Author: s.katz1

Majoring in finance and having a big interest in real estate, this past month I went to see my first auction for a property. A property that goes to auction is due to the fact that the owner can not pay his mortgage or he is not paying his property tax. Auctions are a big part of real estate because it’s a great way to get a good property at a wholesale price. Auctions are usually held in government courtrooms and sometimes in hotels and online. For the auction I attended it was held in a courtroom. I got in sat in a pew and watched and learned as real estate investors tried to get their hands on a property. This was an absolute auction, which meant that the highest bidder would be given the property. I learned that the bidding typically starts with the remaining balance of the mortgage, and this was the case here. As they started the auction people started the bidding, the number increase by each buyer was shocking to me because they were outbidding each other by a pretty large margin. They continued to bid until the highest bidder was left standing. The judge banged his grapple and the property was his. I learned that the winner must come with some form of money, either cash or check to pay an auction fee.

I learned from this experience how an auction works and the benefits of purchasing a property through auction. It offers a first chance to buy a property that has not yet hit the market. Since purchasing a property through an auction comes with much more of a risk you tend to be able to get them at a much lower price. Going to an property auction was one of the most learned experiences of my life because it taught me so much about a business that I see as being a future profession.

One afternoon after a long day of school  me, Taja, Michael, and Rocki went to the Arlette Tebele pop up shop. Arlette Tebele is an artist and famous instagramer known for her fun, playful and edgy art. A graduate from FIT and born and raised in Brooklyn she was no stranger to New York. She is famously known for making everything yellow especially with her yellow emoji, which is her logo. Walking in to the pop up shop I did not know what to expect. Although I have an interest in art I prefer art history rather than modern and contemporary art. Although it was not my forte I decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised. From the first minute I walked in, Arlette Tebele’s felt very present walking in because the walls were all painted yellow, and there was a big poster of her yellow emoji logo. Walking around the pop up shop featured a variety of art, it had wall art, paintings, graffiti, digital drawings and much more. The art that was portrayed at the pop up shop was modern and very much our generation. The art featured celebrities such a Kanye West, Jay-Z, Michael Jordan, Snoop Dogg, and many more. It also featured a lot of cartoon art with well known characters such as bugs bunny and daffy duck. An interesting aspect of the pop up shop was that they would ask if you wanted a picture, then use a polarized camera, print it and sign your name and put it on the wall. This was a really creative aspect of the pop up shop delivered by Arlette Tebele. All of us interested in this took a picture signed it and put it up on the wall with all the other Arlette Tebele fans.

       Going to Hillel for the first time I didn’t know how the environment was going to be. I had never experienced the Jewish life at a college before. I had high expectations knowing the great population of jews in New York. So I went to their welcoming party.

      Entering the club I was welcomed with heads of the club. Asking where I was from and engaging in simple dialogue. Speaking to people throughout the club I came to realize there were a lot of people I did not know. It was not just Jews from the area but there were Jews from around the country. I met Jewish kids from Maryland, Michigan, and LosAngeles. Learning diaspects of Jewish culture.

      Going to their welcoming party I found out about a list of exciting events. The Hillel hosts different lunches with great foods such as wings and pizza. They also have shabbatons (weekend outings) at places such as Brownstone and Washington D.C. They have events such as ice skating, tech fairs, and tours. They also have 20 minute shiurs (Jewish biblical discussions) once a week every monday.

     Not only were there many great events and activities at the Hillel but they also offer job/internship. Through the club, they offer Database, Social Media, and Administrative jobs/internship. As an incoming freshman who is looking for a job/internship this was very exciting for me. I would be able to have a good job/internship while being able to work in a comfortable environment.

     Visiting this event made me realize how much of a Jewish home I have at Baruch. How much opportunity I have to engage in a Jewish community at the Baruch Hillel. How diverse the students are and how many events I have the opportunity to engage in. Most importantly, My life at Baruch and my life as a Jew do not have to be separate but rather intertwined.