Author Archives: Julissa Mackey

Q. Tell us how your experience at Baruch College has lived up to your expectations? Not lived up to them? Exceeded them?

A. I’m not disappointed but college hasn’t been the experience most people expect. That’s reasonable though. In a city college most people have other things going on, myself included.

Q. How well do you think your first semester at Baruch went?

A. To be honest, not very well at all. I will try harder, I have to.

Q. What would you do differently during your first semester if you could do it all again?

A. I had trouble just taking things seriously since none of my professors would hound me for assignments and I don’t really soicalize in school. My work deserved more attention and time.

Q. How have you changed since you started at baruch?

A. I started of the year with all of my preofessors liking me and doing well at work and now I can say that all of that is gone. I matured in a weird way because though I did slack off, now I know how terrible of a feeling I get from doing it. Sure the things I did instead of school work was cool at the time but looking back, not really worth the extra work now. Not to mention feeling crumby.

Q. Tell us how your experience at Baruch College has lived up to your expectations? Not lived up to them? Exceeded them?

A. I’m not disappointed but college hasn’t been the experience most people expect. That’s reasonable though. In a city college most people have other things going on, myself included.

Q. How well do you think your first semester at Baruch went?

A. To be honest, not very well at all. I will try harder, I have to.

Q. What would you do differently during your first semester if you could do it all again?

A. I had trouble just taking things seriously since none of my professors would hound me for assignments and I don’t really soicalize in school. My work deserved more attention and time.

Q. How have you changed since you started at baruch?

A. I started of the year with all of my preofessors liking me and doing well at work and now I can say that all of that is gone. I matured in a weird way because though I did slack off, now I know how terrible of a feeling I get from doing it. Sure the things I did instead of school work was cool at the time but looking back, not really worth the extra work now. Not to mention feeling crumby.

Julissa Mackey December 18, 2011
Freshman Seminar

The Importance of Community Service

What would this world be if we were all money-driven and incapable of giving? What would happen to the less fortunate, the blind, the meek? If we do not stop the cycle of selfishness within ourselves we can never stop the struggle of the helpless in our world.
New Yorkers feel the sting of the harsh winter’s cold everyday around the holidays. How many of them think of those have to go without that cup of Starbucks coffee and new warm coat and gloves.
There is an unlimited amount of things to be grateful for year-round, and the lucky folk should keep this feeling gratitude going by bringing it to the lives of others.
In this essay, I will shed some light on something that is more than a nice thing to add on to your resumé. Community service is what keeps humans humane and here’s how.
Doug George arrived in Biloxi, Mississippi on November 7, 2005. He had signed up to aid Katrina victims for five days “but quickly realized that even 500 days would not be enough.” Hurricane Katrina was a category 4 storm with the sixth-lowest atmospheric pressure on record. There were sustained winds gunning at 145 miles per hour and a atom surge of 20 – 30 feet.
George arrived to see the damage. Trees over one hundred feet tall laying over homes, flattening neighborhoods. Roofs had been stripped down leaving everything inside exposed to the terror of the storm.
In a reflection this good Samaritan posted on sound waves, a government web site that advocates volunteer work, he speaks of his encounter with a man named Tuli. Tuli is described as a man rendered homeless post-Katrina. Doug George met this man after he had been sleeping on his soggy mattress for two months. Tuli went back to his barren and ruined home after the disaster to retrieve what he could.
He was left to take only his bed which was then wrapped in plastic and tape to keep from harming himself, and wedding photos of his son and new daughter-in-law.
George states that “the human capacity to bear suffering was far greater than [he] had imagined.” The volunteer worked endless hours in horrifying conditions with little supplies and no monitory profit. So why would he go through such trouble and heart ache for some strangers in trouble? Doug George says, “…the moment a victim smiles in genuine appreciation as you stand with legs bloodied, shoulders aching, body caked in mud and soaked in sweat, nose raw from the rubbing of a face mask—that smile turns you around to swing the sledge for one more hour. I hope to see Tuli’s house a home again and return his smile.”
What volunteers did for Katrina victims will go down in history as one of the most heartwarming acts people could do for the city. However, there is no form of community service too small. Any help at all is significant to someone in a way we may never understand. Getting involved is up to us and we can be as creative and devoted as we choose. Whether it is signing up at soup kitchen, building homes, or even just donating clothing to your local donation center it is giving (not only time and labor) the less fortunate hope for a better tomorrow.
Sure, we would all rather be hanging out with our friends. Getting the motivation to help our community member can feel like a drag, but community service is a moral obligation for everyone, even celebrities, and we should all sacrifice some time to experience that sense of good at least once.
When I was younger I did not see the point of this righteous duty. Now that I have experienced living away from my parents, working and having to care for myself, I have a new perspective. I know and have witnessed how quickly and easily life can become overwhelming. Knowing that there are people out there that will help if things ever go poorly for me is a good feeling.

Julissa Mackey December 18, 2011
Freshman Seminar

The Importance of Community Service

What would this world be if we were all money-driven and incapable of giving? What would happen to the less fortunate, the blind, the meek? If we do not stop the cycle of selfishness within ourselves we can never stop the struggle of the helpless in our world.
New Yorkers feel the sting of the harsh winter’s cold everyday around the holidays. How many of them think of those have to go without that cup of Starbucks coffee and new warm coat and gloves.
There is an unlimited amount of things to be grateful for year-round, and the lucky folk should keep this feeling gratitude going by bringing it to the lives of others.
In this essay, I will shed some light on something that is more than a nice thing to add on to your resumé. Community service is what keeps humans humane and here’s how.
Doug George arrived in Biloxi, Mississippi on November 7, 2005. He had signed up to aid Katrina victims for five days “but quickly realized that even 500 days would not be enough.” Hurricane Katrina was a category 4 storm with the sixth-lowest atmospheric pressure on record. There were sustained winds gunning at 145 miles per hour and a atom surge of 20 – 30 feet.
George arrived to see the damage. Trees over one hundred feet tall laying over homes, flattening neighborhoods. Roofs had been stripped down leaving everything inside exposed to the terror of the storm.
In a reflection this good Samaritan posted on sound waves, a government web site that advocates volunteer work, he speaks of his encounter with a man named Tuli. Tuli is described as a man rendered homeless post-Katrina. Doug George met this man after he had been sleeping on his soggy mattress for two months. Tuli went back to his barren and ruined home after the disaster to retrieve what he could.
He was left to take only his bed which was then wrapped in plastic and tape to keep from harming himself, and wedding photos of his son and new daughter-in-law.
George states that “the human capacity to bear suffering was far greater than [he] had imagined.” The volunteer worked endless hours in horrifying conditions with little supplies and no monitory profit. So why would he go through such trouble and heart ache for some strangers in trouble? Doug George says, “…the moment a victim smiles in genuine appreciation as you stand with legs bloodied, shoulders aching, body caked in mud and soaked in sweat, nose raw from the rubbing of a face mask—that smile turns you around to swing the sledge for one more hour. I hope to see Tuli’s house a home again and return his smile.”
What volunteers did for Katrina victims will go down in history as one of the most heartwarming acts people could do for the city. However, there is no form of community service too small. Any help at all is significant to someone in a way we may never understand. Getting involved is up to us and we can be as creative and devoted as we choose. Whether it is signing up at soup kitchen, building homes, or even just donating clothing to your local donation center it is giving (not only time and labor) the less fortunate hope for a better tomorrow.
Sure, we would all rather be hanging out with our friends. Getting the motivation to help our community member can feel like a drag, but community service is a moral obligation for everyone, even celebrities, and we should all sacrifice some time to experience that sense of good at least once.
When I was younger I did not see the point of this righteous duty. Now that I have experienced living away from my parents, working and having to care for myself, I have a new perspective. I know and have witnessed how quickly and easily life can become overwhelming. Knowing that there are people out there that will help if things ever go poorly for me is a good feeling.

Monologue
I seriously doubt that more than three people in this class know my name. So what am I supposed to talk to a group of strangers about? Maybe introduce myself. “Hi my name is Julissa. A lot of people call me Julie”.
The reason many of you do not know me well isn’t because I have a social issue or dislike anyone here, I simply have time management issues. I registered for my classes late. I arrive to class late if at all (by the way the attendance policy here at Baruch is highly annoying) and haven’t really felt the motivation to give any of my classes this year my all. I’m slacking this year.
In high school, I easily got straight A’s and made it to both school and work on time. Now in college, definitely the more important institute, I can’t seem to find the will. After class I’m a real “go-getter”. I haven’t been unemployed since I was about 14 years old. Everyone outside of this building knows me to be responsible and logical. I cannot seem to figure why this is such a trouble to me, so that’s as far as the topic will go.
A five minute monologue, and I have about four more minutes to go. I could tell you all about something I find really interesting or purposely bore you. Since this is my first impression with most people here, I’ll be kind.
I currently work at a clothing store, American Apparel. We’re one of the distributors for a publication called Vice Magazine. It’s creative and funny and gross and they give the company free advertisement for the handouts. I was flipping through some of the pages earlier in the month and came across an article on seasteading. A seasteader is someone so fed up with life here in the United States, or where ever it is they’re loathing life, that he/she finally decides to build their own country in International waters.
This is totally legit and legal. Eric Klien is one of the big names in this biz. He’s a libertarian as most seasteaders are which means he values individual liberty. Klein began the Atlantis project in the late 90’s with some success. True, there is no current Nation of Atlantis due to a millionaire or two losing hope in the idea, but he’s back on the map with the Lifeboat Foundation.
The Lifeboat Foundation will basically be an international medical haven for those seeking cures the FDA may not have approved yet or American researchers haven’t looked into. This seems crazy to average joes like us kind folk but the movement is real. We can all be president. Maybe even king or queen.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/XjMQmXAJ3y4" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Who do I think I am?
This question is still confusing as I’m sure it is for most of my peers. I work hard to be able to save and attend school but don’t have time for any school work. I think I am confused.
What are my top 3 concerns about freshman year?
1. failing
2. losing touch with my friends
3. giving up on myself
How is college different from high school so far?
I wasn’t forced to drop a class if I was absent more than 3 times. I’m a good student and I’m smart. I also have a job and get tired. My professors have a lot to do as well I’m sure. Sympathy would be grrrreeeeeatt.
How will college change me?
How do I know?