On Tuesday, September 26th, I went to an athletic event at Baruch’s ARC Arena with a friend. We watched a women’s volleyball game between Baruch’s own Bearcats and the Bulldogs from Brooklyn College. Although I’ve never been much of an athlete or fan of sports, I chose to watch a volleyball game because I’ve always been intrigued by the game’s mechanics. I feel like volleyball requires a lot of precision and coordination from its players, which often makes for fair games and interesting plays. During the game, I saw many spikes, which have proved to be my favorite type of attack because they’re not only aggressive, but also very calculated in most of the situations they’re used in.
My overall impression of the event is that sports like volleyball take more dedication and effort from its participants than I considered prior to this game. I found a new respect for student athletes after realizing their dedication to their sport of choice. Although faced with a loss at the end, the women’s volleyball team includes many talented players who make their determination and passion apparent when they step on the court to play. The same can be said about the Bulldogs, who played with their full potential and still maintained a level of respect. In fact, the general atmosphere in the gymnasium was both respectful and competitive. However, I was most inspired by the players’ abilities to balance their academic lives with their dedication to volleyball.
I never really understood the excessive popularity surrounding sporting events like the World Cup or the Super Bowl. However, after speaking with other onlookers I came to the conclusion that a sport can be enjoyed even if one doesn’t play it. I plan to get involved by attending more sporting events to support Baruch teams.
Tag: studentlife
UCLA
The United Chinese Language Association is one of the many clubs offered here at Baruch College. I was first intrigued by this club when I heard the abbreviation of the club being shouted out during the Club Carnival on Convocation Day; UCLA. I was confused on why UCLA was at Baruch College when representatives of the club approached me and explained what the club actually stood for. The representatives were very nice and welcoming so I thought why not and decided to go to their general club interest meeting (also because their flyers were really pretty).
UCLA’s first general interest meeting was on August 31st during the official club hours. When I finally found the room the meeting was to be taking place in, I was shocked at the sheer amount of people that showed up. Latecomers even had to stand outside in the hallways as the room couldn’t fit everyone inside. Some of the representatives confided in me that even they didn’t think this many people would show up.
Once everyone was settled down, the club representatives all introduced themselves and a PowerPoint presentation was shown for all the potential new club members to get a feel of what UCLA was all about. UCLA is about promoting Chinese American awareness and to increase knowledge about its culture and heritage at Baruch College. They host important Chinese events like the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Lunar Festival. UCLA also provides mentorships from Baruch alumni and is into philanthropy.
After the presentation, we played icebreaker games to get to know each other a little bit better. One game we played was called scenarios where there were two teams of three who had to act out a scene. Each team had one role and whichever team couldn’t come up with a comeback fast enough would ultimately lose.
When the general interest meeting came to an end, I was sad to go. I had a lot of fun during the meeting watching people volunteer to go up and participate in the games. I couldn’t stop laughing throughout the whole event and I left with a big smile on my face. I’m currently thinking about joining UCLA but who knows.
Blog #1: Student Life
As Thursday’s club hours approached, I kept searching for something that would truly be of interest to me. With Baruch’s pause on Greek life, I looked for a club that would offer some sort of excitement. Late Wednesday night, I saw a post for the Absolute Adrenaline club in the Baruch 2021 Facebook group, and decided that this might be worth my time. I scrolled through their Facebook page, and saw countless photos of students going rock climbing, paintballing, snowboarding, and more. I knew that I had to go check out this club and see what they were all about.
On Thursday afternoon, me and a group of classmates went to their General Interest Meeting. There we met the president of the club, George, and we learned about the specifics of the club. We talked about how one of the very first events the club had was indoor laser tag, and how the new leaders wanted to revive that. We talked about the different trips and events they have scheduled, and how even during midterms and finals, club members are trying to relieve their stress by being active. One of the things that stood out to me was how closely knit the group was. The members not only participated in club events together, but they created their own plans during their free time. George was telling us how their snowboarding trip stemmed from a few members telling each other that they wanted to go snowboarding upstate and then through word of mouth, a whole group of people came. It is very important to me to make friends that are interested in similar things and I would love to meet new people who constantly want to go on new adventures and experience new things. I look forward to going to one of their club events and I hope that it will be a lot of fun.
UNICEF @ Baruch
UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund is a program which defends the rights of children across the nation. UNICEF works hard to preserve the right to education for many children while also providing clean water, sanitation, and nutrition. This week I attended the UNICEF @ Baruch to learn more about this movement.Through the meeting I learned how Baruch College gives back to the community. Out of all the events, the Halloween Bash stood out to me where as college students, we can raise money for children. Not only the club members can raise money but the whole college can. More events such as the Snowflake Ball, International Food Fair, and Not Alternative Facts is the perfect way to raise awareness and implement change for the betterment of all children. The main goal is to help all children to realize that they can reach their full potential.
Upon entering the club room I already knew I wanted to be a permanent member of UNICEF. The board members were extremely nice and outgoing. They answered all the questions I had without me even asking. The free pizza and soda was just the cherry on top of the cake. UNICEF is a great way to get involved in the college social scene because in order to become a member you have to fulfill a number of requirements. The requirements are attend a co-sponsorship event, attend a social event, attend a GIM (general interest meeting), bring a friend to any UNICEF event, attend a tabling event, and attend an info session. To become a member of the UNICEF @ Baruch family you have to meet all these requirements with a signature of a board member as proof. If you are unsure if you want to join UNICEF check out unicef.org or join the UNICEF @ Baruch facebook page to learn more. The next general interest meeting is on September 19th during club hours. I hope to see all of you there!
AKPsi Rush Fall 2017: Spread the Love
One of the first organizations I checked out during club hours was Alpha Kappa Psi (AKPsi). In short, they are a professional business fraternity that focuses on brotherhood, professionalism, and philanthropy. The past week was the beginning of their first few rush events, where people can get to know what AKPsi is and network with both fellow rushes and the brothers. One of the events named “Spread the Love” was a philanthropy event in which we gave back to the community. We prepared peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to give to those in need. Personally, I believe the act of giving back is definitely something we should prioritize. There are many unfortunate people out there that can benefit from our acts in any shape or form. Something as simple as taking a sandwich and spreading peanut butter and jelly on it can really go a long way. I got the chance to talk to the brothers and learned more about AKPsi. Other than the brothers, there were also a large amount of rushes that came out to this event. I was able to meet a great deal of individuals who were in a similar situation as me, which was great, especially at a commute school like Baruch. Moreover, I was able to get insights towards my major, accounting. As a freshman, I do not exactly know what path I will take eventually and how exactly things would turn out, but it is all a learning experience. Maybe I will come to realize that accounting is the major for me, or it is not. It is different for everyone, so it is not until I really take a class or two to really find out for myself. Overall, I enjoyed the event and look forward to the many more that follow.