Author Archives: dominique.bible

When I wrote my monologue the first time, it was pretty weak. After some revision, I was feeling a lot better about what I was going to say. But I still knew how hard it was going to be for me to present. I have never been good at public speaking, particularly not with presentations. When I wing it, things go a lot better. Nevertheless, it’s difficult.

That said, I got up there and I did it. Not only did I present, but somehow in some magical bizarre world, my monologue actually got voted for next year’s Voices. I realize it was a fluke because Dmitriy’s awesome chicken nuggets thing didn’t get through, but it still felt nice.

The best part about the presentation was what it meant. This class and that presentation in particular made me realize that in spite of the mile-long amount of issues I have, I still get things done. Relative to others, I get very little done. I know that. But I shouldn’t care because when I realistically look at my life, I realize that I am actually very proud of how far I’ve gotten… even if I am years behind and have very far to go. Every mistake made is a lesson learned and everything accomplished is a reason to feel hopeful.

To conclude, here is a picture of my cat and I:

I’ll be honest, I have a very unclear picture of myself. There are certain indisputable facts that make up the details of my identity. I am about to turn 20, I was born in Brazil, I am an undergraduate, I live at home in Brooklyn, and I just ate some cashews. And then there are those facts which may not be all true, all the time. For example, I want to teach at a crappy high school to kids who deserve a lot better. I want to take a walk after I finish writing this. I’m probably not going out tonight. All of that might change. So who I am, overall? I guess if I had to say anything, I would say I am a person, constantly evolving and constantly striving for balance.

As a person who is striving for balance (as opposed to already being balanced), I am concerned, among other things, that I will slide into extremes. I wonder things like 1) Will I dive into my academics and leave behind my life, my friends, myself? 2) Will I throw away all possible chances of passing just to “make the most of freshman year” and have a lot of fun? 3) Will I be intimated by the smallest road bumps and run away, tail between my legs?

I worry about extremes because that was what caused the death of my high school experience. Hopefully, however, things will be different. Since 2009, I have grown quite a bit. My capabilities have  changed and my perspective on the world has, too. College will be different mostly because I have changed, and so have the people around me.

Of course I will continue to evolve and Baruch will fuel some of that growth. By the end of this first year, I will have a better handle on time management. I will speak to people, both students and teachers, with more ease. I will have a better grasp of what I want – from myself and from others. Basically, I have high hopes for Baruch. I have these high expectations of Baruch and I have to constantly remind myself that I should expect the same of myself. These next 4 years will be what I make of them.