Who Are WE? We're PR3!

I’m sure by now; everyone in this room is familiar with me, Derek. It’s been a little over a month since we’ve all started our college careers together in block 57. At first, I was really skeptic about making friends with everyone. It felt so different from high school, where everyone knew me and I could instantly connect with anyone. I spent the first couple weeks of college just hanging out with Elvin and anyone else I knew from before college. It felt weird just randomly associating with people from my class. But now, it feels completely different. This freshman seminar class really helped me get to know everyone. At first, it was like we were being forced to interact, and that was just awkward. Gradually, it became comfortable.

You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolf pack. But when I found out I was going to Baruch with Elvin, I knew he was one of my own. And my wolf pack… it grew by one. So there… there were two of us in the wolf pack… I was alone first in the pack, and then Elvin  joined in later. And a month ago, when we were first introduced to you guys, I thought, “Wait a second, could it be?” And now I know for sure, I just added twenty more guys to my wolf pack. Twenty of us wolves, running around Baruch together, looking for strippers and cocaine.

Baruch was definitely lacking the homely feeling that I had from high school during the first couple weeks of class. I didn’t know where to go or what to do during my breaks, but that has begun to change. I’m not saying I feel quite at home yet, but I don’t feel like a complete stranger anymore. Naturally, I started bonding with others, and saw how our small “block 57” came together. I know, I don’t get to hang out with you guys much after school, but that’s just because I have to go to work. But the time we do spend together during our free time is pretty cool. I learned that Matt Scott is an awesome math teacher, and I learned more from our small study group than what Professor Miller has taught us the past month. I learned that Andy and Thomas are actually pretty damn good at handball. And I learned that Aleksandra totally wants me (just kidding). All these small things are apart of the college experience that we’re going to look back on ten years from now and really miss. So besides all this Gauss Jordan stuff from calculus and forty page readings about slaves for English, Baruch isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

Born and raised in liberal New York City to conservative parents who emigrated from India, I am someone who is constantly evaluating everything around me to define what my personal values are. Of course, it’s not nearly over yet as I still have much to explore about myself and my world, but right now, I’m chillen.

I came to realize that I’m extremely liberal, which is not unusual in this city. Throughout high school, my little self-discovery missions resulted in my desiring more independence from my restrictive parents. I prefer a resource-based economy to the monetary system the world is now committed to. I highly support cannabis legalization and gay marriage, and I’m pro-choice. Therefore, I’m no longer a Catholic.

I’m mad blunt. I say things as they are and don’t hesitate to question myself if I know doing so will allow me to learn something new. I like debating with people smarter than myself, and I especially like to prove people wrong when they are arrogantly ignorant, though not as much as I like to teach something to someone who’s willing and grateful to be educated, as that just sends good vibes, and I love good vibes. I don’t judge on first impressions, and I respect privacy and secrets. I don’t really get offended by anything. If I had to pick a political party, I’d be a Democrat who opposes big government.

I like to research and discuss social issues. I have a lot to say about a lot of things, and of course my views are dynamic – dependent on evidence and conclusive reports, along with personal experience if it is relevant to the topic. That means there’s the potential for my views to drastically alter, because it’s important for me to stay open-minded. I’m just mad real, yo. Peace&Love, take care.

Sife, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness