Author: Alexa Faraon

This workshop focused on the criteria a student must have in order to be taken seriously in a business setting. The speakers were very informative and provided a plethora of helpful information. They also put a lot of effort into making the workshop fun and keeping everyone awake…which worked for the most part. I learned a lot about growing as a person and I look forward to applying advice from the workshop once I graduate college and begin looking for a job.

Books, music, movies, humor – we had everything in common. From the very first day of freshman year, we were inseparable. Throughout the years, we’ve only grown closer. We’ve changed a lot since that first day, but we changed together – developing our own personal interests, but yet staying inherently the same.

This past summer was the hardest summer of my life. Saying goodbye is never easy, but saying goodbye to your best friend is something beyond words almost. She left and I cried. I only remember the feeling of disbelief. I wouldn’t be able to see her for at least 10 years and I absolutely despised the institution that made her leave me, leave her home.

She left by choice, she wasn’t deported. She left because she had too much pride to be deported. Brought to this country at the age of 3, she grew up here. She is as American as any citizen, and yet she had no rights. She did not exist in this country and she couldn’t stand it. We waited for the Dream Act to pass, but when it didn’t, her decision was final. She wanted to live somewhere that she felt wanted, somewhere in which she wasn’t labeled an alien. I lost my best friend, my soulmate, my sister because of political quibbles over a reasonable act that should have been passed.

The Voices presentation was entertaining. The actors were really expressive and brought the monologues to life. I enjoyed the show very much and thought that the monologues were diverse and well written.

I think I’m unique…just like everybody else. But despite my seemingly generic personality, I’m proud of the girl that I am today. I went through some really rough times and surprisingly, I’m happy now. I have my friends to support me, no matter how far they’ve strayed. They have honestly saved my life and owe them the world.

Now that we’re all in college, I’m concerned about growing apart from them. We try to stay  in touch as much as possible, but our schedules barely allow time together. We are all so busy and I feel like my workload is forever growing. I’m very concerned with keeping up with my work and having a good gpa at the end of the year. I think my top concern as a freshman at Baruch is staying focused. I tend to get lost in social matters or relationships and I honestly want to concentrate my attention on my education. This is not high school anymore and I refuse to let myself do the bare minimum to get by.

Baruch is already the polar opposite of my strict Catholic high school on Long Island. I go to class when I want, leave when I want, wear what I want – this newly found freedom is almost intoxicating. Of course, the work will be a lot harder and I’ll have to depend on myself a lot more. All in all, I’m very happy with my transition from high school. College has been a lot less dramatic and the classes weren’t as bad as I thought they would be.

Hopefully, college will change me for the better. I want to develop some kind of work ethic instead of getting by on my natural intelligence. I admire those who work hard for their grades and I’m almost jealous of the feeling they must get when their hard work pays off. I’m also hoping to become more responsible. I’ve heard too many horror stories of people dropping out of school because they partied too hard to maintain decent grades.

The tour of the library was really cool. I quite enjoyed getting out of the classroom and learning about the resources available at the library such as the computers and books. Robi was really informative and I feel like he gave us really helpful tips on studying. Here’s hoping he takes us on more field trips!