Author: k.gandhi

So last week, I went to the Starr Career Development Center. It was really informative. I started off just walking in that hall and reading some of the posters and information that they had on their bulletin board. These posters and things talked about how there are several opportunities for us Baruch Students. Starr is out there to help us and they want to hire us! As I passed by the room, somebody asked, “Hi, can I help you?” and I said, “Yes, I would like to know what Starr has to offer.” Even though I had read everything outside in the hallway, I felt that I had the opportunity to hear it from someone else. She told me how we can search in the database to look for a suitable job. She also told me how they help us with resumes. But what really stood out to me was how much they help us with our interviews. Not only do they give us tips on how to present ourselves, they even help us out with what to wear! They have suits and other business attire that we can rent. They even help us with our etiquette and manners if we are going to have an interview for lunch/dinner. She advised me on some things and even told me to book an appointment with them soon to help me out with my resume. I am looking forward to that.

So, college is totally different from high school. Not going to lie, the transition was kind of tough. Not seeing my bestest friends from high school everyday is pretty sad. Also, not living at home was a big change for me. Anyway, I think I’ve finally adjusted to the whole college life thing. Commuting on the 6 is pretty consistent…it sucks. The elevators here suck too. But one thing I like about college is that we have freedom and it is pretty great. I could leave whenever, I don’t have to show up to class all the time and we have long breaks. Also, you are meeting people from everywhere so that is pretty cool. So I guess college is alright. I hope it gets better from here.

A week after the South Asian Student Association’s meeting, I went to the Hindu Student Association’s meeting. I am actually not Hindu but I decided to check it out. At their first general interest meeting they were serving samosas. Samosas are made with a wheat flour or maida flour shell stuffed with some filling, generally a mixture of mashed boiled potato, onions, green peas, spices and green chili or fruits. As I was eating the samosas, the executive board was introducing themselves along with telling us what they were planning to do this year. At the end of the meeting, we played jenga and they told us that they still have board positions available. Also, towards the end of the meeting, I realized how SASA did not really have anything interesting events, in my opinion, so I was really glad I went to HSA. Anyway, I decided to apply for the Chair of Events. Two weeks ago, I had an interview with the president, vice president and the treasurer. The interview went pretty well. I thought I had answered their questions to the fullest of my abilities. A day after the interview I got an email saying that I got the position! I was really excited to work with people that are so cooperative and nice. Ever since then, we have been working on a lot of the events. We had the club fair and the fall kick off! The picture below is a picture of me and Irine, another board member, at our Fall Kickoff that happened last Thursday. We were in the lobby of the second floor and had a lot of cool stuff going on. We had last year’s president doing henna, there was mango juice and doughnuts, people were painting canvases and guessing how many M&Ms are in a candy jar. It was so much fun, however, not that many people were around. It was during club hours so other people were busy at their own clubs but toward the end, people started coming to our stand and seeing what HSA was all about. I am really excited for the upcoming events for this club. Diwali, the festival of lights, is in October and HSA has planned two eventsto celebrate. We have the Diwali Kickoff and the Diwali Gala that is going to be awesome! We have dance performances, amazing food, a photobooth and other cool things happening at these two events. I really hope people come through. I really look forward to being a huge part in this club. The executive board is so nice, welcoming and organized. They created a comfortable environment for me from the start. What I really like about this club is that not only do they have these cultural events, but they are always wanting to give back to the community and I am glad that I can contribute.

Last Thursday, I went to a club meeting that I had been interested in before college even started. I heard amazing things about this club from my classmates from high school who knew club members. I went to Baruch’s South Asian Student Association first general interest meeting! The executive board members, along with their other dedicated members, were very warm, welcoming and inviting. They made it a very comfortable environment to mingle in. The president, Alvin, spoke about what this club is all about, introduced the club’s executive board members and what they are planning to do throughout the year. Right after that, we played the ice-breaker game ‘Move Your Butt’ so that we could get to know a little bit about everyone, just like how we did during Convocation Day. During the game, I felt so shy when I was the last one standing. I did not feel this way on Convocation Day however, I felt super reserved and clueless when it was my turn. Maybe it was because I was in a room with other Baruch students that I did not know and that were older than me. Anyways, after playing the game, they served us some awesome chaat. Chaat is an indian savory snack that has yogurt and different types of sauces on it. Chaat is usually served by vendors on the streets of India. The purpose of serving us chaat was because their event was called have a “Chit-Chaat”, which I thought was very clever. The rest of the meeting, everyone just socialized with one another. I met two older girls that live in my town, East Meadow, on Long Island. One of the girls is a sophomore and the other girl is a junior. It was nice to see them after a long time. We talked about their daily commute. As they were telling me about their commute, I felt thankful that I dorm because the daily commute would be horrible. They told me how it takes them about three hours to commute back and forth from East Meadow, to the city and then back. Interestingly enough, they both are executive board members, which was pretty cool. At the club meeting, I even made new two friends. Their names are Sahil and Raf. We were discussing our schedules, the other clubs we were interested in, our intended majors and why we chose Baruch over all the other colleges that we got accepted to. The three of us now have each other on snapchat and follow each other on instagram. I see myself staying as an active member of this club. I even told Alvin, the president, how I am interested in being a Freshman Representative for this club. Hopefully I get the position if I apply. Overall, I had a good time at SASA’s first general interest meeting and I am looking forward to the next meeting.