Month: September 2017

 Over the last week or so, I have received many emails from the UNICEF club at Baruch about the club itself and invitations to the general meetings. The first meeting was Thursday during club hours so a group of my friends attended the meeting. When we walked in they were handing out free pizza, so that was a plus. The meeting began and the head members introduced themselves and each gave a brief synopsis of what their positions are in the club. They stated how important it was to get other involved. Honestly, I had no idea what UNICEF even was until the meeting. They showed a video about the organization the are apart of and how it is much bigger than just their club, it is a worldwide organization that aims to children all over the world. The PSA video was actually extremely sad and really portrayed just how important the club’s role is to the lives of so many individuals. They discussed the different fundraisers they would have this year like a holiday trick or treat event, snowflake ball, relay for life, and other events that would help raise money, awareness, and to influence others to become members. They also said they would have events, like picnics and holiday parties, for members so each one of us could really get to know each other. They stressed the importance of the club being like a family and coming together. They talked about getting involved with other clubs in effort to fundraise for UNICEF which essentially will help get members involved with other clubs around campus. Also at the meeting, we played ice breaker games and I got to meet some new people which was cool. We all had to find at least three things we had in common which was pretty hard because it was such a diverse group of people. Some of the kids in my group were juniors and seniors and it was interesting to hear some of their experiences in the club and even at Baruch. Overall, I will definitely consider going to the next meeting, I think I could really find interest in this club.

UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, is an organization that helps defend the rights of children. Its headquarters is located right here in New York City and it works in 190 countries around the world. I attended Baruch’s UNICEF club this past Thursday to learn more about what the organization does and how students at Baruch can be involved as well. There were two main committees: fundraising and raising awareness, and marketing and communications. The heads of the club showed us pictures from the past years of students being involved in different events for fundraising. It was nice to see leadership playing a key role in these events and seeing how genuinely happy people were to help. I plan on staying with the club throughout the semester and future years because I have done community service in high school as well and enjoyed coming together with other people to help an important cause. I’m especially looking forward to the Halloween fundraiser, which is known to be a hit in Baruch according to the heads of the club. Trick-or-treat boxes will be handed out to those in the club to raise money for the organization prior to the main event.

I did my own research to see what else UNICEF has done over the years. I found out that they came up with Millennium Development Goals with missions to accomplish, and some even have been accomplished in certain countries. Even though challenges arise, the organization still strives to save children in regions that are more difficult to help than others. Major celebrities have even contributed to UNICEF, most notably David Beckham. He created “7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund,” which is his commitment to save children from dangers in their life by protecting their rights. I found this inspiring since it’s important for celebrities to use their platform to raise awareness for problems as big as this. The more attention UNICEF brings, the better it will be for children in need. 

This past Thursday, seeing the three hour break I had as an opportunity to do some “exploring” around campus, I decided to attend the Latinx Heritage Month Opening Ceremony celebration on the second floor. While the idea of meeting new people who were also Hispanic like me, since I have come across many in the two weeks I have been at Baruch, ultimately it was the free food and beverage that further convinced me to attend. Going with my best friend, who is also Ecuadorian like me, what first caught our attention was the good Spanish music the DJ was playing. Hearing the bachata, merengue, and salsa songs made me nostalgic and refer back to the many Hispanic parties I have been to. I then saw the various clubs that were trying to grab the attention of other students. For me, those clubs were the Ecuadorian Club and LASO club, who was giving out free salami, platino, and chicken, which I gladly accepted. I also enjoyed the photo booth and dancing contest that were at the event, which made the experience more fun than I thought it would be. All in all, I am happy to say that my first Latinx Hertiage Month event was very pleasing for me. In the time I have been at Baruch as a new freshman, I have had the fortune to gain a new circle of friends from different backgrounds. Yet, I would always walk around and see some of my Asian friends with their Asian friends or my brown friends with their brown friends. I guess you could say that this Hispanic event, which aims towards bringing together other people from different Latin backgrounds together, made me feel like not as much as a stranger and where I could make my mark as a leader in the Hispanic community here at Baruch. Thus, I became intrigued by the messages and goals of both clubs, and hope to eventually become a member of at least LASO by attending their first General Interest Meeting next Thursday.

I had first learned of The Ticker on orientation day way back in June and I didn’t think much of it and dismissed it. I wasn’t particularly interested in writing for a student newspaper or being part of the staff – too much work. However, as summer passed so did my goals. I was reflecting on the fact that I’m not a good writer and it takes me a long time to formulate words. In high school I was writing one of the many essays required and I remember sitting at the computer for 2 hours with nothing written down. Who does that? No one. So I decided I had to get over myself and conquer this weakness. Hence I joined The Ticker. After I’m approved to write an article I have a few days to research, write, and proofread it so the idea is to practice writing so many different articles that eventually I have to become somewhat decent at researching and writing in a timely fashion.
I wrote an article for the Business section of The Ticker, Issue 1 called “Alternative Energy Sources Threaten Oil Industry’s Future Profits.” It was a really interesting experience. I basically talked about how climate change and the uprising trend of sustainability affects the Oil Industry and suggested some possible solutions the Oil Industry will have to take in order to survive in the future. The effect of the Paris Climate Agreement is strong therefore the use of oil is decreasing as many other countries around the world are taking the initiative to use alternative energy sources. I have written a second article for the Business Section, Issue 2 (which will be on stands this Monday) on the Student Debt Crisis and the negative affect it is having on millennials.
My viewpoint of The Ticker has changed from orientation day. I have seen a glimpse of the work The Ticker does and by no means is it easy. After the writers submit the articles it goes through a process of editing and review. It must also be fact checked and and organized under the section, all while planning for the next issue. It is an ongoing process. Overall, I am learning the do’s and don’ts of writing for a student newspaper which is proving to be very enjoyable and rewarding. I’m learning to write quickly and accurately while keeping up to date with the news. It’s a win win. I plan to write more for The Ticker and I look forward to seeing where it takes me.