Monthly Archives: November 2012

It’s pretty easy for me to find a picture that represents my first few months here at Baruch. Looking back at the first semester, all I see is volleyball. This is a picture taken seconds after we won the championship on November 2nd, against our rival school, Hunter. This picture describes my experience at Baruch, because being a part of the volleyball team made my transition into college so much easier. Coming across the country, into a new city, where I didn’t know anybody could have ended very badly. It can be really hard to meet people and do things in situations like that. But coming into a team before school even started, ensured that I already had 14 automatic friends and about 15 from the boys’ team. If I wasn’t playing volleyball at Baruch, not only would the transition have been hard, but I actually wouldn’t have ended up here. There is no possible way I could have survived this semester and the semesters to come without volleyball.

My greatest accomplishment was the time when I finished third of a race of 4^th graders. We were about 50 kids running and it was tough. Baruch is a really challenging school, so far everything going pretty well, but I got to spend more time studying for math. I didn’t know that managing my time was going to be so hard. College is not the heaven I expected. The best thing about college is to meet peers and to discuss with them. I can’t wait for this term to be over so I can do more things I like, reading books and comics, sleep and wake very late. However I must not forget that I’m still a student, I came from nowhere to get where I am right now. I have to keep pushing. Thankfully my family is always there to support me. Sometimes I remember embarrassing and great memories. I remember that time I won a reading contest in middle school; I felt empowered. The song I like to listen to the most is the Second Coming by Juelz Santana and Just Blaze. I listen to that song to sheer myself up. I am afraid of many things like death and dogs. I am really happy whenever I read a good book. If I have to state one thing important to me I will definitely choose my room. It is often messy but I just love it. In general even though college is pretty challenging, it is still fun.

My name is Maritza Grace Desroches.  I was born on February 19 1994 which makes me 18 years old. I’m from Uniondale, Long island. Both of my parents are of Haitian descent. I grew up in a very strict traditional Christian household where the only three places I was allowed to go was home, church, and school. Excelling in my studies was a major emphasis it wasn’t often spoken however it was simply an expectation that I didn’t have the option to disregard. My father is an electrical engineer and pastor and my mother is a former nurse. They have been married for over 20 years. I have three older siblings, 2 sisters and a brother. My brother graduated from Five Towns College with a degree in Music Education and my oldest sister graduated from Sophie Davis and is a medical student at Downstate, my other sister is studying to be an educator.

As a child I was extremely shy and sensitive and often teased. When I told my parents they advised me to speak to the principal but I knew that wouldn’t work and I didn’t have the courage to stand up for myself. Once I got to middle school I told myself that I would no longer allow people to make me feel inferior. I became more outspoken, more confident, and more social. Music also helped me become more outgoing. I performed at talent shows and became very likeable throughout middle school and high school. In High school I was involved in numerous activities I was president  of DECA, National Honor Society historian, President of Junior Class, Gospel Choir, Rites of Passage Co-Captain of Flag Team. I travel in business competitions and even won some of them, our music department starred in festivals in Boston, Canada, D.C, and Virginia Beach. I sang solos in many concerts, had lead roles in school plays, worked on community outreach projects and truly enjoyed every ounce of High school. I also had some very amazing friends and unforgettable memories with them.

My dream school was Howard University it had everything that I wanted from an amazing school of business, to the culture, extra circulars, and Greek life.  About two weeks before when I was packed and ready to go my parents told me that I couldn’t go and that they weren’t paying 42,000. I was livid and heart broken. But I couldn’t focus on that major disappointment because I needed to find another option and made a decision to come to Baruch. I don’t have much friends here, I’m not as social, I’m not involved in any extra activity, I haven’t done one musical thing since I’ve been here but I’m optimistic for my future here at Baruch.  I know that everything happens for a reason and I trust that I’m here for a good reason.  I’m doing well in my classes and I know that in due time things will get better and I’ll still be successful regardless of my circumstance.  Outside of school I am a very strong, fun, positive, caring, and virtuous person who enjoys the gift of life. Here is just the beginning and I know that I will take my education here at Baruch and make a major difference in this world someday.

Something about me is just different from everyone else.

I dont mean to be arrogant or anything but my life just seems like its all over the place.

Growing up in the Streets of Beijing, I thought I would settle.

But my parents decided to travel to different parts of china like ShangHai and GuangZhou.

Then somehow I ended up in New York.

Okay this time I am gonna settle here for a little while.

After 18 years of being my silly self, I realized I have been through a lot.

From the day I met my bestfriend to the day when we depart ways for college.

From being excited about enter high school to the day when I was finally tired of high school drama.

From the day when I was still a high school clown to now.

But hey its just life.

Like the song lyrics ” When it knocks you down, just get back up”

Well at least I learned how to appreciate the things I have now.

Right now I am just chasing my dreams.

Being a dreamer always feels good but I know it will feel even better when I am there.

It seems like a new beginning for me when I entered Baruch College.

Lexington Avenue seems like a friendly neighborhood to me and it feels like home.

I am exactly where I am suppose to be.

This is me, A freshmen in College who is trying to chase for his dreams.

Hi, my name is Ariel. Coming from a private high school that was very lenient, the adjustment to college has been difficult. Although the transition has been difficult, I have begun getting used to college life and am starting to enjoy it. I live in long island, which makes the commute to school every day very annoying. Sometimes, when I don’t feel like going back home after school, especially when I end classes late at night, I sleep over at my brothers apartment which is located just a few blocks away from Baruch. This makes my life a lot easier because I can get an extra hour of sleep in which allows me to focus more in my classes. In my opinion, the major difference between college and high school is that in high school teachers care about students and care if they do well, but in college, professors wont hesitate to fail a student if they don’t earn good grades on tests.

During my free time, I like to go to the gym and work out. My favorite sports to play are basketball and football. I played these sports frequently during high school but during college I have had less time on my hands to make time to play. My favorite football team is the New York Giants, while my favorite basketball team is the New York Knicks.

For those of you that took the time to read this, I am sorry.

Antsy. Restless. Anxious. That’s how I would describe my past few weeks at Baruch. See, the thing about me is that I’m not a creature of habit but change make me nervous. A little change is fine. Rotation. Rotation is fine. But these past few weeks have almost felt routine. Rehearsed. Like I’m putting on the same smile every single day and seeing the same faces everyday. Now, don’t get me wrong. I like the faces I’m seeing everyday but I have problems with routine and permanency. I get bored easily. And if I get bored I become antsy.

For the past few weeks I’ve felt it. It’s been there rumbling under my skin, the anxiety, the nervousness, the everything. It makes me want to do something different. Last year I felt it too, the day of graduation no less. However, I think that was me getting antsy over the fact that everything was going to change. I had gotten too used to a routine. So, on graduation day I chopped off four inches of my hair. Just like that. Went to the bathroom with the intention of putting the finishing touches on my hair and came out with  clumps of hair in my hands to a hysterical mother and cousin. It didn’t stop there. Almost every week of that summer I cut off a bit of my hair. I always wondered why. Like, I get it, you know, I was nervous about change and not seeing people I had grown accustomed to. I finally figured out that somehow subconsciously I thought, much like a petulant child, that if everyone was going to change then so would I.

That brings me to today. I’ve been feeling restless like something has to happen before all of this becomes too routine, too familiar. And so, I shaved my head. Now, if you had asked me before the haircut why I wanted to shave my head I would have told you it was because I like side cuts, they’re cute, Cher Lloyd has one, etc. and the worst part is that I believed that wholeheartedly. But now, reflecting on myself, it wasn’t because of Cher or any of those other reasons. It was because I was going insane with the routine, with the familiar faces, with getting attached. It was because I though “well if I can’t change anything around me then I may as well change myself”. It’s really unsurprising how stupid I am sometimes and it’s even more incredible how my train of thought works but alas here I am with a portion of my head shaved off. But you know what, I’m happy. I’m happy and I don’t regret it and I don’t think I ever will. But, I do worry about myself with the next few coming weeks and how I’ll adjust to change once the semester’s over. Here’s to another haircut!

Hey, I’m Kyle.

I grew up mostly on Long Island, in this tiny town called Farmingville. I have a big family that is really important to me, especially my brothers. I am the third of six boys so things are generally hectic at home. My parents are divorced and I was basically raised by my grandparents up until I started college. I now live in queens with my older brother Eddie, who is 26 and obsessed with football to the point where I have to wash his special jets freezer mug every day. I have a large group of friends at home and they mean the world to me. My hobbies include listening to music, watching the same three tv shows over and over again, playing guitar, playing video games and sometimes reading if I feel like it. I eventually hope to be a doctor and was thinking of transferring to another school in the city to follow that goal. I really enjoy the idea of helping people and making them feel better and I love the science of so it just kind of made sense to me to be a doctor. I’ll see where it goes, though.

Fruit salads are the weirdest thing ever. Seriously, who in their right mind thought that a fruit salad was a good idea. Now, I’m not saying that fruit is gross or anything. I love fruit, but there are just some fruit that don’t go together. Take citrus fruit, like oranges. If the orange in your salad is too bitter it will completely through off the salad. And even if the orange isn’t bitter, there’s the whole dressing thing. Some people like lemon or honey or even condensed milk on their fruit salad. Not all fruit tastes good with all that stuff on top. Everything’s just going to taste weird. Or even bananas. Bananas dry out your mouth. Who in the hell wants a dry mouth? People don’t walk around with paper towels in their mouths to keep it dry, do they? No. So why in the hell would you want to eat bananas?

Then there’s the whole thing with the name. Why would you call it a salad? A salad consists of vegetables, like lettuce, with the exception of tomatoes, of course, and even then I don’t even like tomatoes.

For something so good for you, fruit salads are pretty damn complicated.

I like to consider myself a bit of a music fanatic. I listen to all genres of music, and really like them all. For me, it would be hard to describe myself through songs because I know too many, and it might as well be impossible to pick just ten that describe who I am. Most of the songs that I would consider part of my top selections are more songs that bring back good memories or have good vibes than songs that I can necessarily relate to lyrically. This isn’t necessarily true for all music, but when I am happy it is the music that I love; but when I am sad is when I really listen to the lyrics. And since I’d rather be happy more than I am sad my playlist is made up of mostly upbeat/pump-up songs.

http://www.mixpod.com/account-playlists.php

I come from a very traditional and conservative family and raised to accept and uphold values that many seem too “traditional.” My family and I cherish Tradition, Honor, Loyalty, Valor, Family and Honesty. I try to uphold these as much as I can with out straying off from them. All though i was born in Europe I actually Don’t consider myself European at all but a true American. I value American self initiative and hard work. I’m inspired by countless American figures from Andrew Jackson to Rockefeller. Charity is also very important because to me it’s a responsibility that everyone must do. no matter if your well off or not you should try to give back to those who don’t have as much as you do. Money and Success aren’t a true measure of happiness but how many lives you positively affected.

I love the open space up north and although i frequently come to New York city with my friends and for school I don’t really like the city as much as most do, to me nothing beats the open air up north.