’m entering Baruch College as a Finance major and I plan on sticking with it. Initially, I didn’t really know what I was going to do in college in terms of my major, and I still feel like I’m not completely sure but Finance seems like a safe bet. With Covid being a large part of most of our lives in the past year and half, I tried to make the most of the pandemic. I picked up and started learning new skills like designing, editing, and fiction writing. Both of my parents grew up in Punjab, India and have strongly imposed their roots on me, something that I actually appreciate. It helps me connect with a different culture, something unique and exciting. I hope Baruch helps me connect with new people and put me onto a path of success.

While reading “The First Day” by Edward P Jones the first thing that struck out to me was the sentence where the author states “long before I learned to be ashamed of my mother”.  This struck out to me because the author was claiming to be ashamed of the mom which is something that shouldn’t happen when the mom did everything for them. The author was ashamed of her mom because later on it then indirectly states that the mom cant read or write when it came to fill out a form stating “1 can’t read it. I don’t know how to read or write, and I’m asking you to help me.”. The author is most likely embarrassed because right after the women couldn’t understand the mom she look toward the author asking if they can help her. An inference I can make out of her first day of school is that this her a new beginning for her and she’s excited to have a new fresh.