My name is Jessica Chu-A-Kong, but many people just call me Jess or Chewy because of my last name. I believe I am a complex person with lots of layers and attributes. First of all, I come from a mixed heritage including being Chinese Guyanese and Indian Guyanese. No one has ever correctly guessed my background but it’s entertaining to let people try. I enjoy trying new things and traveling, yet I have fears of dogs, roller coasters, and failure. Tennis and basketball are my athletic hobbies where my aggressive side can come out; some more passive activities I love are photography, dancing, and lazy days watching movies. I’m generally a down to earth, friendly person, but I also have an edgy side of me. I am nocturnal in that I absolutely hate getting up in the mornings. I have a several career interests like Business, Marketing, and Sociology.
Entering Baruch, I geared myself up for a more hectic life with a busy commute, long classes, and hopefully interning. On Orientation Day, however, one of the many things I remember is that the academic advisor informed us that freshman year is the easiest in terms of workloads. She also said this year is the time we should set out to try new things and explore our options. I really absorbed this information because I think freshman year provides the most freedom since we all have a clean slate where grades and friends are concerned. I expect that freshman year will really provide the foundation of my college experience. I want to take advantage of these two semesters to explore student life and maintain balance in my personal life. I plan on getting involved in several clubs, having fun, but still working hard this year.
Three concerns I had with Baruch were the commute, size, and workload. I have never relied on the subway to get to high school, so commuting to college would be a new experience. I was worried on train delays and being late to class; but now I discovered the train is quite reliable, and a lot more walking than getting a bus ironically. Baruch’s immense student population also worried me coming from a small high school. However, I enjoy the busy feel of coming to big school at the heart of an active city. It’s also refreshing to see everyone focused on their work and what they have to do. Lastly, the college workload rumors were intimidating. However, I find that the freshman courses are much like the ones I took at Townsend Harris High School. I guess the work won’t start piling on until a few years from now. I have to admit, I was a bit anxious about coming to Baruch or coming to college in general. But to my relief, the entire experience has been manageable and even enjoyable so far.