A Week of Firsts

This past week marked a major milestone for me as I attended “The Threepenny Opera” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House for my Arts in NYC seminar. I am a devoted rap and hip-hop fan, and so initially responded to news of this mandatory excursion to the opera with aversion. The fact that “The Threepenny Opera” was entirely in German served to exacerbate the situation. To make matters worse, I was separated from my friends because odd and even numbered seats were at opposite ends of the theatre. However, this proved to be conducive to my appreciation of this new and unprecedented opportunity. My seat was directly next to that of my seminar’s IFT Fiona, who also happens to be an English major at the CUNY Graduate Center. We discussed the plot of the opera during intermission and I learned about the experiences of a graduate student under the stress of writing a dissertation. This is merely my first month of college, and Macaulay has already broadened my horizons. Never did I envision myself attending the opera and discussing the plot with someone on the verge of receiving their graduate degree, yet there I was. One important lesson I’ve learned is to open myself to new experiences. After all, if you had stopped me one week ago while the vibrant snare and bass of the latest rap track ran through my headphones to tell me that I would enjoy an opera, I would have laughed and been on my way. When the opportunity to leave early arose, many of my peers seized the opportunity. Much to my surprise, I willingly chose to stay. Just make sure not to tell anyone about my newfound love.

Another exciting aspect of this week was the inaugural Macaulay Scholars Council meeting. Here we were introduced to the Administrative Staff of the Macaulay Honors College. Meetings are held at the Macaulay Building, a brownstone with awe-inspiring architecture. Being a member of the Macaulay Scholars Council contributes to my sense of school identity and will allow me to get more involved in the daily aspects of college that impact my educational experience both inside and outside of the classroom. Once again, I’ve opened myself to being more involved in leadership activities that have thus far been engaging and self-improving. College is truly proving to make me try things I never saw myself doing before.

My first ever college midterms are coming up, and I hope to survive long enough to write another post!