HOST INTRO: As the spring semester is slowing coming to its end, some students are reaching their last semester in college or simple going on to their next semester. Students often tend to reminisce about their high school years throughout college. Cynthia Yumbla spoke to a third-year college student and asked him to look back in the past.
AMBI: Sound of car door closing with jackets rustle.
TRACK: Here with David Rozo, a 22-year-old who resides in Queens, near the border between Brooklyn and Queens. He is in his first year at John Jay School of Criminal Justice, where he studies law. He also mentions that he is a transfer student from Queensborough Community College. His future plan is to possibly join the FDNY.
AMBI: Jacket rustling continues in the background.
TRACK: He mentions he has graduated high school about 4 years ago, after he vaguely mentions his obstacles in community college. Then he begins to describe his high school self.
ACT: DAVID: I would have to start from when I first got there and then how I left because I came from Pennsylvania so it’s a little bit different you know over there the high schools are, I wouldn’t say stricter, but you have to go to class there’s no skipping classes. Here in New York, they’re a little bit more I don’t want to say lenient but you could get away with skipping classes. So freshman year I would say I was a bit of a dork. I tried to keep doing sports like I did over there and I just had friends off the football team I didn’t really talk to anybody in class and talked to many girls really because I was a small scrawny dude back then. But as the years went by around sophomore year, I would get more friends. One, because of the football team and then you would have the same classes with the same people. As the years went by in high school, I turned into like a I don’t want to say a popular kid. I also don’t want to be a stereotype but yeah I was a stereotypical jock I guess you could say you know hung out with my boys did the bare minimum.
TRACK: He then mentions the name of the high school he attended, which was Benjamin N. Cardozo located in Bayside Queens. After the question of “How would you describe yourself NOW?” is asked.
ACT: DAVID: In three words, I’d probably use humble, funny, and still say outgoing or very creative.
TRACK: After, he describes the differences between being a high schooler to an adult in college.
ACT: DAVID: Yeah I would say I’ve changed as a person you know I would say a big thing is, you kind of get hit with the real world you have to pay your own bills, humble yourself. School is not as easy anymore and I would say a lot even personality wise. You have your heart breaks, you lose your first jobs, go to new jobs. You get new friends and lose old friends. So, a lot of it I would say does change. The personality does change.
TRACK: He mentions a couple of advice he would give his high school self. The main advice he mentions are academic tips like focus more because college is not free like high school. He also mentions college now classes in order to speed the college credit requirements. Towards the end he jokes about advising himself to stay active.
ACT: DAVID: But besides that, is focus more on school and probably continue to stay athletic so I feel like that’s a big thing you lose being a high school athlete. If you don’t continue into college you know like me, you can put on the pounds.
TRACK: Many students will continue to reminisce about the past, it is a natural thing to do. That is how many analyze their mistakes, and it allows them to focus on what they need to work on, whether it is a personal or professional improvement, looking back can help. For Baruch College, I’m Cynthia Yumbla.