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Who am i? Well lets start with, my name is Mayank Suneja. I am a freshman at Baruch College. I was born in New Delhi, India and spent most of my life growing up there. When i moved to NY at first, almost 6 years ago, i thought to myself “Damn, this is different.” And sure enough it was different. It took me a while to get used to this new culture and this new life. However, i am the least paranoid person you are ever likely to meet. So i did not panic, and as time passed by, i blended in with the lifestyle and the friendly culture of this city. I identify myself as a very ambitious young man who wants to achieve something big in life and make his family proud. Alright so enough of this boring, introductory stuff.

A lot of people are scared of heights, some of are scared of fire, some are scared of water. To be honest, none of these “physical” things scare me too much. what does scare is my future and also my grades. I hate it when i get a low grade. I always have a guilty feeling and say to myself “i could have studied more.” But then again, that is how i learn. My motto is “Never regret anything, just learn from your mistakes and move on” I had this guilty feeling when i did not live up to my potential in high school. Cutting classes, hanging out with friends in the cafeteria, really brought my overall Gpa down. But, being the positive person that i am, i hoped for the best. One day when i was collecting the mail, i saw a letter from Baruch College. I opened it to see that not only have i been accepted, i have also been offered a full scholarship. I was not only surprised but also overjoyed. My parents were very proud of me.

Now that i am a student in Baruch, it hasn’t been too easy. Its a challenge. So much reading, so many papers due, blog posts, monolouges, etc. However, its been a challenge that i like and have gotten used to. I like the freedom and the independence i get being out in one of the best cities in the world. i like meeting new people everyday of such diversity and making new friends. The only two things i do NOT like, as i am sure my classmates would agree, are sitting through my Sociology and English class. Oh God, they are so boring i can’t even describe it.

Finally, ill move on to the things that are very important to me. My family, friends, blah blah of course are important to me. Other than that, i am a HUGE soccer fan. I often call soccer my “second girlfriend.” Yeah i know that sounds lame. But, i really am that crazy about soccer. My weekends start with watching English Premier League Soccer and if i have time, going to play with my friends in the evening. My favorite team is, of course, the BEST team in the world, MANCHESTER UNITED. Also, my ex girlfriend, my best friend is very important to me. She means the world to me. There is nothing in this world that i will not do for her. She has become such a huge part of my life and i feel that i can never stop loving her. I want to dedicate a couple of lines from one of my favorite songs to her, “When i see your face, there’s not a thing that i would change, Coz girl you’re amazing, just the way you are.”

A little bit less than six months ago, I was working on monologues—at that time, it wasn’t my own, but that of Shakespeare. I was the producer of the last Shakespeare class I would have in High School, and I was making the most of it.

I was working with one actor, who played Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, and he was doing the most amazing job. I remember very clearly, knowing in my head that this actor was definitely the one I wanted for Petruchio. He had the strength of an ox (perfect for carrying his leading lady), the work ethic of an over-achiever (good for memorizing lines), and the all the charm and charisma one could hope for in a leading man.

I have always been very much into the theater and music. 

When I was younger, my cousins and I were obsessed with boy bands. We would learn all of their songs and dances, and we put on insanely elaborate performances at family gatherings. I was the youngest cousin, though, so I always ended up having the crappy parts. 

Soon enough though, I got my part. Two of my cousins and I decided to form a band. We didn’t have a name, and we performed on the sidewalk using my uncles’ ukulele (or as we called it, a cuatro), a bucket with a string attached, and some maracas. We only knew one song—“Your Love” by the Outfield.

I was six years old, it was my absolute favorite song, and I got to be lead singer/maracas player. We made horrible, horrible music, but that’s okay because I was the lead singer.

Soon after that, I started making better music. I took lessons to learn how to play the steel pan. This is perhaps the coolest instrument I have ever played. My teacher thought that I was amazing, and encouraged me to become a professional player, but I was satisfied with just playing at school assemblies. Now, that I’ve stopped playing for so long, I definitely wished that I would have continued with that. I still crave the way the rhythms rolled through my wrists as steel connected with rubber and beautiful sounds resounded.

I stopped playing the steel pan because I moved here to America. I couldn’t really find a satisfactory teacher at the time.

When I moved here, I was entering middle school. Those were three wonderful years. In middle school, I was in the drum line. It was a weird afro-fusion drum line, and I played the jamblaya and the claves.

When I entered High School, I was overwhelmed. I was getting four-five hours of sleep a night, and didn’t have much time for anything. But, I started making time for things. Especially things I really enjoyed. In High School, I started doing things on my own. I picked up guitar and ukulele, and started really getting into theater.

I was in two bands—one, a temporary band made to woo a girl for my friend, and another one of my own, which still exists but is inactive (and extremely so). The other band members are at colleges in lands much too far away.

 I went to countless concerts, and made cool new friends at these concerts.

I’ve always been into Harry Potter, but I started getting into wizard rock, and made awesome friends who make habit out of touring the country, singing about Harry Potter (which I think is the coolest thing. Ever.) 

I started reading myriads of screen plays, and going to a plethora of broadway shows, and off-broadway shows, and off-off-broadway shows. Eventually I made a couple of friends in that business too.

 Overall, I have had a pretty good amount of years doing this, and I hope to continue with that, whether it be on my own, or joining in with an existing program. 

Ah Education. The ideas of curriculum and understanding, such a boring concept. It perplexes me that there are so many fields of education yet such a lack of focus in the earlier years of education. I have come to the hypothesis that the reason I lack focus is because of my earlier experiences in public school. Being diagnosed with ADHD is no fun time but what’s even less fun is being so doped up you can’t even stay awake in the morning. So in public school I went from not being able to sit still to not being able to stand straight. Society is brilliant. But enough of my anecdote, on to my point, curriculum in public schools is so convoluted and confusing it doesn’t surprise me that most kids have problems focusing. They shove basics from 4 corners of existence down our throats daily without any regard for whether or not it sticks and then they expect us to regurgitate it for years upon years afterwards. Hold on a second I lost my train of thought. All I can think of is basic arithmetic and the drafting of the constitution of the US. Damn elementary understanding of this world. Well now that I’ve forgotten what my point was I think ill go sit down to absorb more knowledge that Ill have to judge for myself. Just hope I find a good use somewhere along the road. Or at least a few decent hookers.

“Health is wealth. Peace of Mind is Happiness. Yoga shows the way.”- Swami Vishnudevananda.

In June, I was confronted with a black and white question, no not physically between chocolate and vanilla ice cream, but whether I should go through an rigorous 200 hour teachers training course to become a yoga teacher or not. I knew that physically I would be prepared to deal with the asanas, from my eight years of experience, but I really did not know if I was ready mentally. The fact was, I did not know if I was able to address questions such as “who am I?” and “what is my purpose in life?” or even defy those ideas. How is a seventeen year old person supposed to answers these kinds of questions if I do not even know what I am going to wear tomorrow or what I will be doing ten years from now! I knew I was one of the youngest to complete this course because as I sat there in that gargantuan hallow hall and saw that the youngest person there was twenty-eight, and the oldest was seventy-four. This was going to be a journey, and it was a journey that is now a perpetual part of my life.

As I learned through many mind-boggling lectures with a Swami, I realized that Yoga is not just a theory, but a practical way of life. It is a tool, an instrument for me whether it is used to mitigate some back pain with a certain posture or to calm my mind from the chaos that envelops me on a daily basis. As I continued with my practice in yoga, there became elusive changes in my life such as small glimpses into a state of inner peace. I became much more cognizant of my surroundings, my actions, and my thoughts. Even from the thirty minute mediations twice I day, I began to become much more concentrated, even in my approach to life.

In today’s society, more than at any other time in history of humanity, people are facing stresses and tensions that are beyond their control. While I may not know who I want to become, or even “who I am,” my one objective right now is to try and give back to individuals the beneficial methods I have learned through this yoga experience.

Alexandra Bauer

Who am I? My name is Richard Choi and I was born and raised in New York. I guess college is alright so far, but I really have to start managing my time better and adjust to the recently-increasing workload. I still can’t seem to get myself to start my homework once I get home. My procrastination is probably due to my interests, so I guess I shall be telling you all a little more about myself.

There’s a lot of things that get on my nerves, but the things I dislike the most would be: heights, rollercoasters, carrots (they just taste awful), and most of all, strangers around my age who tease me and find me vulnerable. In all honesty, I consider myself a short, awkward- geek…gamer geek to be exact! Electronics, video games, the internet, and randomness are in my comfort zone. I’m an avid Nintendo fan, but also love video games such as NBA 2K11, Call of Duty, Ninja Gaiden, Street Fighter, and much, much more. Most of my life revolves around video games and technology. To be honest, I unintentionally end up researching and watching gameplay of video games, for systems that I don’t even own. Speaking of watching videos, I also love the internet; specifically for Internet-memes and YouTube. I’ve spent more time watching videos on YouTube than I do watching TV. I find it unfortunate that I can never really discuss any television shows with my friends. Anyway, personality-wise, I love being random. What makes me laugh the most are random jokes that defy the laws of physics. I also tend to be very laidback, humble, and caring at serious times; I love to help people out with any difficult situations they may be going through in life.

I don’t do much, so I guess art is my talent and helps me stand out. The thing I love to do most is draw, although that doesn’t mean I enjoy Art History! I’ve won the grand prize trophy in an art contest when I was in 5^th grade. In 6^th grade, I got 6^th place in another contest, having only lost to college students. Drawing helps me express myself and it just relaxes me. It’s more fun when people are actually impressed by my drawings and comment on them. I sometimes accept drawing requests online and have been praised for my unique ideas, but that doesn’t mean that I am anywhere near professional.

My goals in life? Well when it comes to goals, I don’t really have any in mind. I don’t really know what I want to major in. I’ve mentioned a lot about my interests, which makes me ponder on future possibilities such as: animating a cartoon, developing a video game, or possibly making a YouTube Partners channel, but they are not what I fully desire. While I am currently attending Baruch College, I still can’t seem to grasp an interest in any business major yet. I also can’t really see myself actively engaging in business.

Baruch College is really nice and so are the people that go here, but sometimes I wonder if I’m at the right place. I hope I can find my calling in life real soon. Life can be challenging a lot of the time, but I guess it’s important for me to try and stay optimistic despite being in difficult situations.

How I see myself is as a car enthusiast, an avid skier, cyclist, and a good son and friend. I’m always willing to try something new and love the life that I have. Since in can remember, sports and cars were a passion of mine. Both passions started when I was young. My father thought me how to ski when I was very little, seven years old to be exact. I have grown to love the sport as I aged and gained more experience. Now I go skiing almost every weekend in the winter. Skiing, to me, gives a rush of adrenaline like no other. When I am going down a steep slope at a fast rate of speed, the only thing between me and the snow is a just a pair of skis. It is fun to see what I can handle and be on the borderline of crossing my limit. When it is not skiing season, cycling takes over. It keeps me fit and gets me places that I need to go if I can’t drive there.

Another passion of mine is cars. My love of cars also started when I was young. There was just something that I loved about them; I don’t know if it was the sound they made, the speed they could reach, or just the sleek design of some, or maybe all these things and even more, but that something made me like them. As I got older, this passion became more involved. When I was about ten years old, my father bought me a racing go-kart. I loved racing it upstate on weekends. The feeling I got behind the wheel was like no other; driving at 50 mph only two inches from the ground was an exhilarating feeling. Although I stopped two years later, my love of cars still continues. Now that I have a license, I love to drive my car around and to take care of it by washing it and detailing it whenever I get the time. I also love to watch car shows and to go to car shows, such as the annual Auto Show in the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan.

Friends also play an important role in my life. I love to hang out with them whenever I can. We always have a great time, whether it’s playing sports or just talking about all the things in our lives. We are always in some sort of competition whenever we play sports, even if we say we won’t argue there’s always some argument on who has how many points or if a certain point counted, but we always end the argument after a few minutes and continue to play. Recently towards the end of summer vacation we all went go-karting at Grand Prix New York in Westchester. Overall, we had a blast and had some “friendly” competition between each of us.

Two months ago, school started for all of us. So far, school has been great in my opinion. I love being in one of the most active cities in the world. Everything you want is within reach in Manhattan. I’ve made many friends. I love the free time in between classes that I have this semester. My biggest challenge thus far in college is the workload that the professors give us. The challenge is to get everything done, and to also get a good grade. Overall, college is more a free environment. You are free to do whatever you want. No one is after you if you don’t complete something. This freedom, however, does come with more responsibility. But hey this is college; no one said it would be easy.

Who am I? I’m Andy Feng who is currently a freshman in Bernard Baruch college. Overall, I would say I’m a shy person who is still getting accustomed to Baruch. Like many other students in Baruch, I am a huge procrastinator. I usually work on my assignments and readings when it is the day before it is due. During my free time, if I have any, I usually call my friends out to play handball. It is also a way for me to have fun and relieve stress from all the work college has piled up for me. I HATE mosquitos. Whenever I hear a sound from a mosquito, I immediately wake up and go after it. If I don’t kill it, I won’t sleep. If I am too tired, I would actually pick up my pillow and blanket and migrate to the couch and sleep.

Roller coasters are liked by many people, but I am surely not one of them. I hate the feeling of how my stomach turns around when the ride is going downward very fast. Every time I mention that, people would snap back saying that the feeling is the best. Not only that, I never trusted the safety regulations that they use to “protect” you from falling. Ever since I was little, I always thought that I would slip. After riding the Cyclone from Coney Island, I never want to ride any roller coasters ever again. The Cyclone had no seat belts. Instead, they only have a metal bar that you must hang on to. From that ride alone, I got two bruises from banging my arm and I almost slipped out of the ride.

Bernard Baruch college has been treating me very well since the first day of school. The transition from high school to college is not as difficult except for the excessive amount of reading each night. During my high school days, I get out of school with about 1 hour worth of work before I am free to play games or watch television. In college, by the time I get home, it is already around 6. All the reading and assignments take up all the rest of my time. B the time I get everything done, it is about 12AM already. This is the worst part of college. I am the type of people who needs about 9-10 hours of sleep before I am satisfied. If I get less than that, I tend to fall back asleep. It is always very hard for me to wake up every morning. I snooze my alarm at least 4 times a day in order for me to force myself to the bathroom and get ready. Other than that, everything else is just what I want it to be.

After about two months of school, I met many new friends. They are all very friendly and co-operative when we are doing schoolwork. When I have trouble with some of my work, they would be there to help and correct my mistakes. In return, I offer what I can to help them out. When tests are coming, we all study together trying to get the best grades possible even though that never turns out successful. Meeting these friends, it helped me relieve a ton of stress because we’re able to joke around and forget all about the upcoming tests or assignments. But when it was time to get things cracking, they would be here to remind me that the due date is near.

All in all, I feel that I am becoming more mature because of college. I feel that I have gained more freedom than before. I also got more work and bought more coffee but like everyone said, “That’s the college life.”

My monologue is in powerpoint format, olga. You said we could so I did. I have pictures on it that I elaborate on when I present so it may not make complete sense just by looking at the powerpoint but generally there should be some understand.

How I would describe myself? I consider myself to be outgoing, honest and an overall fun person to be around. I see myself as an avid volunteer in multiple organizations, which include North Shore Animal League, AHRC Nassau, Harlem Church outreach as well as a local church with an after school/ summer program specifically designed for children with disabilities. I am the oldest child in the family and I have a sister who is two years younger than I am.
I believe that I am very good with listening to the problems people may have since I enjoy being able to offer advice in many different perspectives. I enjoy spending time with my friends and family or even just driving around aimlessly passing beautiful scenery. If you haven’t been able to tell from my last sentence, I completely lack a sense of direction. Even with a GPS installed in my car, I find it difficult to stay on the road that they lead me on. Although I always think that my instincts are right, especially when it comes to an intersection, which merges in two directions, they never are. Similarly, when I first attempted to get to Baruch by myself from Penn Station, I took the wrong subway despite the fact that my mom had written me specific directions prior to leaving the house. I first ended up all the way on 53rd St. and then all the way down at West 4 St. Finally, after an hour, I got to Baruch but realized it was too late since the office already had closed.
I have always feared death and failure. The fact that an individual can lose his/ her life in a blink of an eye really terrifies me. Especially when I hear about tragic deaths in the news, most are spontaneous and it simply was the cause of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Since I am the oldest, I believe that there is a lot more pressure put on me to do well and achieve good grades every single time so that I may set a perfect example for my younger sister who never has any desire to study.
When am I happy? I’m happy when everyone around me is happy. I believe that smiling is highly contagious. Furthermore, if I receive a positive remark or grade, my self- esteem is boosted. When I’m comfortable in my own skin as well as with the choices I make, it is those moments that make me truly happy. Upset? I honestly was not a big fan of sleeping since I always thought it was a waste of time. However, recently, I have been finding it extremely difficult to stay awake during my classes. Also, since I take the LIRR during peak hours, there are barely any seats, and attempting to sleep while standing up is quite difficult.
I live my life with no regrets because I believe that everything happens for a reason. Although something does not end up in your favor does not mean you should merely give up on your goals and aspirations. It could all have been a game of chance and there could be better luck your way the next time around.

1)who you think you are

well i know who i am after all i have lived with myself close to 18 years now … and what i am is a man who prides himself in his ability to adapt and to understand my own role in life… there are times to speak out and there are times to listen in … i live with this mindframe and although oftenly opting for for the listening role i try to pick and choose when to chime in myself, i won’t say living perfectly isnt possible because i believe no one has done it yet thats all… absence of evidence, is far from evidence of absence..

2) Top 3 Concerns For Baruch

failing of course

not knowing opportunities that are available to me until they pass me by

and having too much fun lol

3) how is baruch college different from high school

the level of freedom is on a completely other level then that of high school… in college you step into the role of being a man instead of following orders given to you its up to you to give yourself the orders and follow them … and in high school you got by with flying colors by the work you could get done in class. but in college 90% of the work is done outside of the classroom individually which pplaces a higher level of responsibility on your shoulders.

4) How Do You Think Your First Year Of College Will Change You

the first year of college will broaden my horizon, and allow me to see things i at once before couldnt  imagine and force me to learn how to feel comfortable when im not in my natural habitat, when im introduced to a brand new world, my adapting ability combined with the knowledge gained from first year of college not just academically but socially, i should be able to tune in with the frequency of new adventures