Author: a.shumskiy

Hi there! I’ve looked long and hard for a something that perfectly describes my experience (from an academic and social perspective) at Baruch thus far. I felt this does so better than any other grimace or meme. In high school, sure I had my moments of stress, but those went and came. I’ve come to realize that in college, there is always work you could and should be doing, and if not, it wouldn’t hurt to do something extra. I’ve been overwhelmed by my math class and drowning in readings for other classes. For the most part, I don’t praise this method of teaching since it sucks all the excitement out of learning. Most students do not learn by doing tedious work.  I think an enthusiastic and knowledgeable professor does a more effective job at encouraging students to really absorb information. But not to fear! I’ve become better at managing my work, even though I do still feel like I’m at rock bottom often. Sometimes I have so much work, I feel discouraged and end up doing nothing. Socially, this has stifled my social life. But I am trying to make good out of the bad, and I really do enjoy learning tons! I recognize this is necessary to grow spiritually and intellectually and it is my motivation for now and for the future.

~Anna Shumskiy

pitter-patter, rain. mist translucent moisture in the air cleaving

to skin from bed sheets. avoid now avoid everything no more

thoughts about them. sore eyes bereft of sleep sore mind

bereft of peace look upwards nowhere else to look what a

serene picture a ceiling so elementary a blank canvas empty

from complications white but not white stained, oh, like a man

but not a man a beast he who perpetuated no invaded intruded

coaxing and cajoling her INCEST sprang out from hell itself

snatching and grabbing Power…Power not his nor mine oh

father poor father she doesn’t want the beast tis but a moment

of weakness INCEST that is perpetual why why here why me

me avenging the act i am not the keeper nor the grim reaper

plop plop plop plop rain booming down now BANG like a

vengeful god like him fog building accumulating to an opaque

state spirit return drag me from these walls to your domain so

this sore mind will have peace but no she will be devoid

completely now that he stole her senses senseless like a lost

lamb vulnerable like me why me why no thoughts again like a

permeating drop of ink, no, i am not the keeper.

http://slide.ly/view/53a77201a548d46ddcd843e3bf792c88

Hellooo! 😀

First, let me just say it’s really hard to condense everything that makes me Anna into an eight-photo slideshow, but hey, I tried to target the important things. I still don’t fully know who I am, and I’m not afraid to admit it. Discovery is a process that lasts for the duration of your life, and you find that at times you feel like a completely different person than the one from five years ago, two months ago, or even a week ago. We’ve all cringed at our past-selves (if you say you haven’t then you are lying!!) But all the interests and beliefs we’ve ever had and the choices we’ve made are the composite of the people we are today, even if some of them are dormant. Soooo, I shared some of that with you guys today. The cartoon picture in the slideshow is actually based on true events. It’s the funniest thing ever, but my family and friends always complain about how hard it is to reach me since I’m always either busy doing nothing or busy doing something (ba-dum tsss).

On a more serious note, I see myself as a passionate and outspoken person, even though that doesn’t preclude fear or anxiety from my life. I will fight for human rights and justice, I will speak up for innocents, I will be the whistle-blower when I need to be. Hence, the photo of Lady Justice, the Roman Goddess of justice. I like discussions and debates (about anything, really. Seriously, it might not seem like it, but I love talking.) The slideshow music is actually the Star Trek theme! I chose it because it kind of builds and builds into this crescendo that is the journey of our lives. Literature is something that always heavily influenced me. The first books that did were the Harry Potter series. Moreover, Rosy the Riveter is a fictional but all-too-real icon for me. It’s the belief that I can do anything if my heart and hard work are in it despite what anyone says. I love art, particularly sketching (I still have trouble with hands, ugh), and I dressed up as a French artist for school once. I loooove animals–especially dogs–sometimes even more than people. But all these facts are a bit tedious. The bigger picture is that my ever-encompassing goal in life is simply to be kind. Even the minutest acts of kindness can make an overreaching difference. People need that sometimes, you wouldn’t believe how much. That, and to take risks.

I remember walking in Prospect Park once and stopping to watch a skateboarder take a giant leap as he readied himself to fly over a bench. In the end he fell and ripped his jeans, but a frail, elderly man next to me turned around and said “What’s life without a few risks, eh?”

So to that I say that I will most definitely try “To boldly go where no man has gone before.”