This past week i have taken probably 5 tests, and studying for all of them is tiring. Im still doing well in all my classes n I hope after the tests that I still am. There are moments i wish i had went away for college, my friends don’t seem to get even half the amount of work I do. I already registered for my classes next semester so i hope to be even more prepared for the work load.

This week was pretty good. I didn’t have too much work, which was good. But  I had my philosophy midterm, which was the only downside to my week. I studied a lot though, so I think I did well. It was my only midterm for this semester, which was definitely a good thing. I went home for half of the weekend and it was nice to catch up with my family. I missed my sister because I feel like I haven’t seen her in forever. I see my parents more than her because my dad works in the city and my mom comes here a lot to visit. I also missed my cats. My kitten Bean is getting so big and I wish I was there to witness it. I also like going home because my mom stocks me up with anything I need, like paper towels, toothpaste, detergent, etc.

For my latest enrichment workshop, me and a couple of friends decided we would pay a visit to the Student Academic Consulting Center ( also known as SACC) which provides tutoring for many subjects in which students are having trouble comprehending or keeping up with work. What is really interesting is that tutors are actual Baruch students who have previously excelled in the subjects that they are now helping others in. I think its a great idea to have fellow Baruch colleagues help each other out as I think it’s true that we learn best from other students. I think that it is essential for Baruch to provide students with a tutoring center as a lot of the time professors are busy when class is not in session therefore they can not provide much one on one counseling with students as much as one would like. That is why I appreciate something like the SACC office as they provide all Baruch students with reliable help which can come on crucial moments like these past few days as we are in the middle of midterms. In order for a student to receive tutoring, one must first make an appointment online and choose a subject from the many available in which they wish to receive help in. Becoming a tutor requires submitting an application and I think it’s great that Baruch uses this in order to provide Baruch students with job opportunities as they pay the tutors. Becoming a tutor is something that I will definitely look into in the years to come more specifically a math tutor as it is the subject I am more comfortable helping others in. I know that becoming a tutor will allow me to help struggling students which I appreciate because I have experienced being in that struggling situation in some of my classes and I know how much tutors are important during these times of need.

Alright so this is my second Enrichment Workshop. This time around I decided to do the Academic aspect. Above or below (wherever the picture ends up) is me at the most amazing place (no sarcasm) aka the Metropolitan Museum. Wow I had a great time here (again, no sarcasm) looking at many upon many paintings that just resonated with my soul. I saw things ranging from the war of the planets and allegories (is that the name??) to the toilette of venus, and even the girl who dropped a basket of eggs. Now throughout my entire experience at the museum, I think the most interesting part was finding certain paintings throughout the museum. I had a lot of fun running around and asking people who looked like they were from the movies to direct me in the right direction, and then use a map to find the room. I really liked the layout of the rooms, I felt like I was walking through a maze of beautiful creations. I feel like I should be extremely grateful that these wonderful creations were bestowed upon us, and that I was able to witness them with such ease. Did I mention that I got into the Metropolitan Museum for any price I wanted? Yes I did, I got in for 5 cents. Epic. Moving on I had to find my way out, this was a struggle, not only because I was lost but also due to the fact that I just wanted to stay there forever. Definitely. Finally once I got out I went to sit by the fountain and just reminisce on my experience during my visit to the most amazing place on earth. It was a very enlightening experience, however I think it was so enlightening that once was enough. Two Words.

This has been a relatively good week. A lot of the weeks are blending together now, but I’ve somewhat fallen into the routine. I’ve gotten used to the different paces of all of my classes. Some of my classes are really slow but others seem to go by really quickly, however, I don’t find the work difficult. The difficult part is finding time to juggle everything. My sociology class is somewhat difficult, but again it’s not the actual work. People in that class don’t really respect the professor and then just talk in class which is frustrating, especially since I sit in the back of the class. I can’t change those people but I started sitting in the front of my class even though it was away from my friends. I also decided to start studying for that class with some other students and my friends. However, I really enjoy college so far because I feel more independent and I like how quickly it moves.

I went to the STARR Center to receive help looking for jobs. I’ve been  looking recently, however not as seriously as I should be and I picked up some papers giving me information on things like how I should or could fix my resume, which I really found the most useful. I’ve also been meaning to go when my friend told me that she was applying for a job and that she wanted me to come with her. She also told me that I could probably apply to the same place and I did. They didn’t have time to interview us but they did take our resumes and gave us their card. I was happy that I finally at least applied for something. I’ve had jobs before but it was never really something I looked for myself. I get a lot of emails that have to do  with STARR or career events from Baruch, I just never seriously considered going to them. Going to the STARR Center was still nice though because I can be more familiar for the next time that I do actually go.

Enrichment Workshop Career 2

The club that I am leaning the most toward is WICC, or the West Indian Culture Club, and it is because I really like the events that they hold and how welcoming they are. I also find comfort in knowing that I can find a community of people from the African Diaspora, which I am most accustomed to. I enjoy meeting people of different cultures and backgrounds, but I like knowing that I can still stay true and find validation inside this group. One of their events that I went to was the “Who Am I?”, where we discussed the lives and roles of black people in our communities, in America, and other issues that only people from any part of the African Diaspora would face. I really like talking about issues that face the black community because it I like to know what people think, and, being apart of this community, I want to find ways to fix these problems,  whether it happens now or in another generation. I also just like having intellectual discussions with other people. It was interesting to see how people from the same walks of life or facing the same problems deal with those issues differently. It really opened my eyes to the views of people from the Caribbean, African countries, and even just the mid-West. I am pretty sure this is the club I am going to join.

Enrichment Workshop Student Life 2

Hey everyone,

For the second workshop I decided to check out a STARR career workshop. The name of the workshop “Managing Your Own Personal Growth” was presented by Joe Slota. Mr. Slota covered topics such as managing priorities in life and balancing life, personal growth, friends, and more. The workshop helped develop views on the business world. One memorable thing I remember was Joe saying that in the business world, it’s best to be yourself rather than someone you’re not. Another was that impressions are made not only by what you say but rather what is not being said such as body language. Lastly, it was a quote where he said he “works to live, not live to work” which stuck with me because he said if you follow this principle, you’ll never work a day in life.

This workshop helped me explore my career goals by introducing me to priorities and happiness which will help me in the future. The idea that we should find something we’re passionate about and be ourselves is something that some people don’t consider because they care more about money and sacrifice their happiness, family, or other important things in the process. I realized that in order to achieve my career goals, I’ll need to consider what my priorities are and how I can apply for jobs that satisfy them. Joe Slota said the business world requires the ability to connect with people and in order to achieve these goals, I’ll need to further explore the STARR career center. I’m aware that the center provides advice and conducts mock interviews, builds resumes, provides internships, jobs, and more. This workshop was a good start to seeing what the STARR center offers and will likely attend more workshops in the future. I would highly recommend attending a workshop because there’s something to learn and could provide insight on what you really want from Baruch.

Steven

Andres Cabrera – 23975155

This past week I decided to tackle the academic workshop. I went to The Museum at FIT on 27th Street with a friend, at first I didn’t love the idea of going to a fashion museum but finally decided to go because it was very close to Baruch, just a sixteen minute walk away!. But once I arrive it turned out to be a very interesting and enjoyable experience, I had never been in a fashion museum and it was very informative. When we first arrived I was quite surprised by the setting, the rooms were dark, but there was just enough light to be able to see the different clothes which came from a wide variety of historical periods, influences and cultures. It was very interesting to see some of the first pieces of work from world renown designers such as Giorgio Armani and Louis Vuitton, and how their work has evolved over the years, and even what impact this designers have had in the way we dress nowadays. But truly the most interesting fact was seeing how clothes has evolved as a whole, there were periods where the priority was using the most luxurious items possible or some that only cared for comfort or emphasizing the wearers figure. There was a special exhibit about Paris, its main designers, its culture and why over centuries it has been considered the city of fashion. I learned in this exhibit that while Paris was the best place to buy clothes for woman, London was the best place to get a tailored suit. I found the museum overall very exiting, there was a lot of things made by FIT students that were in between the exhibits, which was a very nice way to validate their hard work. I would truly recommend this museum to anyone interested in fashion or the history of clothes.