Giving Back

I think this blog has sufficiently proven how incredibly talented and driven the students at Macaulay Hunter are. Mike is a certified EMT working at a hospital. Katherine has a research assistantship with the Dean. Jemi's interning at a marine biology lab. OK, what can't these kids do?! But in all seriousness, I find that the biggest change from high school to college was the atmosphere. In high school it was cool not to care and hang out with your friends every day but it's a totally different scene in college. Students actually care about learning, want to find a passion and are engaged in current issues. It's actually really inspiring. My peers were one of the reason I took up volunteering at Beth Israel this summer.

I wanted to do nursing but to be honest I'm not the strongest person in science and my biggest reason for considering nursing was to help people and job security. For me it was about 4 years of college, getting my RN license, and going out to save the world, one patient at a time. It was a clear and direct path. There was no room for leeway. Don't get me wrong, I'm still very interested in health care because I believe that every person has the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" which includes being in good health. Although I won't be doing nursing, it doesn't necessarily mean that I won't end up in health care. From talking to people at Beth Israel, I found that the people who work there now didn't initially have a plan to work there and somehow life led them to where they are now. One of the secretaries majored in finance and worked in a few firms but ended up in Beth Israel where he doesn't deal with finances a lot. It's hard to say what the future has in store. To me, the future isn't set in stone so you might not necessarily end up where you intended to be.

My advice to incoming students? Find your passion. Follow it and see where it takes you. Because if you love what you do, then there's no doubt that you will be happy doing it and that kind of attitude is always welcome in the workplace.

Hi Everyone!

Hello! My name is Michael and this is my first time posting. I am an incoming sophomore to Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College. I'm majoring in both Psychology and Religion and have plans to, eventually, obtain a Doctor of Psychology degree in grad school. I am also an EMT-B and work for a hospital-based FDNY 911-participating service. I have a love for both humanistic psychology and healing, as well as emergency medicine, and the relatively young, fast growing EMS sector feels like a second home to me. Working for such a prestigious 911-participating hospital is more than a great opportunity-- it is a privilege. I love going to school in Manhattan almost as much as I love working EMS in Manhattan, and living in this city is a treat in itself.

The best way I can describe my summer is transitory. My freshman year at Hunter was a very fast-paced and exciting one. I took a lot of time to experiment with different classes and majors until I felt like I had really found my calling, which is psychology (specifically crisis counseling). I also took a lot of time to find out who I was as a person. I went, like most of my classmates, from living with my parents and having everything provided to me in one way or another to living in one of the biggest cities in the world on my own.

I loved it. I was enthralled from day one. There I was-- smack in the middle of New York City, opportunities abound, a new friend around every corner, and a life full of excitement and growth to be had. Was this romanticized view I carried with me realistic in retrospect? Yes, it was. That's not to say I didn't have my share of disappointments or boring nights. The key to it all was healthy balance. I had some friends who would go out every night and some who wouldn't go out at all. I knew that I had to keep my priorities in order. If I had work to do and needed to stay in to finish it, that was just the way it had to be. But when I went out I had my fair share of fun. I really started to discover Manhattan my second semester, once I had settled down and gotten in the swing of things. I can't wait to go back in the fall and continue.

College life in Manhattan, at least for me, isn't all about partying or studying or some combination of the two. What made my first year here so interesting was the independence and sense of empowerment that fills you as you take part in any and all activities in this city, and I still carry that with me. Whether I am studying alone quietly in a Starbucks, enjoying dinner with a group of friends, on a date at one of the cozy bakeries in the village, in class at Hunter, writing or reading in my room, or on an ambulance rushing to a 911 call at work, I always find myself stopping in whatever moment and thinking "Wow. How nice this all is." There is nothing particularly interesting or exciting about my life that makes it better than anyone else's; I am not trying to boast. It is simply this mentality that has taken ahold of me and has made living in Manhattan such a gratifying and deeply satisfying experience.

My summer has been transitory because I am getting used to this life. I've devoted a significant amount of time this summer to meaningful rest and relaxation. I decided to put off the summer class I had considered taking in order to more comprehensively integrate all that I had experienced into my being and sense of wellness. I got the Manhattan 911 EMS job which, to be honest, is the opportunity of a lifetime for a 19 year old kid in college. That I am very proud of and I owe that to my mentors and my strong past in EMS. It has also allowed me to use my Spanish (my mother is Cuban) in real life, finally!

Other than that, and reconnecting with old friends, I have compiled a reading list (on my new nook that I got for my birthday!) that has deepened my understanding of all sorts of consciousness, psychology, the human heart, healing, and emergency medicine. I've also taken a LOT of time to meditate and practice mindfulness. I joined a gym and have been investing more in physical wellness. I've also accepted an opportunity graciously offered to me to study and learn Reiki (Japanese touch-based therapy), something I hope to deeply incorporate into my emergency work and my own life, and have been preparing myself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually for the new paradigm of healing that I will soon be learning.

Although this summer is almost half over I feel that I have accomplished a lot because I have been able to truly relax and contemplate my life as it has been, as it is, and as I would like it to be. Manifestation is such a powerful thing, and once I discovered my own channels of manifestation and invested in them with patience, gratitude, and a sense of compassion for humanity, I've found that my life has begun to move around my sense of control over it, and that is simply empowering.

For anyone who is going into their freshman year at Hunter, let this be a reminder to you to have fun and go at your own pace. Do what is right for you. Keep an eye on your work and don't slip up, but also allow yourself to grow and experience life as a person, not only as a student. Manhattan is a great place for that. For anyone considering Hunter, know that this is not a traditional campus experience, but the life that you can build in Manhattan for yourself is virtually limitless with the right attitude and work ethic.

I look forward to writing more once I have more to write about!

Michael.

Summer Heat

Hey guys, sorry for such a long hiatus in posting!

The end of my last semester was a little hectic, but it ended really well - I had my first 4.0 semester! Since all of my classes were really challenging, I feel really proud about having pulled A's or better in each of them. This year really marked a turning point for me. I had always done well in my classes, but something just seemed to click this semester. Maybe it was my summer in Germany that gave me a boost in my German, or maybe I've read enough literary theory and have strong enough convictions in certain theories (feminism and marxism, particularly) that literary analysis seems more natural to me. Or maybe it's just part of being immersed in academia for 3 years. In any case, I felt like I really pushed myself to a new level academically this semester, and it paid off!

So far, my summer has been really exciting! I spent two weeks in Europe in June - one week in London, and one in Paris. I really fell in love with both cities, which was especially satisfying for London, since the first time I went there I had a less than stellar experience. I had just shaved my head a week before I left, and Londoners, who are more conservative than I had expected, weren't exactly friendly to me. I assume it had to do with my hair, since this time, with about 8 inches more hair, everyone was perfectly pleasant. And Paris is...Paris. What could I possibly say that would even come close to encapsulating my experience in Paris? All I'll say is that I can't wait to go again!

At the end of May, I started my research assistantship with Dean Kirschner, along with two other Macaulay students. Working with her has been a pleasure - not only intellectually, but it's always pleasant when you realize that people whom you look up to and admire are totally down-to-earth, and value your input as much as you value theirs. Even though we're helping her research for her book, she's created an environment in which I feel like we're equals. And the research is turning out to be really interesting and rewarding! I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to talk about, but at the very least, she's writing about Josephine Marcus Earp, the wife of Wyatt Earp. I never much cared about the "Wild West" or cowboys, so I'm really pleasantly surprised to find how engaging the subject is!

Other than that, I'm just trying to enjoy my last week before my class - Intro to Cultural Anthropology - starts on the 14th. Not that I won't enjoy that, but being in class means no more sleeping until noon, and not as much staying out until 3 in the morning. So, until next Thursday, carpe diem!

Hope you all have a great weekend! Stay cool! (I'm trying desperately - an un-airconditioned dorm is not the most pleasant thing in the world...)

- Katharine