I attended the Baruch Voices event today hosted by Kayla and Candice (I wonder which events Candice ISN’T a part of at this point) and gained some insight into some of my fellow freshman. Everyone that stood up to voice their monologues had something important to say, whether their monologue was funny or harrowing. They had a story to tell. They made me aware of the fact that those people you pass by on your way to the class you’re 10 minutes late to because of the MTA’s horrid service have fully fleshed out dreams, fears, and lives, just like you do. That’s something students often forget; that we’re all struggling with something, and that we could all use some help or someone to talk to every now and then. School isn’t just about getting your work done, it’s about forming connections, and Baruch Voices sure made me much more likely to attempt to network in the future, as I sympathized with most of the content that was shared, even when I never met the speaker before. We are in this together, so we might as well act like it as opposed to pretending to look at some vital piece of information on our phones when the opportunity to create a bond arises. (Again no picture attached because Candice and several classmates saw me attend the event.)

After many weeks spent practicing our routine while being plagued by constant unexpected problems, the day of Baruch’s Got Talent finally arrived. We hoped to win, being as every other act (with the  exception of one very ambitious jump rope routine) was centered around performing music or spoken word, so we would have the element of surprise. Unfortunately, after a performance that was the best it could be, being as one last unexpected problem (the camera not being able to project what it was capturing onto a giant projector screen to make the trick easier to see) decided to rear its ugly head, we received a lot of applause from the audience, but criticism from the judges, most of it concerning that final problem. It was a learning experience though, teaching me and my partner that we have to be 400% prepared before we try anything like this again, not just 100%, as you never know what could go wrong. Our synergy was also off on stage, with a few instances of one of us doing something too early or too late, causing the other to have to adapt to prevent the illusion from falling apart. All in all, I enjoyed participating in Baruch’s Got Talent, and the most talented person definitely won. If I ever consider magic as a career choice, I know that I can use this experience to rectify numerous errors before they even occur. (Note: No picture is attached because I forgot to take one and Candice was coordinating the event so she definitely knows that I participated, in addition to Douglass being selected (randomly, by our assistant) for the final illusion. Solid alibi crewwwww)

I sat in for the duration of Baruch’s number one radio show, titled “The Noir Show”, hosted by Kwame Joseph, founder of the segment. It was a very interesting listen, addressing many of today’s current events, celebrity news, and the ever evolving hip-hop genre. Conscious conversation, semi-heated debates fueled by contradicting views, an amazing music selection, and some of Baruch’s best personalities really set the bar high for the other radio shows.  The show won 3 trophies at last year’s radio ceremony , and anyone who tunes in can clearly determine why. I’m looking into joining them soon as I am good friends with most of them already and the show’s success in the college is only rivaled by how much fun each of the members have participating in it.  This was definitely a culturally enriching experience.