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Much like Maragaret-May, on September Eleventh I visited the Baruch Hillel to attend their Memorial Service in remembrance of the terrorist attack in 2001. We discussed the impact of the attacks on our lives with the others attending. A minute of silence with lit candles was held for a Baruch graduate, named Marina, who died in the South Tower while at work. She was on the 101st floor when the plane hit.

I’ve had a family member killed by terrorists, and hearing about her story reminded me of my own experience with the horrors that accompany the aftermath of a terrorist attack.

Marina’s memory is preserved not only by the annual memorial service at the Hillel, but also by a scholarship in her name by her parents, which offers money and mentorship to one Russian Jewish girl each year.

This was my first time going to a meeting in the Hillel, but I could immediately tell that I’ll be returning. The members of the Hillel care greatly about each and every visitor and their message of community resonates strongly.

On 9/11 I attended the 20 minute monday meeting at the Hillel with my friend Raphael. We were met with much welcome and as the meeting unraveled, we began to watch a 9/11 tribute video. It was a very emotional moment for me because I have always lived a couple blocks away from the World Trade Center and seeing the chaos that swarmed my neighborhood hit extraordinarily close to home. The video showed the plane attacks, people jumping from the buildings, and people’s reactions to what was happening. Although I usually have difficulty watching such traumatic footage of 9/11 I was glad that on such an important day I was able to watch it and feel like New York City has recovered well. All of New York City had to come together and help each other on this horrific day, and we spoke about how Baruch students dealt with the aftermath. We learned about a girl named Marina. A Russian Jewish girl who was born and raised in New York, and attended Baruch just like me. On her first day of work she was on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center, the same day that the planes hit the building. It was very sad hearing the story of the loss of someone who was so loved and smart, and whose background was so reminiscent of my own, and how one day their life just vanished. I was impressed with The Hillel’s efforts in speaking about the life of one of their past members with such meaning. The Hillel did a very good job talking about 9/11 and its effects on the world, NYC, and many different people. As its a very important event to me, it was very important to have been in a community that would take time to acknowledge it. And then there was pizza!!! Obviously adding to the already amazing impression I had made. I definitely will be spending more time in this closely knit community in the future.

This past week during club hours i visited the Latinx Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.   The scene was flooded with flashing lights, the upbeat tempo of bachata and the smell of delicious Latin foods.  As you enter the scene you can not help but notice everyone dancing, taking pictures and genuinely enjoying themselves.  At first it seemed overwhelming due to the size of the event, however it was a very inviting environment that made me feel comfortable as I arrived and made my way through.  Growing up in a diverse community consisting of a strong Hispanic population helped me to better understand the festivities going on around me.  Having grown up in that environment allowed me to have a sense of comfort so that i did not feel awkward or out of place.  I was able to recognize many of the foods being served, and I also knew some of the songs that the DJ was playing.  The theme that the hosts were trying to display was one that was inviting and introductory into the Hispanic culture and everyday lifestyle.  The event helped me to realize just how diverse our school is and how united, connected and well represented the Latino student body actually is.  Not only was this first event inclusive, but they also informed people at some of the stations set up of the different Hispanic related clubs they could join, such as the Ecuadorian Club, Latin American Student Association and the Association for Latin American Professionals.  I was interested in the Association for LAtin American Professionals because I thought I might be able to learn about people of color like myself in the professional workplace.  I also wanted to know which other events they would be involved in during the rest of Hispanic Heritage Month.  This event really opened my eyes up to some of the many different things I can look forward to enjoying during my time here at Baruch

Thinking back to my high school days, I remembered that visual art of a big part of my academic career. So I decided to go to museum for this blog. I went to the Met with a friend and started getting lost whilst looking for the Rothko paintings. While lost, we managed to get a look at some more classical art, more specifically, Greek art and sculpture. I must admit, I do feel guilty about looking at the fine and classical arts for only a dollar. Even with that dollar, we were able to go in and absorb all of the historical value that was embedded with all of the art.

Entering the museum was a new experience for me, not because I have never been to a museum, but because I had never bothered to go to the gift shop. Never had i seen people so willing to buy such simple objects for such a high amount of money. After that we went to see the Greek art, but on the way there I couldn’t help but notice a figure that looked like a cross. So I took my picture with that. I didn’t bother to look at the name of the work of art. So we looked at the sculptures and all of that non sense, and then we remembered that we went to that museum for Rothko paintings.

It took us a little while to find a Rothko painting and recollected the fact that we had to stand very close to the painting and stare at it to have a religious experience of sort. So there I was, just standing there, for ten minutes. Nothing. I have heard of someone that broke down crying when looking at this painting, so I was kinda of disappointed. Mistakes were made on my part. Still a worth while experience, going to that museum.

I chose to attend a MTH 2207 Weekly Workshop at the SACC Tutoring Center. As someone who has never taken precalculus or calculus before, I knew that these math tutoring sessions would be absolutely essential to me. I went hunting for the tutoring center during my first official day at Baruch. I was told that I had to register online for the tutoring sessions and that I had to wait until September 5th to do so. Needless to say, I was a little bit disappointed because I wanted to sign up immediately to relieve some of the anxiety I was feeling. However, I had no choice but to wait, so, in the meantime, I decided to go looking for clubs I wanted to join. I had already privately contacted the president of the archery club and was accepted. I also decided to join the Ticker and Women in Business. With all of the interest meetings and events, I was kept sufficiently busy that my mind was able to wander away from my math worries.

When registration came rolling around, I made sure to sign up, but I was unaware that I had only signed up for one week. As a result, I only managed to get in into two tutoring sessions and was waitlisted for the others. However, the one good thing was that the tutor who was teaching my session was so good, he managed to sum up all the math I had learned up to this point and help me understand it. His teaching put my mind at ease because now I know that I don’t have to attend every session. I just have to make sure to attend one session every two or three weeks.

I found the session itself to be extremely well-organized and the tutor to be extremely knowledgeable about the topic, as well as skilled enough to help me understand the topic. The tutor, Faraz, made sure to ask around for what topics we wanted to work on specifically. Since it was only the first session, there wasn’t all too many of us and so I managed to get him to review three topics I needed help with. In the end, it turns out that everyone else there also needed help with those topics, so I suppose this would be a case of “all’s well that ends well.”

 

Last Thursday, I attended the Latinx Heritage Month celebration hosted by Student Life in the 2^nd floor lobby of the Newman Vertical Campus, with my roommate Meghan, as well as Zippy, and Brandon. This event served as the perfect environment to meet new people, and experience a culture other than my own, while also learning a tremendous amount about Latino culture. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to both familiar as well as unfamiliar Spanish tunes, immersing myself in all of the delicious scented entrees, getting showered in giveaways, and utilizing the photo booth to make memories of my time here at Baruch to last a lifetime. I was also approached by a few clubs and organizations to attend their interest meetings being held next week. I will certainly take advantage of this opportunity, as I would love to participate in more activities/events held in the Baruch community to expand my network, and understanding of people’s beliefs, practices, and backgrounds.

What I appreciated the most about this event, is the fact that so many people of various backgrounds had gotten together, to celebrate a culture that isn’t even necessarily theirs, during this especially difficult time in our history as Americans. Everyone at this event, regardless of geographic origin appeared to be extremely engaged, and open to learning new things. Coming from a community completely lacking in ethnic diversity, it was wonderful to experience a celebration with so many unique individuals, each proud to claim representation of their different backgrounds, while also happy to celebrate other people’s heritages. This experience has led me to a greater understanding of Latino culture through the lively music, DJs, food, and positive atmosphere, and it has a fostered a yearning in me to go out and explore/join a few cultural clubs, and attend different cultural events, even if its not something I’m necessarily familiar with. Overall, I was very pleased with my experience at the Latinx Heritage Celebration. Although Baruch is a commuter school, the sense of community, and inclusion that I witnessed, is something difficult to be found in any like Institution.

For my student life activity, my friends and I went to the opening ceremony of Latinx Heritage Month. I am not quite familiar with Latinx culture, so the entire event was a new experience for me. The first thing I noticed upon entering the second floor lobby was the large span of flags that represent various Latin countries. I had not considered how large this amount could be, with various countries from Central and South America alike in addition to some Caribbean countries! Furthermore, everyone was welcoming at the event. They had a variety of finger foods as well. There were empanadas, plantains with chicken and other meat (I love plantains!), a drink called morir soñanado, which is a drink mixed with orange juice and milk, and Mamita’s ices. Unfortunately, I was unable to try the morir soñanado but heard from a friend that it was tangy but overall sweet.

Another new experience was the music. The DJ played a variety of songs. The music was very fast paced, with quicker tempos and beats. Some fellow students were dancing to this music with very precise foot placement and hip movements. There were also games like musical chairs and another similar to “Simon Says” but with Spanish words. All in all, this was a very fun experience. I was able to experience another culture from the food to the music. A friend and I remarked how cool it would be if something like this was held on a monthly basis, with another culture being represented every time. In an ever changing world, it is important to embrace diversity because we can always learn something new from someone, regardless of their background. This event has sparked an interest of mine to find the West Indian Cultural Club, Caribbean Students Association, and Hindu Student Association so I too can find people of my culture to experience the wonder of shared experiences and connecting with people who can understand and relate to me. Likewise, I will be checking out other heritage months to learn even more about new and unfamiliar cultures. 

For my first enrichment activity I chose to attend a Writing Center workshop called “Interpreting Assignments.” The Writing Center, which is located on the eighth floor, had a separate conference room for everyone to sit in a circle. The consultant asked each of us why we decided to attend the workshop and there were various answers of wondering how it could benefit the student, or just wanting a refresher course on how to approach assignments given by professors.

She began by giving us a worksheet with instructions from a professor and asked the group to decipher what the professor was asking the students to do. We went over how to narrow down what the professor was asking for and what most professors want when it comes to writing papers or other assignments. Professors want clarity, explanations, accessible language, and of course, effort. We were also handed a guide to approaching assignments. For example, when the professor asks to “discuss,” they are asking to, “consider something specific…and explain whether you agree or disagree…and contribute to the discussion in a meaningful way.” The consultant also went over what resources were available to us which included the Writing Center, which is a free resource for all students as part of the student fees. Other resources include the Reference Library, professors themselves, and other classmates.

I personally learned many helpful tips that I could use when it comes time to write papers and smaller assignments in all subjects, and had a refresher course on things that I could’ve forgotten during the summer. The consultant also helpfully informed me that the Writing Center has appointments for 50 minutes or walk in hours in the library just in case anyone wants to come in for some help going over a first draft but for a shorter time. I feel this is a skill I can take with me throughout all my years at Baruch.