Author: Jasmine Mahabir

Career Workshop

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On Halloween, my fellow classmates and I attended an on campus recruiting workshop presented by the Starr Career Development Center.  I’m actually glad I signed up for this workshop rather than trick or treating, because I’m more aware of what I need to do to apply for an internship or job.  Baruch’s on campus recruiting program (OCR) is similar to the traditional job search, except it makes it much more easier for you.  Various companies send recruiters to Baruch to inform students about paid, full-time job opportunities and interviews are conducted on campus.  

The workshop was mainly geared towards juniors and seniors, but the information I learned will help prepare me for future career opportunities.  Such information includes how to write a resume and cover letter, how to prepare for an interview, what to do/not do during an interview, how to network and make an impression on employers, what happens when you renege, and so on.  Since I attended the OCR workshop, I am eligible to apply to both internships and full-time positions through OCR and I won’t have to attend the workshop again as long as I’m a student at Baruch.  

I found the information I learned about resume writing to be extremely useful.  For instance, on the resume I have now, I put that I’m proficient in Excel; however, it’s not recommended that I put that down if I don’t know it very well because employers might ask questions about it.  So instead of saying I’m proficient, it’s all right to say that I’m basic or intermediate at Excel, which is better than being caught in a white lie.  Another piece of information that I found helpful was that I can practice interviews by using the Starr Search Mock Interview Module.

OCR definitely gives you an advantage when it comes to looking for a job, but it’s very competitive.  It’s recommended that you keep your options open and look outside of OCR, as well.  Though I won’t start my job search now, I’m fully equipped with the tools and resources when the time does come.

Self Defense Class

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After reading the Student Life Weekly News update, I was interested in attending one of the health and wellness events Baruch had to offer, particularly the self-defense class.  I thought it would be helpful to learn some self-defense techniques considering I’m a petite female; therefore, I’m a target for most catcallers.  Also, after having the discussion about sexual harassment in class, I felt that I had to do something in order to ensure my safety or someone else’s safety anywhere I go.  I didn’t want to wait for a situation to occur and then realize that I should’ve learn how to protect myself.

I met up with my friend for 12 at Racquetball Court B and Sensei Peter Flores Jr. was very welcoming. There were only a few students who came in at the time, but he didn’t want to waste time and decided to start teaching us.  He showed us each step very slowly and demonstrated with his two assistants to make sure that we understood.  From what I remember, if someone grabs your arm, the technique is to pull and lock your elbow in, making sure your underarm isn’t exposed.  Then bring your hand up to your face as if you’re looking at your phone.  After that, you turn your hand over and grab the other person’s arm that’s holding you and you pull that person towards you so that you can give a side kick or punch.  Once we went over that and a few more people came in, we learned different leg kicks and punches.  We did them over and over, while he counted in Japanese.  One piece of information that I clearly remember is that you want to avoid disconnect with your body, because if you move a wrong muscle, you can get seriously hurt. The class was very informative and an intense workout, which is great because I haven’t exercised since the school year started. I definitely need more training in order to master the art of self-defense, but now I can say that I’m more aware of what I need to do in case I need to defend myself.

Emissaries at MoMA PS1

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In my spare time, I like to visit various art galleries and museums in New York City.  I decided to visit the MoMA PS1 in Long Island City this past Friday.  As a CUNY student, you can get a ticket for free, which you should definitely take full advantage of, considering people from out of state would come and pay full price to view these exhibitions.  

Out of the many exhibitions on display right now, my favorite was Ian Cheng’s Emissaries, which is there until September 25th.  Essentially, it’s a trilogy of “live simulations” created through the use of a video game engine.  Cheng explains it as “a video game that plays itself,” in which the characters and their environment create their own narratives in real time.  The stories that are generated are endless.  The only reason I know this is because I did some research and read the information on the wall before entering the room.  So the room is divided into three sections.  The first one is called Emissary in the Squat of Gods.  There’s a bench that you can sit on while you observe the narratives that unfold.  From what I recall, there was a bunch of distorted human beings interacting with each other and performing different tasks.  Upon research, they’re considered to be “an ancient community living under the threat of a volcanic eruption” and I thought it was interesting that within this story, there’s a young emissary who is trying to lead this community away from this danger.  Before I forget, an emissary is someone who is given a special assignment on behalf of someone else.  The second section is titled Emissary Forks at Perfection, which takes place after the volcano has become fertile.  There’s a Shiba emissary, which is absolutely amazing, because I love dogs and seeing this one interact with other Shibas and mankind was fascinating.  The final section is called Emissary Sunsets the Self.  There’s a whole story behind this one, but from what I saw, it appeared to be a group of AI (artificial intelligence) set on fire.  This one actually has a live stream online at https://www.twitch.tv/moma.  There were other cool exhibitions at the MoMA PS1, but I was particularly drawn to the peculiarity of Emissaries, since I’ve never seen anything like it before.