FRO12 DTB

Going from high school to college has most likely been a large transition for everyone. First arriving at Baruch, everyone is in the same position as far as meeting new people and adjusting to the college life. I enjoy the new college life, having your own choices for your major and classes. I like having the freedom of dorming and doing whatever you want. However, I do always on my experiences over the summer. This summer was awesome. Being after senior year, everyone is excited about the their college choices and the new freedoms they will have. One event over the summer that I will not forget is senior week. I have learned that this is something unique to Pennsylvania. Senior week is when a group of friends after their senior year rent a shore house for a week and do whatever they want. Another goal is to keep from being evicted from your house. My friends and I had a great time and would gladly do it again. So overall I have enjoyed my past couple of months and are looking forward to the upcoming ones.

I come from a big family, 13 aunts and uncles on my mother’s side and 15 on my father’s side to be exact.  Each one has at least 2 children.  Where you have to refer to each of them as “cion tio” or “cion tia” or sufer a slap to the back of the head.  Growing up I was surrrounded by my family and the great thing about that is you could hear stories about when you were younger that you couldn’t even remember.  People always remind you that they were there and I always thought it was important to keep them there and keep them close.  That’s 28 aunts and uncles, and 28 mentors  Some have passed away and some I haven’t seen in years but for 17 years I have tried to grow and learn and let them live through me.

DESIRE TO BE

Snakes, spiders, sharks, big dogs, wild animals, scorpions, bees, heights, falling, crashing, flying, drowning, being abandoned and being forgotten, of failure and of being a disappointment. All of the things I’ve listed have one thing in common, that is to say is that they are my fears. I know I am a big scaredy cat, and it is a little over the top to have so many fears but I do. sometime when I wake up I just wonder what the point of even leaving my house. however when I think that thought I remind myself about how short life is. I may have many fears but I’m not going to left them stop me from living my life. I will not let myself be my own worst enemy. it is just as P!NK says ” Where there is desire there is gonna be a flame, where there is a flame someone’s bound to get burned, but just because it burns, doesn’t mean you’re gonna die. you gotta get up and try, try, try.” so I have to try no matter what. my desire is Broadway, to join a dance company and to tour the world. the flame I have to deal with is adversity those saying that I can’t do that and that I’m not good enough. I may not be good enough in their eyes but in the best in my own. I may get burned along the way but my wounds will heal. performing is my fountain of youth and I’m not going to let anyone take it away from me. even though I’m my own worst enemy I will succeed.

Trevor Spencer Freshman Seminar November 5, 2012

                                                                                   Suspense. Apprehension. Anxiety.

                     Leaving Maryland filled my head with a lot of doubt, but a lot of excitement at the same time. I was finally living my dream of moving to New York City, but I was alone. I was worried about friends, money, school, volleyball and transportation. With that in mind, I packed my Jeep with practically everything I owned and set out for this five-hour trip with my family. Arriving at the dorms was quite hectic to say the least – unpacking, buying, meeting, greeting, etc. I always wondered what college would be like… sex, drugs, alcohol, maybe school, I don’t know. But then there was volleyball. How was I going to balance it all? I was freaking out.

Doubt. Failure. Confusion.

                  Coming into school, I thought I was invincible. I barley did any work in school, gave my all at volleyball, and managed to go out at least 4 times a week. I thought it was awesome – getting into bars, barley doing work, AND helping the team with a start of an awesome record? What could be better?  Yet, when I received some of my grades back, I proved myself wrong. Unfortunately at the same time, I was going through a moment of doubt in volleyball also. I began second-guessing what I was doing and why I was doing it. And to top it all off, I really missed my family.

Optimistic. Confident. Elated.

                       Finally… somehow I was adjusting to things. My grades are ok, not great… But better than before and my team just won the CUNY championships, so we are off to the NCAA’s in Salisbury this week. I’m still in the phase of trying to not go out as much, but I’m in college…whatever. I’m looking forward to just starting fresh in the Spring, getting a bartending job, and finally having some free time to myself. At this point in my life…my biggest accomplishment would be passing Philosophy.

When looking inward at myself, I notice many strengths as well as weaknesses. I am self-considered tech-savvy, intelligent, and funny. However, I am reckless, too compliant, clumsy, and too shy to ask for help. But I also realize that I have nobody to blame except myself to my own troubles. The saying is that people can change and I believe that it is possible but very difficult. What make people unique are their backgrounds and the environment they are currently living in. I owe a lot to my parents and friends because without them, I would not be the same.

As you live your life, you have to play many roles such as a student, sibling, mentor, son and many more. Sometimes the pressure for living up to the expectations of these roles is immense and overwhelming. But, it is essential and important to do these roles because we as humans want to accomplish things and to leave our mark on the world.

I am afraid of heights and the sensation of falling. At times, I feel insecure such as during 9/11 and when my parents do not come home on time. I feel ashamed and guilty when asked to complete a task and I finish it prematurely or totally forget, However, I will feel empowered when I am praised for completing such task and doing it exceptionally. It means that I am contributing to my family and I am managing my time properly.

My personal motto is nothing ventured, nothing gained. It means that if I desire something, I would need to put in the effort and time to do it. If you do nothing, then nothing is being accomplished and what you want is still at a time still. It is like climbing a hill in that you have to start climbing the hill to get there. If you do nothing, then you are still stuck at the bottom of the hill. My advice to you comes in two parts. The first part is to start climbing. The second part is to take a step back just like artists do to admire their masterpiece. Your masterpiece is ultimately your life.

Ever since I was little I have been playing soccer. My parents insisted on it from a young age. My parents both previously played the game, and I grew to love it. Over the years, it has benefited me in many ways and I thank them for it. As a young player I was given the chance to travel across the country to play with so many different people and go so many places. My family never took many vacations or trips, so this was mostly my only way to see what the rest of the world was like, and experience new things. As I grew older, and my skill level advanced, I earned the opportunity to play with many high caliber players and be on premiere level squads. Many look at soccer as just a sport; an activity to stay in shape nonetheless. However soccer is much more than a sport to me. I’ve been playing soccer since I was five years old, and it has been my favorite thing to do ever since. By making me constantly compete, forcing me to be active, and keeping me on a schedule, the sport has molded who I am today. Soccer taught me that many people can work as one. It has taught me how to manage my time, and most importantly it has opened up many doors for me academically. With my hard work, natural ability, and support from many, I soon stood out from others. Soccer has shaped me into an overall hard working and determined individual.

Soccer has helped me find balance in my life. Soccer has taught me life skills that I couldn’t have found elsewhere. Motivation, success, and happiness all come from within; soccer has shown me all aspects of this. By teaching me how to lose, along with teaching me how to win, I feel soccer has built my character. In my soccer career, I’ve scored goals that I’ll never forget, met friends that I’ll never lose, but more importantly I’ve learned skills and morals that I will never let go.

Coming from a third world country it was hard for me growing up as a child because when i was younger i was a very sick babe, my heart gave out twice which made it hard for my family thinking their son died, in and out the hospitals everyday as bad as it sounds made me better till this day i have no more problem like i had when i was younger. also coming to america at 8 years old was hard for me because i had to learn English and adapt to the environment. at first i was so used to being in Albania whee i was a little trouble maker, but as time passed by i learned that doing dumb things isn’t the way of life, because i have seen friends get killed over stupid things and seen my own cousin go to jail serving 50 to life for dumb things as well, that made me realize that that’s not the life for me, so i decided to focus in school and ended up pretty successful so far because i got the chance to go to college which many people don’t really get.

I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember. I’ve been listening to music since I was about 9 or so, playing guitar since I was 13 and playing in my band Four Nights Gone since I was 16. So as you can imagine, music is a pretty big part of my life and what I want to do with my career.

So here it goes. Some of these are songs i’ve been listening to for years, songs that made me want to get into music.

Linkin Park-Runaway

Three Days Grace – Riot

Rise Against – Re-Education Through Labor

Slipknot – Snuff

Breaking Benjamin – Polyamorous

Hoobastank – Crawling In The Dark

Story Of The Year – Until The Day I Die

Skillet – Monster

Disturbed – Stricken

Adelitas Way – Sick

Taking Back Sunday – Cute Without The E

If you’re into rock music you’ll probably have heard some of those songs.

1. Gangnam Style – Psy

2. Under the Bridge – RHCP

3. The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie – RHCP

4. Promise – Romeo ft Usher

5. Your Body is a Wonderland – John Mayer

6. Naive – the Kooks

7.Dandole remix –  Gocho ft Jowell y Omega

8. Red Red Wine – ub40

9. Still D.R.E. – Dr. Dre ft Snoop Dogg

10. 1,2,3,4 – Plain White T’s

The songs I chose symbolize my past which has made me into the person that I am today. As you can see I’m a fan of various types of music. These are 10 of my favorite songs. They describe me to an extent. Obviously song 9 isn’t gonna be a story of my life but there is a significant meaning behind it. Each song has a memory behind it. Whether its a sad, happy, or exciting memory it changed me in one way or another. And then there are some that are just amazing songs..  Enjoy! 🙂