Hello, my name is Denis Qehaja. This is my second semester at Baruch and I am currently majoring in finance.
I chose this image of me looking over lower Manhattan, not just because I think the view from here is spectacular, but also because of what it represents. To me, the number of tall buildings in this picture symbolizes how much of our life is governed by the will to create something new, something to marvel at. I always think about the sheer amount of effort that had to be put into developing this city into the major financial hub it still is today when looking at this picture. There had to be architects who designed the buildings, people who had to secure funding to ensure these buildings can exist, and most importantly, the people who had to actually build them. This process is no walk in the park; indeed, it takes a considerable amount of time, upwards of a few years, to finish the construction of these buildings. Knowing this gives me a key insight into life: nothing comes for free, and if I want something to be done, I’m going to have to put in the effort to make sure it happens. Of course, life sometimes wants me to believe everything is up to luck, but I know better than to give in to this belief. This photo serves as a reminder to me that nothing exists in a vacuum; what I am staring at is something that had to be built from the ground up, but still actively changing.