Freshman Seminar Fall 17 DWA

Student Life: LATINX Opening Ceremony

I attended the LATINX Opening Ceremony with Chelsea on September 7th. Upon arriving at the event, which took place on the second floor of the Vertical Campus, I was immediately greeted by excited members who provided plethora of information about the club. Additionally, there was a variety of free food to choose from, including: empanadas, tostones, fruit ice pops, and juice. After the initial greeting, a DJ started playing music and soon after, a dance competition and party ensued! I appreciated the fact that Hispanic culture was being celebrated through a club. This experience definitely made me interested in possibly joining the club.

Absolute Adrenaline GIM

My Bucket List As A Club!

When I was first admitted into Baruch College, one of the first things I did was look into the clubs that were offered.  Absolutle Adrenaline was one of the first to catch my eye.  Going to the general interest meeting allowed me to confirm one thing: this is definitely a club for me.  Not only do they sponsor some things on my bucket list but they promote healthy living and the development of great friendships.  Even at the beginning of the meeting, I felt comfortable; the ice breakers certainly helped to release any feelings of an outsider.  You don’t have to be the fittest or the most adventurous, all you need is the desire to have fun, make friends and stay healthy. I hope to be able to go to as many events as I can this while I am at Baruch.

El Museo Del Barrio Exhibition

El Museo Del Barrio is a museum in East Harlem. This museum is famous for its ability to bring light, to the almost fading, history of Hispanic culture.

The day I went to the exhibition, I arrived with only minutes to its closing. Hurriedly I checked my bag in and ran to the entrance. The guards within reminded me once again that I only had 15 minutes to go, so I started my search. The search was to find the most relatable piece of art. I soon realized it wasn’t far from my grasp as I turned the corner.

A woman’s face was trapped in a box, while the rest of her (her unruly hair) was out side. Underneath the box was inscribed “Tu Afro No Cabe en la Foto,” which translates to “Your Afro Doesn’t Fit in the Photo.” I quickly recognized this piece to be symbolizing the “hair issue” within the Hispanic culture, where European features are praised for having, but Afro-American features are covered by the swipe of a flat iron. The Afro within this piece represents the resistance, straying away from what is “traditionally” viewed as beautiful and not conforming ones self into societal definition of appropriateness. Her Afro is breaking these boundaries and taking her whole persona.

I found this piece to be relatable because while going through my natural hair journey, I too received unwanted opinions of my new untamed hair. To my surprise someone even told me, “I don’t like your hair like this, you look black.” Despite all of that, I learned how to embrace my hair and myself.

You may be asking your self, “Okay… but how did this event assist you during your first semester at Baruch College?” Don’t worry I’m getting there.

This event assisted me during my first semester at Baruch College, by further showing me that as long as I can embrace myself, the opinions of others shouldn’t matter. Therefore I could be open to my school environment and be unafraid to break social barriers.

NYMIA club

On Thursday September 7th, 2017, I attended the NYMIA (New York Music Industry Association) club. The club focuses mainly on the factors that make up the music industry and give people insight on how the world of music business works. The club not only does that, it also gives musicians a chance to come together and maybe jam together, start a band, etc. My first impression of the club was I found it relaxing and easy-going. What I mean is that it didn’t feel as if I had to come to every meeting and sacrifice my social and academic life in order to prove to the members that I was fully involved. The people there seemed fully invested in their roles within the club and all seemed very comforting from start to finish. The president of the club assured us that this club wasn’t going to force us to come to every meeting and do every event they plan, instead, she said that we should be present at our own leisure. My method of becoming involved with NYMIA will mostly consist of mingling with other incoming members and to make new friends. Who know? maybe I’ll form a band and create tons of songs with the others. I can try to help promote the annual festival NYMIA puts together and hopefully I’ll try to perform there too! Overall, NYMIA seemed like a promising club to be apart of and I can’t wait to see what it has in store for me.