As I move further into my life, I begin to realize that everything has become tougher. Entering college, made me realize that I need to take things more seriously. Its not fun and games anymore like in high school. No one said college would be easy either. Not only did I have to take on a new lifestyle, I had to adjust to it and continue with it for my next four years. One of the biggest challenges I’m facing right now in college is managing my time. I don’t think I have managed my time effectively as yet. Juggling school, work, and a social life has been difficult to say the least. Most days I go to work right after school and end up coming home really late. I then have to end up sleeping really late to finish homework and study. This leaves me no time for any social activities during the week. If I can build a manageable schedule that allows me to have breathing room in between times, I can get through my semester a bit easier.  As I move further in my semester, the challenges only seem to get more overwhelming. Although I have these hardships, I still enjoy my time at Baruch college. I have actually found my niche in the school and finally feel that Baruch is my home. I have made some good friends that not only work with me in school but also enjoy time with outside of school. I will work my way to get a 3.8 GPA and above, continue playing basketball every week, and spending time with my friends. Throughout my years at Baruch, I want to continue growing and developing skills that will help me in my career and life. Whatever challenges Baruch may bring, it can be enjoyable or a living hell depending on how I manage my time.

By MD Uddin

One of the biggest problems that most freshmen have at Baruch is time management. My biggest fear is not having enough time to do everything I want to do. Besides having a full time school schedule, I have basketball practice daily and am a vital part of my friends and families lives. These three things make up whom I am and even though it may seem like a lot, I would not trade it for the world. Right now, I feel like I have control of my college life and I am thankful I have friends and family who are always there to push me forward and pick me up when I fall. After going to all my classes, I head to basketball practice with a group of wonderful ladies that teach me the importance of teamwork on and off the court which then leads me to go home to my parents and friends for moral support.  I have learned that I am not alone when going through all of this. Throughout this beginning of the journey, I have learned a lot. There are sacrifices you must make but it is for what you want. The main thing in college and life is doing what is right for you and what makes you happy, not what someone wants you to do. I have stressed the thought of being able to handle everything but after some time I have learned to work through it and it really is not impossible when you manage your time well. There are so many experiences I will be open to later on in life and I cannot wait for the rest of my college years. I hope to one day grow up to work in the sports management industry and follow my hobby and career.

Jaclyn Thammakhoune

As I venture off into the great search of who I am, I find myself embarking on a new journey that places me on the corner of 24^th St. and Lexington Avenue. Baruch, well, college in general. A transition from high school. A transition from relying on my teacher reminding me to take notes. A transition from the freedom of the student Metro Card we all once had, but now truly miss. But more importantly, a transition from dependence. I find myself puzzled with all of the changes that this “college life” entails. Whether it’s not having the same classes every day or having a professor that encourages weed, it still feels slightly foreign to me that I don’t need to ask permission to leave. So where am I getting at really. Well, it’s tough. College is not a walk in the park. No one said it was going to be easy and I definitely don’t expect the least. Having the struggle to balance out five classes while looking for a part-time job and all of that grown-up stuff, it’s a lot of work. And the immense pressure of getting a 4.0 GPA probably doesn’t help either. You know that feeling when everything seems to go wrong, nothing seems to ever go your way, and you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom? Yeah it sucks. But when life gets you down, all that you’ve got to do is “just keep swimming!” The fact of that matter is that this is all temporary. I’m here to strive for a better tomorrow, I’m here to chase after my ambitions, but see what the world has to offer along the way. I’m here to grow not only as a student, but as an individual. In four years we’ll all be looking back and think to ourselves, what did I just do? I’m here to learn, I’m here to get a degree and get on the career path that I want, and you bet that I’ll make the best of my time here. Because in the end, it’ll all be worth it.

by Lucas Nehemiah

I was labeled “Smart” when I was in the second grade. Before then, my mom and brother would have to do my homework for me because I refused to do it myself. Something changed in me, I realized that I did not want to fail so early in life, I must have been wise beyond my years. My strength seemed to be with writing, some of my writing would make my teachers so proud they would proudly present it to others. Slowly, the “smart” label soon followed me into other grades, students would ask me for help and I would find myself running around trying to help them. My mom also starting noticing how well I was doing in school and I would catch her talking to relatives about how smart her children were. The other day, as I was reading my sociology textbook I read an interesting study about telling your kids that they are smart. The kids who were told that they were smart didn’t want to challenge themselves because they were afraid to fail – afraid of not being “smart” anymore. I had to look up from the textbook and look around to realize that I was just like one of those students in the study. I was terrified of starting college because I was afraid of failure of no longer being the girl with the brain. This concern held me back many times. I didn’t choose the harder math class because I heard that the class was difficult. What was I supposed to do in college? Honestly, I have yet to figure that out and I’ve had moments where I felt so overwhelmed I don’t know what to do. I don’t have normal thoughts anymore. I am constantly planning out what assignment I have to do in order to stay on track. Even though I continue to have that anxiety in the back of my mind, I know that I will be okay. I probably will not succeed that everything I do but that shouldn’t stop me from trying new things. It’s better to fail now than in the future.

The eight images below this email represent different ideas, thoughts, and feelings that make me who I am.  I enjoy thinking, thinking of life, thinking of society and learning.  I take time on walks to really shut off and think about a lot of different things.  Conversation I feel is an offset of my thinking as I like to talk to people and discuss ideas.  To me the human brain has developed into this amazing complex being with ideas and the able to hold conversation.

I am a musician and I come from a family of traditional Indian musicians.  For the past 9 generations my family has played a drum called the Tabla, an image of which I put in my slideshow.  I have learned this art and want to continue learning and hopefully become a self serving professional.  I love performing on stage, the feeling of it is simply wonderful to say the least.

I have been brought up eating home-cooked food.  Cooking and eating my cuisine and thinking about food and experiencing it is a very big deal for me.  And now I am a college student who has opened his eyes and started his search for more.  Sitting in class and learning about different things I am in a whole new phase of my life.  I want to experience in my home city, at this cuny and become a self serving, degree holding, experience having individual.  The confused freshman sets off to class and eventually after getting lost a few times finds the way-I’m here to find my way.

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http://slide.ly/view/ff69e88d583d1709143d08726deb4104

Hi everyone 🙂 My name is Nicole Zelenko.  I live in Brooklyn, NY, but I prefer much greener and quieter surroundings.  I am (in no particular order) an artist, a daughter, an only child, a first generation Russian-American (but sometimes mistaken for Irish thanks to the freckles), a girlfriend (to my best friend), a procrastinator, a lover (not a fighter), a good listener, a family girl, a skier, a sincerely hard worker, an optimist (most of the time), a bad multi-tasker, a tree hugger and an animal-lover.  the pictures in the slideshow are just a few that I felt summed me up pretty nicely.

the first 4 pictures in the slideshow are my drawings and paintings.  I went to an arts-oriented middle school and High School (LaGuardia).  My favorite medium is oil paints; however, between classes, homework and work, I am finding that I am spending less and less time with a paintbrush-now it is mostly coffee.  The most I am able to do is a quick sketch here and there (the eyes is the most recent sketch).  But art is something I will never completely lose.

The next picture (the 5th one) is me and my dad.  That picture captured us perfectly and it wasn’t even posed.  We are both the same kind of silly and have the same, cheesy, corny, sense of humor.  If anyone will ever laugh at my jokes (and not out of pity) it will be my dad.  We are one and the same.

The following picture is a picture of my best friend, Chris.  Chris is the most amazing person I have ever met, although I understand that that line is used to describe a lot of people.  The most remarkable thing about him is his passion.  You don’t meet many people these days that are passionate about one thing as he is about everything.  He taught me how important it is to be passionate about anything you might do, and I owe him for that.  This picture of me on his shoulders (while we are painting my dad apartment) sums us up perfectly.  We can be productive while still being ourselves (which, that day, was very silly).

The next picture is my cousin and I.  she is that best friend that you need that is extremely loving and caring and knows exactly what you need and when you need it.  She would do anything for me, just like I would for her.  she is the sister I never had.

The next picture depicts my love for skiing.  I have been skiing since I was 3 years old and worked as a ski instructor for the last 3 years and love it.

The last picture is just one of my immediate family, the people you typically see at the dinner table after a day of skiing-we are due for a bigger table.  They can be stubborn and annoying, but I am never bored with them.

http://slide.ly/view/739365fe88291c05df38e9b481ec66a6

The first picture is a picture of myself in High School.  This is during one of my most cherished moments in life and it is me being happy in front of a camera.  The second picture is of the friends that were important to me.  we’ve been friends since middle school and we’ve held onto our friendships for 7 almost 8 years now.  this was also during one of the greatest moments of High School, Prom.  the third pictured is of my mother and brother and myself on vacation in Florida.  We have tons of fun as a family and these are 2 of the most important people in my life.  the fourth picture is a picture of my hometown.  I’ve lived in Brooklyn all my life and I will always consider myself a Brooklyn person regardless of where I might go in the future.  It is the best borough in my opinion and the parks and food here is amazing.  The fifth picture is a picture of Hong Kong.  this is where I want to go in the future.  to do business and work in this booming area is something that has always interested me since I was young.  the sixth picture is a picture of League of Legends.  It is a game that I’ve dedicated a lot of time for about 5 years now.  It is a milestone in video games becoming sports and me being a part of this is very satisfying.  The 7th picture is a picture of my favorite food hands down, Chinese food.  There is nothing that can compare and I will always be in love with this.  The 8th picture is a picture of someone playing piano.  I’ve played piano for about 13 years now and its been a part of my life since I was a child.

Alvin Mai

http://slide.ly/gallery/view/d69d0eca9ae85f63338a921c259d6f24?utm_content=viewpage_sidebar

At this point in our young adult lives we are expected to explore the concept of “self” and the internal and external perception of it, thereof. It is difficult for me to narrow down who I perceive myself to be, internally, to just a few adjectives or ideas. I find that I am constantly changing and have a multitude of opinions about any given topic. However, as I evolve there are certain aspects of my life that stay permanent and act as structures to guide me through any obstacles and changes that I may encounter.

The image of my parents is significant to me because they are there through everything. Regardless of anything that may come our way, my family has always stood together. I am very grateful to have parents that I can be so open with. I never feel the need to lie because our relationship is extremely honest and I feel as though I can talk to my parents about anything. I think a support system like that is extremely important for anyone, particularly a person my age that is going through so many changes, to have.

The second image is of my younger cousin, who I consider a sister. We have grown up together and although we are opposites, we complete each other. There is no one I am closer to in this world, and I would do anything for her.

Next, I incorporated a picture of my two best friends from high school. They mean everything to me and I never thought I’d be able to form such a close bond with two people. Though we do not attend the same colleges, we make it a point to talk everyday because we never want to just be those “friends back in high school”. Leaving them behind has been very difficult but I know that ultimately they are still there every step of the way.

What some people may not have known is that I studied fine and graphic art for my four years through high school. It is something that I love and although I will not be pursuing it as a career, it is something that I will hold close to myself, as I always have. This was a picture I took as I was in the process of creating a huge self-portrait for my senior showcase. The concept of identifying one’s self and introducing that “self” to the world was something I studied heavily in the past year. This self-portrait was only a single form of that, but I thought it would be appropriate to include in this assignment.

Next I added an image I took in Coney Island at the beginning of this past summer. It was a night that means a lot to me to this day, especially because I associate Coney Island with some of my most treasured memories. It is a place that I find comfort and security in.

Another place that means a lot to me is a rooftop that my best friends and I would go to endlessly. We would find solace in just sitting there, talking for hours, and watch the view of New York City (which I have included here). It was our little place and the memories we have created there cannot be replaced.

Furthermore, I included an image of an art exhibit I attended this spring titled “Xu-Bing at the Cathedral”. It does not have much to do with myself but it was breathtaking and its color scheme particularly amazed me.

Finally, I included a picture of a milkshake to a) end on a light note and b) make it clear that I have a milkshake addiction.

http://slide.ly/gallery/view/9271e3816d0cec4569365835f162d2c8

Hello all, my name is Gabriela Urena, although I prefer Gabbie. For my blog I put pictures of things that I feel are most important in my life.

The first image is of my dad, who not only is my hero, but he’s my backbone and my other half. He’s the one who always pushed me to always do my best in school. He’s the reason why I am so determined to do well in school because he always showed me that I could do better, and that there was always something that I could improve on.

The second image is of my brother and I. I consider him to be one of the most important people in my life. Ever since he was born, I’ve felt as if he was always someone that I needed to protect and also someone that I needed to guide in life.

The third image is a picture of my brother and my cousins on a mattress. This picture is important to me because it symbolizes my creativity and it serves as a reminder to always remember that while I am growing up, I am still young. I took it one day when my uncle told my cousins and I to throw out the mattress, and instead of bringing it out like any regular person I decided to do things a bit more interesting.

The fourth image is of my best friend and I. I chose this picture because my best friend is a person that has always been there for me. Whenever I want to slip through the cracks and fall apart, she is always there to pick me up. She is part of the reason why I am able to overcome the obstacles that seem too big to overcome alone.

The fifth image is of myself with awards and scholarships that I received in the last school year from my high school. It shows me that I am able to do well in school and that hard work pays off in the long run.

The sixth image of the Virgin Mary for Mexico, La Virgen de Guadalupe. This image symbolizes my faith and the importance of religion in my life. Whenever I find myself with many troubles, I pray to God and this Virgin and I try my best to not lose faith in them.

The seventh image is of characters from one of my favorite soap operas. I don’t watch much television, but when I do it is almost always a soap opera. I like to watch them in spanish because it helps me improve my spanish. Also, I love the drama.

The eighth image is of a road in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is where my parents were born and although it is not my home country, I still like to think of it as my country. It helps me remember my roots and when I come from. It’s also my favorite place to go to during vacations.

At this point in our young adult lives we are expected to explore the concept of “self” and the internal and external perception of it, thereof.  It is difficult for me to narrow down who I perceive myself to be, internally, to just a few adjectives or ideas.  I find that I am constantly changing and have a multitude of opinions about any given topic.  However, as I evolve there are certain aspects of my life that stay permanent and act as structures to guide me through any obstacles and changes that I may encounter.

The image of my parents is significant to me because they are there through everything.  Regardless of anything that may come our way, my family has always stood together.  I am vry grateful to have parents that I can be so open with.  I never feel the need to lie because our relationship is extremely honest and I feel as though I can talk t my parents about anything.  I think a support system like that is extremely important for anyone, particularly a person my age that is going through so many changes, to have.

The second image is on my younger cousin, who I consider a sister.  We have grown up together and although we are opposites, we complete each other.  there is no one I am closer to in this world, and I would do anything for her.

Next, I incorported a picture of my two best friends from high school.  they mean everything to me and I never thought I’d be able to form such a close bond with two people.  Though we do not attend the same colleges, we make it a point to talk everyday because we never want to just be those “friends back in high school”.  Leaving them behind has been very difficult but I know that ultimately they are still there every step of the way.

What some people may not have known is that I studied fine and graphic art for my four years through high school.  It is something that I love and although I will not be pursuing it as a career, it is something that I will hold close to myself, as I always have.  this was a picture I took as I was in the process of creating a huge self-portrait for my senior showcase.  The concept of identifying one’s self and introducing that “self” to the world was something I studied heavily in the past year.  This self-portrait was only a single form of that, but I thought it would be appropriate to include in this assignment.

Next I added an image I took in Coney Island at the beginning of this past summer.  It was a night that means a lot to me to this day, especially because I associate coney Island with some of my most treasured memories.  It is a place that I find comfort and security in.

another place that means a lot to me is a rooftop that my best friends and I would go to endlessly.  We would find solace in just sitting there, talking for hours, and watch the view of New York City (which I have included here).  It was our little place and the memories we have created there cannot be replaced.

Furthermore, I included an image of an art exhibit I attended this spring titled “Xu-Bing at the Cathedral”.  It does not have much to do with myself, but it was breathtaking and its color scheme particularly amazed me.

Finally, I included a picture of a milkshake to a) end on a light note and b) make it clear that I have a milkshake addiction.