Author: o.zayer

I attended the STARR Career Workshop on Wednesday on 11/8/17. This workshop was called “Small-Talk”, and a representative from the department came to discuss about how to start conversations with people you do not already know. I did not understand what this workshop was about because their was no description in the STARR website. I just decided to take it because the next available workshop was next week and this assignment was due before the workshop. When I attended the workshop, this was the first one ever, I was surprised to see how the room was setup. Everything was setup in a manner that was easy and accessible to me. The kids came in and sat down and waited for the representative to come and get settled. I was also surprised to see that most of the kids (90%) were freshman just like me and no seniors at all. This made me feel more comfortable. The speaker came in and introduced herself and gave us sheets to follow along. And there she taught us about the importance of starting a speech with someone. An example where we might use the techniques where we were taught is during the Career Fairs. Many companies and corporations are going to come and interview us to get more information of internships or even a full time job. I had a great experience and learned and a lot of skills that are important in my future. I hope to attend more of these STARR workshops to further improve my skills.

The club I joined is the Hillel during club hours. I met one of my best friends, Ethan, who attended my high school. When I walked in I was immediately welcomed by other members who already joined. My friend invited me and he then introduced me to his new group of new friends he met at the club. Hillel preached being open to people and respectful to others. And this was evident when I entered the club. I am a person who is not jewish, I am muslims, and there is a stereotype that muslims and jews hate each other due to conflict in Israel but I was treated with respect and as if we put our conflicts aside and treated each other like adults. Everyone was extremely nice to me. I plan to attend many of there activities to fully immerse myself in the jewish culture because I would like to learn more about it. This club will allow me to meet new people that I otherwise would have never met.

I have decided to visit the 9/11 memorial. Since this college is in the heart of NYC, I believed that an event like 9/11 is very important in the history of NYC. This event marked a time of struggle and horror, but also unity amongst everyday New Yorkers. Remembering an event like this is important becuase it set a good example of how New Yorkers really

At the memorial, I got to see images and videos of the events that happened on 9/11. I got to the see faces of ordinary people and how they reacted in this tragic event. It was evident that people were united and willingly offering assistance to those who needed. Any conflict between fellow New Yorkers was halted during the event and every become allies. Seeing this in the video made me realize how New Yorkers are kind at heart during low times. Many might argue that Islamaphobia was a problem during these times and the years that followed however I am going to say that out of my 18 years in New york, I have never experienced hatred toward me simply due to my religion (and neither have any of my family members). I came to a conclusion that in my opinion, this shows the well develped moral character in New Yorks that allowed this to happen.

This assisted me in Baruch becuase everyone was kind and offered assistance to me when I needed it. I wasn’t affraid to ask. This easily helped me get my foot throught the doors of college life. Teachers were ready to answer any of the questions especially though email, in which teachers responded immediately. I hopefully would learn to carry the respect I have recieved to other people I meet throughout my years at Baruch.