Freshman Seminar Fall 17 LC09

On September 28th, I attended the Club Fair. At first, I had no clue it was even going on but I felt like it’s a great way to learn more about the school. I went by myself and it was honestly super overwhelming. There were so many different clubs and so many people. I seriously attend a school filled with so many diverse cultures and it’s so exciting to me. I tried to go to almost every club and learn more about them. I met so many people and it was just so much fun. I felt, in a sense, at home. There are so many different people who come into this school building every day and it’s just so nice to know that they all can conjugate groups/clubs to build comfortability alongside support. The DJ was mixing songs from left to right and it was just a well put together event. There was even a club about food! Can you believe that? Overall I enjoyed my time there and I didn’t even realize attending counted as a blog post. That’s how you know I actually found it enjoyable.  As I was proceeding towards the exit, I see Karl and he gave me a phone wallet and I asked him to strike a pose! 

I feel that Baruch offers a plethora of clubs and Fraternities, so I would be missing out if I didn’t join one. Furthermore, clubs are a great way to enhance/build your professional skillset. They help us become a better leader, communicator, and more collaborative. Moreover, it can help you create new contacts and offer networking opportunities. In addition, clubs allow you to be more social and make more friends.

On September 12, 2017 I attended two clubs: CSA (Caribbean Students Association) and USA (United Sikhs Association). As two of my friends and I were walking through the club rooms on the third floor, we heard the song “Bad and Boujee” by Migos playing on a loud speaker. My friend and I traced the song back to a room filled with numerous individuals who greeted us with warm smiles when we asked “how do we join?” After we exchanged information and were given a basic rundown of the club, we were told to have a seat if we could find one. There was only one chair unoccupied and there was three of us. So we decided to leave and venture off to different clubs.

Suddenly, I ran into a Sikh friend of mine. He asked me if I was going to USA? I then responded with me being oblivious to the club’s existence. After he escorted me to the club room, I was shocked when I entered the room, because I didn’t know that there were so many Sikhs who went to Baruch. Although, I knew quite a few people there from before, there were many new faces. The club focused on spreading awareness of the fifth largest religion in the world, Sikhism. After they were done introducing themselves and the club, the leaders of the club told us to introduce ourselves. So we went around in a circle, talking a little bit about ourselves. Like many others, I said my name and talked about my first day at Baruch. I talked about how I thought I had classes with many of my friends, however they either ended up being on different floors or taught by different professors. So I had to make new friends in every class I went to. Although I was successful in doing so, I felt sad that my high school friends were in different classes. Later that day, my friend Pav, a board member of USA met me and told me about the club and how clubs in general are a great way to stay connected with friends when you don’t share classes with them. Overall, I enjoyed going to this club and would like to continue attending their meetings. In addition, I feel that I might be able to get a leadership position in the upcoming semesters because of the strong impression I created at the last meeting.

Moreover, I attended the Wall Street Club and Hillel Club in the past week. In both clubs, there were guest speakers who were successful Baruch Alumni. All of the guest speakers were investment bankers who worked at prestigious companies such as Goldman Sachs and Rothschild and Co. I feel like listening to their stories and advice has helped me think more about my career goals and the necessary steps I need to take in order to achieve them. In conclusion, I am glad that I am experiencing Baruch student life by visiting these clubs and will continue to do so. And last but not least, I really enjoy the free food each club has to offer.

https://ibb.co/bSFO15

On Thursday, September 7th, 2017, I attended the latinx Family Feud event in the Multipurpose room at 6 pm. Some of the reasons why I attended this event was because family feud is one of my favorite game shows on tv, and I wanted to learn a little more about latinx heritage and culture. Also, I wanted to go for the pizza that was given out, which tasted pretty good.

The family feud event was pretty fun in general. Different clubs and organizations competed as different “families” on a few aspects of latinx and Hispanic culture. To be honest, a bunch of the questions didn’t really have much to do with latinx culture (one of the questions asked what people are scared of the most). Other than that, I had fun watching the teams go head to head tournament style to see who would come out on top. I’m not actually even Hispanic, but I thought that going there would be fun for everyone anyways.

I went to this event with a couple of my friends, both of whom are Hispanic. One of them is Mexican, and the other is Ecuadorian. It was actually kind of funny how my Ecuadorian friend didn’t root for Ecuadorian club to win because he knew that they wouldn’t do well. My Mexican friend knew most of the answers that had to do with latinx culture, and I knew some of them as well. All three of us ate a lot of food at the event, probably around ten slices of pizza combined. Great food combined with a great game show made for a really nice and fun night.

Not only was there pizza, there was CAKE. There was a huge cake that everyone got a piece of after the game was over, and it wasn’t just for the winners which I thought it was for. They all gave out pieces of cake and I had to take a big piece. I don’t exactly remember the flavor, but the cake was really good. I remember how one of my friends was trying to be funny by eating his piece with a knife. Not only was the family feud game show itself really fun to watch, the food was great, and the dessert was fantastic as well. I was actually kind of expecting them to give out food from different Hispanic countries, but I was proved wrong when I looked to the back of the room and I saw a bunch of pizza boxes that were stacked.

Overall, I felt that this latinx family feud event was a very fun event that brought people of different cultures together. Although people from different organizations, clubs, and cultures competed against each other, it also kind of brought them closer together because it was only friendly competition. It was cool to see how each team did against each other and which teams knew more about latinx and Hispanic culture and heritage. If they host this event next year, I would love to go again.

 

 

 

On that Thursday I was debating on whether or not to go to the Hillel Club that afternoon because my English Professor assigned a four page essay to do. But I pushed off working on the essay and I went, and it was worth it. That day the Hillel Club said they were going to have a speaker and that there will be a lot of food. When I saw that message I assumed it would be the typical guy who comes every Wednesday to give us a twenty minute motivational lecture with food and drinks on the side, but instead it was someone else and it was not just twenty minutes. That day the event lasted about an hour and a half because on that Thursday they brought in a singer and songwriter from Israel named Noa Bentor, who is a two time Breast cancer survivor. She went on to tell the story about her life, while trying to show students like us that there are people like her who go through harder things in life. She started off her story about how she was just living an ordinary life and that she would sing and make songs on her free time. Then she went on to tell us how hard it was to hear that she has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She said she was crying for days and did not really know what to do. Also, she believed that she would be cancer free one day and that she never really thought of death. During her first time with cancer she used singing to make her happy because she said that the chemotherapy was brutal and she was also upset that she had no hair anymore. Along with singing, her friends and family really helped her get through with it. They were always there for her and they always made her happy. She believed that having friends and family is very important in order to help you fight cancer. She then went on to say about how she was happy after being cancer free and that she kept singing and writing songs. About two years later her doctor made her get an MRI on her breasts and from that she knew the cancer was back. She said it was much worse having it the second time around because the radiation during chemotherapy increased. And even though she experienced it already, she became more scared because this time she started realizing that death may be near. That still did not stop her from singing and writing new songs. She had to stay strong through the whole process, especially because she had to get a double vasectomy. Again her friends and family were there for and never left her side all the way to the end. Thankfully she became cancer free again and now is still singing and writing as well as telling people her life story. That event that day really made the audience, including myself, be more thankful about what we have in life, and I am very thankful that I chose to go to the Hillel Club that day.

 

On September 15th I attended the STARR Career fair. I did not know what to expect and I was quite nervous. My resume was a mess. The last time I edited or even added anything to my resume was last summer. I felt like I was a mess and was not fully prepared. I wanted to be able to clean up my act overnight and actually put forth my best act. I was told the event started around 12.  Due to my insufficient funds in my bank account, I took a longer than expected Uber ride halfway there and took the 6 train to my final destination. Along the ride, I met up with Joseph Coburn, a classmate as well a friend of mine. I initially intended on going simply just to complete the blog post/homework assignment. However, I began to realize that attending this career fair was quite useful and aided in giving me a great insight into what these internships are looking for. I realized I was really not fully prepared mentally. I wanted to completely fix my act and felt embarrassed speaking to some of these people simply because my professionalism was in hiding. I didn’t want them to think I was clueless or oblivious to what they can offer either so I made sure I was in tune with everything they were saying. Unfortunately, when approaching big companies like Chase, TD Bank, or even NYC Dept. of Investigations, etc. I went into intense conversations but when I mentioned I was currently a freshman in Baruch they politely declined and told me to try again my Sophomore year. Although that should’ve really shifted my decision in regards to even staying at the fair anymore, it didn’t. I still wanted to look around and see what else this fair has to offer and there were so many important speakers there. Aside from the important representatives, both the gymnasiums were packed. They were both filled with a ton of people both students, professors, representatives, etc.  I was able to interact with a number of different people and got an insight into many things. I stepped out of my major that day as well. I broadened my mind and expanded my horizons to different options. There was a variety of different careers and internships to choose from I just needed patience as well as an open mind and heart. Luckily, I am a very social person so I was able to really hit it off with the representatives. I’m not sure who was running the event but I have to say they did a great job. It was organized in a great manner. Overall, I enjoyed my time at this event. The people there were great and had such high spirits and very enthusiastic. It gave me a sense of reassurance and I enjoyed every bit of the event. It was truly a great experience and really has my mind thinking a lot more towards my future. I realized that I have so much more to really accomplish and I am truly looking forward to what my future holds.

I’ve been looking to join a club and get more involved in the school. I’ve been asking my friends what clubs to join. I was told I should go to this fraternity interest meeting. On September 6th, I attended the general interest meeting for the business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi with a group of my friends. I had no idea what this meeting would entail. I didn’t plan on staying long, as I was trying to rush home and finish up some homework. I was told by my friends the meeting would last about 2 hours, but it actually lasted around 4.  I already had assumptions on what fraternity’s were before I attended the meeting. I thought fraternities were all about partying and having fun. However, after the meeting, everything changed. I realized that fraternities are much more to just having fun. They push each other to become the best versions of theirselves, as well as encourage each other. During the meeting, I got to meet a few of the alumni as well as current members of the fraternity. There was a panel set up for the four alumni, who discussed how the fraternity helped them succeed in life. There was a total of four speakers, and they opened up for a Q&A near the end of the panel. Two of the four speakers were accounting majors, and are currently employed by big four companies. The speakers gave real honest answers, which I truly appreciated. Some of the speakers didn’t have the best g.p.a nor best resumes, but they explained to us how they were able finesse a internship. They also explained how the fraternity helped them in their jobs, and helped them maintain relationships as well as meet new people. I reconnected with a girl named Karen, who happened to be the manager of the basketball team in Brooklyn Technical High School when I was on the team my freshman year. I never knew she went to Baruch, so it was surprising to see her. Dumplings were given out during the meeting, which were delicious. It was my first time having dumplings, and it looked a bit weird to me. The meeting lasted for about 3 hours, but it was a great experience. I got to network and meet a lot of great people. The fraternity really feels like a family, as everyone seems like they are close-knit. The relationships made in fraternity’s seems like they would last for a lifetime. I don’t know if I’ll continue with the fraternity this year, but I’m definitely going to consider it in the future. Fraternity’s seem like they take a lot of commitment, and I don’t want to get myself into something I may not be ready for yet. I might join a club next semester, but this semester I plan to get more situated into the school, and get my schedule more adjusted. I love playing basketball in Baruch’s gym, so I plan on continuing to do so until the end of this semester.

Before the loft party started I met up with my friend from high school at the cafeteria. She was with her other friends that she met through SEEK and they were all really nice plus she helped me make new friends. The loft party didn’t start until 7 p.m. so we did our homework as we talked about a million irrelevant topics that just came to mind. We had snacks and shared them, but we were really hungry and kept talking about getting food every other 20 minutes. Alas, this didn’t ever happen and it was already time to go. The line was surprisingly long and I bumped into my other friends who I knew were coming. Our group of 6 became a group of about 11 and as we go closer and closer to the front of the line we saw that they were serving burgers and fries.

We were so excited to be getting free food and the burgers were so good although the fries could’ve been better. The party was starting so the lights were still on but the music was playing and people were already dancing on the dance floor. Once the lights dimmed everyone was still a bit timid and there were still a few people actually dancing. There was also jumbo chess, jumbo jenga and jumbo connect four. When I finished eating, my friends and I started to dance and our group became slightly bigger. At one point I stopped dancing because people started to fist furiously fist pumping to a bunch of songs. I actually almost got hit in the face because people were fisting pumps so quickly in such a small vicinity. People also started to pick up the chess pieces and fist pump with them in their hands. They did not put them down until the party was over and I was so afraid of someone getting into an accident. I made more friends while I was dancing and it was really exciting because at the end of the night there was a group of us ready to go out to eat.

We spent a really long time in front of the school trying to figure out where we wanted to eat. A bunch of ideas came up and we were obviously trying to figure it out for about 20 minutes. In the end, we just started to walk in the direction of 23rd to try to figure out what we wanted. Once we got to 23rd we started to walk down the avenues and we finally landed in Schnippers where we found a big table to seat all of us. I got a classic burger with cheese fries. The cheese fries were really bad and I was glad that I had gotten the cheese on the fries. My friend needed up giving me the rest of her Oreo milkshake and that was a turning point for me since now I was get a cookies and creams milkshake everywhere I go. At the end of the night I ended up taking the 6 to the 4 to Yankee Stadium and then taking the Bx13 home. I was really glad I went because I had so much fun and I made a lot of new friends.

This past weekend I attended the 35th annual leadership weekend hosted by Baruch College at YMCA Camp Speers in Dingmans, Pennsylvania. This trip was a great opportunity to make friends and gain leadership qualities. The trip began with a 4 hour bus ride that eventually led to myself making about 20 friends. Those individuals quickly became very close to me and eventually we formed into a so called, “back of the bus squad”. Upon arrival at camp, I was happy that I already had 20 friends and quickly grew even closer to them through dinner and the rest of that night. I continued to make new bonds and express myself through others, eventually staying up until 7:15AM. The first night proved to be an exhilarating experience that would model the remaining 2 days of the trip. The next day, I awoke and headed to breakfast and felt safe and comfortable amongst people I knew and people I would eventually get to know. The day consisted of myself making more friends and developing my strengths through a multitude of leadership activities. I later explored my new found relationships through team building activities such as zip-lining and later a relaxed basketball game. Later that night, there was a talent show that was truly a life changing event. People shared their talents as well their stories. Those stories reflected upon their own personal experiences including family, friends, and travel. The reason the talent show affected me so much is because I was able to appreciate the acts and more importantly the people performing them. It takes strength, courage, and the attributes to become a leader, to go up on stage in front of over 100 people and be yourself. I am astonished by these acts and the confidence of the performers. After this event I felt that the Leadership Weekend began to take shape and impact me. That night I took it upon myself to make even more friends and try to show them my own leadership qualities. The next and final day, I sat through a speech by Dean King. Although I nearly fell asleep, the small bits and pieces I do remember reinforced the qualities of leadership that I learned over the weekend. My favorite part of the entire trip were the meal times of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I love all you can eat food and to be honest I was very happy. Although, that is not the reason I enjoyed the meal times the most. The reason was as follows; when I sat around the table and saw and recognized all the familiar faces, I truly felt I was surrounded by family. It replicated the family dinners I have at home every week. Leadership Weekend did teach me the qualities of being a leader, but more importantly it introduced me to 99 other strangers that eventually became my good friends. This experience was life changing and I feel blessed I was able to participate in this event. I will remember leadership weekend for a lifetime and will stay connected with all the friends I made and represent the great leader I became!

During club hours I went to the Baruch basketball gym on the 3rd floor of the basement. I didn’t have to sign in anywhere, I just walked in. This fulfilled my student life requirement. I wanted to go to this because basketball is one of my favorite hobbies and I was looking forward to meeting new friends who had the same interest as I do. I didn’t know many people at the time, so I couldn’t ask anyone if they wanted to come with me. I played basketball throughout high school, and I play in parks pretty often. All it takes is a flashy pass to spark a friendship. I entered the gym and there were only two half courts available. I was really confused because there was another gym right across, and two kids were shooting around, but they said the gym was closed. There were also a lot of people waiting for next game, so I approached a couple of dudes and asked if they had next, they said yes and I could join in with them. There were people from all grades playing against each other. My first game I played well, however, we ended up losing. I was guarding a junior, who was really quick, so it was kind of difficult to keep up with him, but I did my best. Like I said before, all it takes is a flashy pass to spark a friendship and that’s exactly what happened. I made a behind the back pass to a wide open teammate, and he finished the lay-up. He said nice pass and dapped me up. For the rest of the game we had trouble guarding a 6’6 senior. While on the sideline, I was talking to some of my teammates, and I found out we had some stuff in common. We were both from Long Island, and we lived relatively near each other.  We ended up becoming friends and decided we would play against the next team together. I had to wait 40 minutes until the next game because there were so many people waiting. I wish I was able to shoot around while waiting instead of having to just sit around. During the second game, we played much better because we had got one game under the belt, and we were much more comfortable with each other and our playing styles. Me and my friend scored 10 of our 16 total points and we ended up winning the game. Although, during this time I was able to engage in casual conversation amongst those who were waiting as well. Overall, I enjoyed my experience going to the Baruch basketball courts, as I was able to enjoy my hobby and meet new people at the same time. I definitely plan on going to more open gym opportunities in the future, and I’ll probably ask the friend I made to come with me. I ended up subscribing to a list where Baruch will tell me every time the gym is available for kids to use.