Month: November 2017

I visited one of my favorite museums once again on October 9th, 2017. THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART!!!! There were plenty of beautiful paintings and sculptures but only a handful caught my attention. One of the handful paintings was “Wheat Field with Cypresses” by Vincent van Gogh. Although it appeared to be simple, I felt every brushstroke van Gogh applied. Each stroke resulted in an emotional ride. From the wheat field to the sky, everything began to seem real. Another one that stood out to me was “Ugolino and His Sons” by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux. Although it is not a painting, “Ugolino and His Sons” is a well-crafted sculpture. It gave me the chills. Seeing starving people makes me feel guilty because I am blessed to have food. I finally understand the significance to these art pieces because of the way I am taught in art history now. THANKS PROFESSOR FOR BEING RELATIVELY USEFUL!
-Stephen Zhong

Baruch Voices was a really cool event that I managed to attend last Thursday, the 2nd of November. In this event, a student from each Freshman Seminar section recites his/her monologue for everyone in attendance to hear. These monologues pertained to specific aspects of these students lives, which is what I felt kept me engaged in listening to each of them. The topics from these monologues were very interesting. They ranged from things like the turbulent path towards being a dancer to the delectable nature of Popeye’s and the satisfaction it provides to a hungry, hard-working student (this was one of my personal favorites by the way haha). The emotions evoked in these monologues were also very diverse. They evoked feelings of depression, confusion, delight, and various other combinations. I could really see these emotions through the way the students voiced them out (especially with those who sent chills down my spine from yelling into the microphone in enthusiasm). Overall, Baruch Voices was a really pleasant event for me. By going to this event, I got a sense of just how different and diverse the Baruch community really was.

-Francis Secoquian

The Let’s Get Starrted Worshop is a very helpful workshop that gives detailed and good explanations of business types and personalities. On the day that I went there, the assistant director of the Starr Career Development center gave us a presentation about the different personalities of the workforce and which one pertains to each of us. She gave us a link to a focus 2 website where we can take an assessment to understand what occupation and business method is right for the individual. Overall, this class gave me a good insight and good resources in order to find jobs and occupations that are right for me, my skills and my personality.

-Sadat Tashin

On Friday, November 3rd, I attended a CUNY Symposium event at Goldman Sachs to learn more about the company and getting a job at a large company like that. It was an event that lasted for the better part of the day and it was business-like but also informative and very fun. Everything was super professional and we had the chance to hear from high-level employees from the company about their stories at Goldman Sachs. After that, we had a chance to ask questions and network with not only other students from CUNY who were driven and wanted to learn more about furthering themselves in the field, but also these professionals (most of whom were graduates from Baruch! Just goes to show how far you can go through Baruch’s opportunities and the skills we learn here for the business world). I enjoyed learning more about how the job world, especially in established, well-known companies, since I have little to no prior knowledge about it and want very badly to break into the business scene and do well. We learned from the professional what they would want to see in potential hirings and what we should do when contacting professionals and such, and I found all the information so valuable. It was a privilege to be chosen to be a part of something of this sort. I’d say the best part of it, though, was the refreshments they offered us – churros in a cup of chocolate syrup, chips in a cup of guac, and pineapple-orange-catcus juice (I’m not even kidding)! This event was honestly a really great experience and it somewhat led me to the next, which was the cover letter workshop here at STARR.

On Tuesday, November 7, a friend and I attended the workshop STARR was hosting about writing a cover letter and the importance of knowing how to write them, as well as emails and other writings to professional people. When applying for jobs, there are so many steps to go through and I found it very helpful to get insight on this aspect of it. Going into the workshop, I admit it didn’t really understand what a cover letter was or how to write one even after the day at Goldman Sachs so, although I wasn’t the most excited about it, I found that I learned quite a lot that would inevitably be really important when applying for positions in the future. I clearly need all the help I can get with these things and when I left, I was happy to know that I actually knew what cover letters were all about and could start working on one for practice or would be able to in the future.

Both of these events were super valuable for me; I’m learning how the business world works and it’s opening may eyes to what I hope and ultimately know will be my future.

~Charisse 🙂

Back in October I went to a career workshop: Target corporation on interview prep. At the workshop, I learned the basics about interviews and how to prepare for them. The preparation includes doing research about the company, practicing what you are going to say in the interview, and making sure that the resume is perfected; also, during the interview, it’s important to appear confident and show interest in the company. The main point is that you have to sell yourself by advertising your achievements and sharing your stories. The workshop gave me an idea of what to expect from interviews. I would say that the career workshop was the hardest one to do because it makes me think and plan for the future. Back in high school, students mostly focused on school work and grades and less on career planning. Now that I’m in college, career is becoming more important.  Even though I’m still a Freshman and don’t have much experience, I think attending the workshops is a good start. 

• Jessica Zheng (FRO BRB)

Last Thursday I attended Women in Business’s professional event Exploring Career Opportunities. There was a panel discussion with 5 professionals from the business field. I had an opportunity to explore the various career paths in the business field and network with the professionals.

Lena Bakis is a Senior Manager in EY’s Financial Accounting Services and graduated with a BBA in Accounting from Baruch College. It was interesting to know about her experience because it is a path I plan to take in the future through Baruch College. She was explaining the important factors in interviews. I learned that it is vital for an interviewer to get to know you personally, not only on a professional level. Also, most jobs look for a person everyone can work with: a team player. She was telling us how people can have perfect resumes and straight A’s, but a boring personality can prevent them from receiving the job. I got the chance to speak to her personally and she was telling me how important it was to show potential in an interview. It’s important to learn about a company before going in for their interview and showing passion about it. I got the chance to know about many interviewing techniques, which will hopefully help me in the future when I am looking for an internship or job.

Michelle Broom is the Head of RMG’s Global OTC Regulatory Reform Compliance Group at Macquarie. We learned about her experiences and struggles through her discussion. She was telling us how important internships are to get to know more about the subject you are studying. Internships will truly tell if we will be happy with our career in the future because they will provide an insight on the job.

Karina Davidoff’s is a Senior Manager at Morgan Stanley and her story was very fascinating. Reason being, she graduated from Pace University and during her final semester, she hadn’t applied for any internships or jobs. However, a professor of hers helped her get a job from one of his former students. After a phone call and interview, she got the job. She showed us how it was not necessary to have thought out plans for the future, but how important it was to have connections and graduate from college. Karina’s story inspired me to stay focus in college. Although it wasn’t a great idea to wait for a job at the last minute, her experience can teach us not to procrastinate and just rely on graduation.

Networking with these professional individuals and listening to their personal experiences opened my eyes to the various types of careers out there in the business field. I would’ve never known that there are so many opportunities for me after I graduate. Speaking to them personally and attending the panel discussion helped me learn many things and I look forward to attending another career event.

~ Sudipa Datta

Baruch Voices was a great event to attend and I am very happy I went. Individuals shared stories that were funny, sad, intimate, and personal. When you look at an individual, you create your own idea of who you think that person is. However, getting up on stage, these students shared a part of themselves that we would not have known just by looking at the surface. One person made their whole monologue about Popeye’s chicken making it seem as if this chicken is the best thing in the whole entire world. Another individual shared their passion for hip hop and regardless of the fact that her dancing skills are not the best, she continues to pursue this passion of hers. Students spoke about discrimination due to their religion and how that affected their lives on a daily basis. One student addressed black stereotypes in a powerful speech about how her clothes, color of her skin, and her hair does not define what is in her heart and in her brain. Another individual told a story from his first job working in a hospital leading him to realize we all learn from our mistakes. These monologues were truly amazing to listen to and were very interesting. These students were strangers before and now we know something personal about them which is truly something special.

On October 5, I attended Ernst Young’s Ace the Interview event. I learned about what the company looks for in their interviewees. They talked about what the interviewers look for. They look at everything from the posture to how nervous the person is. One of the things I clearly remember from the event was when one of the panel professionals said that he tended to do better at job interviews that he really didn’t need. If he went knowing that he did not really need the job, he was more calm and relaxed during the interview. I thought it was a clever way to calm one’s nerves. I remembered this piece of advice and utilized it during one of my interviews a week later. Going in with the mindset that this position I was applying for wasn’t really necessary, I did much better and was not as nervous. The interview went smoothly and it didn’t feel like an interview but more like a conversation. This event introduced me to new interview techniques and new interview methods that companies are now using such as video interviews. In the future, if I ever have to do one, I’ll be ready and better prepared!

-Sharon Cheung