After wandering through the third floor hallways for the fourth time and asking directions from two people who were even more lost than me, I finally found Baruch’s Model United Nations. They had already split into groups and started ice breaker games. I quickly joined the FT Team. We really tried to win, but we ended up being the worst team there and couldn’t even score a pity point. After the games, the members of Model UN gave us a short presentation on what we should expect if we joined and what they would expect of us. This is the point when I realized how dedicated they all were to their team and how much they all enjoyed being a part of it. They explained about how they had amazing mentors to coach them when they first joined and how they were eager to do the same for us.

During the meeting I also realized what a big commitment Model UN would be. My high school had a Model UN club so I had some idea of all the work that went into preparing for the conferences, but I wasn’t aware of all the training that came with the college version. The team members were very reassuring however. They explained that they all had full workloads and that although the time commitment might get stressful at times, it would be completely worth it. Baruch’s Model UN goes to the largest conferences in the United States. Their travelling team gets to visit and explore Canada as they attend a conference there. They get to meet and create close friendships with people from all around the world. According to one of the team members the few days together at conferences allowed him to make such strong friendships that he would even get invited to visit his new friends in their home countries.

On thursday, I attended the general interest meeting for Baruch’s Model UN during club hours. I attended because I received an email reminder from the club after I signed their email list at the club fair during convocation day. It was my first club meeting at Baruch and I appreciated being in a room with like-minded people. The majority of the E-board were political science majors like me, which was a breath of fresh air at Baruch since most people are studying business. I’m excited for the conversations we will have pertaining to world issues. I attended the meeting with Ana and Maria from our freshman seminar group but I also reconnected with some other people I had met during orientation and convocation. The meeting was a really great way to pass the time during the 2 1/2 hour gap.

During the meeting, the E-board took the time to explain what the UN is, what Model UN is, and recount their specific experiences with Baruch MUN and the conferences they attended. We learned that model UN conferences consist of general assemblies and crisis conferences, in which school teams are assigned countries and they have to work with other countries to come up with solutions to problems that happen in the real world. Baruch MUN’s 3 main conferences are the McGil conference in Montreal, the national conference in Manhattan, and the NYU Crisis Conference.

I was really happy to find out that MUN experience is not a requirement for joining the conference team because my high school did not have a model un. After the meeting, I plan on filling out the application for the club and team. I’m happy I attended this meeting because I really learned a lot about something that interests me and it has given me an opportunity to become involved in extracurriculars at school!

I remember when I decided to go to Baruch my brother told me to immediately find the Hillel. He told me that it was a great place to not only socialize and meet other Jews, but also a great place to find free Kosher food. I didn’t know where the club room was at first during the clubfest on convocation day. However, because I wore a kippah, the president of Hillel noticed me and my friend below and lead us to the Hillel room. Immediately, I was welcomed with open arms. Many people approached me and asked me; where I’m from?, what high school did I go to?, what teachers do you have? They immediately gave me tips on some of my harder teachers, and even offered to give me their old textbooks for free! Now, everytime when I want to talk to someone, I know there will always be someone there to talk to

Our first meeting was in room 4-125 on August 31st. The president and staff introduced themselves to us and introduced us all the clubs that are affiliated with the Hillel at Baruch. For example, the Tamid club,  a club that gives students real business experience through an investment fund. They spoke about this weekend trip to washington where college students get to speak to many influential political speakers. They even served delicious kosher food. The second meeting I went to was on September 7th. The Hillel brought a woman with an incredible story. This woman told us the story of how she survived cancer not once, but twice. She told us of how she balanced out her songwriting career with her chemotherapy. It really got me thinking how much I have taken life for grant

ed. 

On Thursday September 7th, I attended a general interest meeting for the National Association for Black Accountants at Baruch. I first learned about this club at the club fair on Convocation Day and was immediately drawn by their motto “lifting as we climb.” NABA’s mission is to prepare freshmen and transfers, especially those who are minority or people of color, to be equipped for any field of work by providing them with priceless opportunities — going on an all expense paid trip to a NABA conference in another state, attending professional development workshops, and networking with alumni who have influence in the finance, business, marketing, and accounting fields. I wanted to tap into this resource, so I was really excited to go to their first meeting. And I was not disappointed.

The meeting was barbeque themed which means that food was served in the style of a black family bbq with macaroni pie, rice and peas, fried plantains, barbeque and jerk chicken, salad, and of course, watermelon. It was all very delicious. There was so much food and laughter and good conversation that I felt right at home; I even saw friends there that I hadn’t seen since convocation. We met the E-board who looked amazing dressed in their professional suits, and we listened to them speak more about the club, all it has to offer, and their experiences. There was even a representative from STARR who gave us a rundown on applying for jobs and how to take advantage of that resource on campus. Finally, there was a raffle. The winner received free membership into the club (membership costs $35/year). I didn’t win, but I will probably join anyway because that meeting left a great impression on me. I really think I’ll achieve a lot professionally, socially, and academically there while having fun.

 

On Thursday September 7 th I went to a trading seminar organized by Traders@Baruch.

I’ve been trading ever since 8th grade so this club was my natural choice among all the other organizations in Baruch ecosystem. As I arrived on the trading floor I saw 73 dressed up upperclassmen setting up their trading stations. As it turned out most of them, unlike me, had been there before.  The president of the club stepped to the front and told us “Finish setting up your computers, the first competition is starting in 5 minutes”. Wow I though, just like real world trading this club is strictly about business, there are no introductions for curious freshmen (there weren’t many of those), no long speeches and wasting time; trade or die, just how I like it. The first round started 1 second after I finished the express setup of my trading desk, for the next 300 seconds (that’s how long the competition lasts) I could hear my brain sizzling inside of my head as I drew lines, made orders and scanned the trading books for arbitrage opportunities that came and went within seconds as the fastest traders filled them before anyone else could understand what happened. After the 300 intense seconds came to an end the results were shown on a huge display in front of the room, my name was at the 5th place, I felt proud and knew that this club is where I will belong for the next 4 years.

After the competiton we listened to a professor explaining option pricing models and bunch of other technical aspects of trading which we will need to understand in order to compete in this year’s Rotman Trading Competition at MIT. After the lecture I talked to other club and E-board members, they were very friendly and recommended me to apply for their mentorship program which gives freshmen and sophomores a great opportunity to learn how to trade and meet people from the industry. My interview is tomorrow so wish me luck 🙂 

 

The first week of college was filled with lots of new things for myself, including going to clubs. The first club I went to at Baruch is the Hillel Club. The club had several members waiting outside the door, welcoming anybody new and taking any questions people had. The Hillel Club is known for being one of the most active, dynamic, and very heartwarming student organizations that you will ever find at Baruch college. They have a very welcoming room with lots of decoration on the walls with a couch on the side, for people to sit down and engage in any conversations with members of the club. Even though I’m not Jewish, I still liked the traditions and customs that all people within the faith follow. Even on the first day, there was a room of a friendly, diverse group of people that made me feel welcome and wanted me to join the club.

When talking to the members of the club, I really saw how passionate they are about every thing about the club. They  engage their new members  to be more involved in the global Jewish peoplehood. They talk about teaching us more about tzedek ( social justice), tikkun olam (repairing the world), and the Jewish learning as a whole. Just on the first day alone, I learned just a little overview on what I can expect to learn and take away from this club every Tuesday and Thursday during club hours. The different pillars they outlined of teaching their members, show how much they want to help you in this club. I enjoyed the first day at the club and still thinking about joining it for the semester. The Hillel Club is a club I didn’t expect to stop in and possibly join at Baruch. However, I’m very pleased that I did and I’ll possibly join the club later in this semester.