Author Archives: maxine.fuchs

The workshop, Baruch Voices, which took place in Mason Hall, was a very moving experience. I was able to hear a number of freshman monologues, revealing their personal stories, which gave me real insight into their lives. The monologues ranged from being deeply serious to extremely humorous. These monologues were performed by terrific actors and actresses who were very engaging and inspirational. Overall I was really impressed.

Our class trip to the Rubin Museum was both educational and fascinating. The Museum was the perfect size.  Not too overwhelmingly huge, yet large enough to be comprehensive. The building itself was remarkable, for it had a unique sweeping staircase and very spacious exhibit rooms. These exhibits showcased an immense amount of art from the Himalayan culture. There were various paintings, sculptures, statues,and beautiful pieces of jewelry from both the Buddhist and Hindu religions. Even for someone who is not the most cultured person, like me, this experiences was a great one. The vibe was so relaxing and peaceful, sort of rejuvenating spiritually. The good collection of art, from many places like Nepal, Tibut, Bhutan, India, China, etc., was far from familiar for most western people. That is part of what makes this museum so unique from many others.

Subject: Social Media Networking through Twitter

This past Thursday on November 3, I attended a workshop on how one can utilize twitter as a valuable business online network. Twitter’s has a mass communication capability that makes it easy to connect with people. There were many key points this workshop discussed.  The main ones included things like making sure you are clear in showing others what you want to talk about. Also important that the content on ones twitter profile page is appropriate and appealing, because that is mostly how one gains followers. Retweeting others is also a big aspect, so that others don’t get bored of those who only promote themselves. Mix it up and make it interesting! Additionally #hash-tagging others is yet another way to get connected on twitter. Linking to other social conversation shows other that you are paying attention to their pages as well. Lastly twitter offers a further network feature that creates wider opportunities and it is called ‘twitter discussions’ which is like a group chat at certain times of the day. This workshop gave me a greater knowledge and better understanding of how useful twitter can actually be.

For my community service involvement I connected with a certain organization called i-Shine. It’s geared towards nurturing young children who have at least one immediate family member suffering from cancer or some other type of serious illness. A volunteers’ job there is to give the child they set you up with, 4.5 hours worth of undivided, special, one-on-one, attention, which they’re lacking in their own homes.  Since their families are so tied up with aiding the sick member, they often unavoidably neglect some of these young children because they simply just don’t have the time. Therefore these children come here so they could have a few hours a week to shine themselves. I was paired up with a 7 yr old girl whom I instantly formed a bond with. I helped her with her homework, played a few games, and had dinner with her. I think she impacted me more than I even impacted her. Therefore I have made a commitment to help out there one a month.

Hi Professor Lee,

During the Mondays MTH_2003_GRTZ class you stated that for assignment#3 question #27 to use the second derivative theorem. However, I am having trouble as to how to find the delta x?  Am I supposed to set delta Y to the Ymin and solve from there?

Thank you

Maxie Fuchs

Freshman Seminar Monologue

The college experience is different and unique for everyone. But  what does the college experience mean? How can you take advantage and make the most of your time in college? The college experience is very important to most new incoming freshmen. For the first time in their life they are free from their parents, and can do whatever they like. College is a time where you gain your own independence, but with more independence comes a lot more responsibilities. It’s about freedom, and the freedom to pick one thing over another. Its about empowerment, and with that empowerment comes choice, courage and change. And while making money, and finding a career might be the main purpose of college, it’s not the only one. It’s important to take advantage of these next few years and take advantage of the opportunity to create your own future and make a difference. And not to lose hope even when you run into obstacles and things seem hard. Appreciate both the good experiences and the bad. Take time and see how you can learn from your mistakes.

But it was difficult for me to see my purpose in life, what I’m good at, and how I can make a difference and leave my mark. I spent time thinking about who in my life is my role model, and who in my life is my inspiration, who in my life has taught me the concept of appreciation. Over the years I have had my family, friends, teachers, and peer mentors repeatedly ask me the same question: That being “If you could spend ONE day as someone else or “walk ONE mile in someone else’s shoes,” what type of person would that be?

My natural inclination was choosing someone who is lucky, someone famous, someone rich, someone fortunate. But I later realized where would that leave me? Sooner or later I’m back with who I am, and for better or worse that’s probably where I’d want to be. Would spending time as someone who seems to have everything leave me better than I was before? Perhaps. Perhaps it would leave me embittered. After all, I can’t take it with me.

In one day?  What would could I possibly learn poolside, or in the ski slopes, or in the casinos of Monte Carlo, or even in the boardrooms of the elite? One day would not give me a true inkling of what a person who has everything lives like. All people have problems, certainly, but they are masked much of the time, smoothed over by the comforts that money can buy. I don’t think I would waste that opportunity, if it were presented, for one day in silk sneakers.

But time in the shoes and torn socks of someone who struggles; one day is everyday. One day of hunger, one day in poverty, one day in danger, one day without the comfort of family, or security. What is it like to worry about tomorrow, even if today is taken care of? What is it like to mourn for past mistakes that may have lead to a bleak future? How hard is it really to turn your life around when there are few resources and opportunities? When people speak of someone lifting themselves up by their bootstraps, what does that really mean?

My grandfather was born in Poland; survived the Auschwitz concentration camp, and came to America as adults. My grandfather worked for almost three years in the crematoria of Auschwitz as part of the Sondercommando, the Germans forced labor-killing machine. Like many other survivors, he came to this country with just the few items that were on his back. He had no place to live, no money to spend, and no family to rely on, nothing. My grandfather built a life for himself. He worked hard to get where he wanted to be and did not let the horrendous past bring him down. Rather, he gained from his experiences and learned lessons that made him a stronger person. When my grandfather died at the age of 82 I was only 7 years old. However, even at such a young age, I was old enough to know him, old enough to feel his aura, and old enough to miss him when he was gone.

What made him different was the fact that he lived through the Holocaust.  From his experience, he was able to appreciate what life gave him and demonstrate to others how lucky and fortunate they really are. Only one in every thousand survived the death camps. And I believe he was one of them for a reason. He taught me the anguish, the hope, and the promise that day follows night no matter how bad things seem. He taught me that within my DNA lives a survival instinct that can get me through the toughest things in life. Today may be dark, but tomorrow will be light.

Each person is put on this world to fulfill a task. Before time runs out, its important we leave here knowing we made a difference. My grandfather left his mark on me, and impacted my life in a tremendous way. From him, I learned to be a better person and to appreciate even the small things in life. I hope to influence others the same way I was influenced. I hope to learn valuable lessons like these to build a life on. If I were only given one day, I would choose to learn from an experience that I could treasure forever.

My full name is Maxine Starr Fuchs. However, everyone calls me Maxie. I am 18 years old and was born right here in New York City. I grew up in long island though and have not really experienced the outside world much. I went to a Jewish private school called HAFTR my entire life and have been friends with the same people since I was 3. You can probably say i grew up in a bubble. My whole life I have had everything set out for me by my parents and teachers, but now it’s the first time i will have to make my own decisions and blaze my own trail.  I love that Baruch has given me my schedule for this semester and has forced me to be in the classes I am in because otherwise I would have not been lucky enough to meet all you wonderful people. As far as hobbies go, I don’t really have any besides for my passion to run. I love exercising and try to find time to do so each day. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this upcoming year. I hope it wont be a let down.