Category: Issues of New York Profiles (Page 2 of 2)

“I wanted to do something useful.  I wanted to find a place that needed academic help, since I felt somewhat qualified in that realm. I chose to volunteer with an organization that offered college prep programs to students for free. I am Asian and although I feel there is a sizeable immigrant Asian community that could use assistance, there were already a number of programs out there for them. But the Indo-Caribbean Community didn’t have as many developed programs yet, and I thought it would be great to do that and learn a new culture and community at the same time. At this organization, I teach the Math portion of their SAT program. Most of the students enrolled in the program are Indo-Caribbean, Latin American and African American. I also created a larger program for college prep, that goes deeper into the college application process because I realized the SAT is just one small part of the application process. This program focuses on how to build a good extracurricular background, how to write a good essay, letters of recommendation planning, financial aid, and even college selection. Few of these things are taught in school, and many less privileged students just aren’t in an environment where enough time is spent building these aspects of a student’s profile. I think these programs have been successful, in helping improve students’ scores, which ultimately help them get into college, get into better colleges, or get them financial support. My belief is that the students who were going to go to college come here to do better, and those who do not, don’t attend this program. That’s just unfortunately how it works – I think you would need to catch a student much younger, probably as a freshman or sophomore to turn that around. To better improve these programs, there could definitely be more tutors and teachers who are qualified to teach and who have some insight, from their own experiences or professionally, as to how the college application process works, and how influential America works. Having additional educators would also allow them to have more than one session a week, and more regularly throughout the year as well. In the end however, I think economic funds are always welcomed, which could improve on the size and the resources of these programs.”

“The Van Wyck is the worst highway in the world. I hate it. I’ve been taking it to work for almost 30 years and it gets worse as the years pass by. It could take twice as long to get where I need to go. The thing I don’t understand is that, since the first day I drove into the city until today, this stupid highway has had construction being done on it, yet I just recently saw, for the first time, any difference whatsoever. It had become a joke amongst me and my friends as to how long they could work on something without changing anything. What have they been doing for all these years? I’ve always wondered how much money has been put into this project. Even though they finally made a physical change to the actually highway, there still seems to be something else almost everyday that causes a huge backup. They’ll never be able to fix the Van Wyck”

“It is very common to send your kids to school abroad in China these days. Before it was only college, now the parents sent their kids out when they are in elementary school. I came here alone when I was fifteen.
My homestay family helped me with my oral speaking and my high school is definitely very supportive. They are very friendly to me. Sometimes the culture difference caused little friction but it was fine. I guess the only downside is that there is no one can help you. I remember once during a rainy day, I dropped all my books on my way to school. I just felt kind of hopeless. I just stood there for a while. Then I collected my books and continued my way to school.
Well, I finished my college application by myself completely. My parents are in China so they can only help me financially. I just did everything online and now I am waiting for my acceptance letters. My high school did a few counseling lessons on college application so I guess I am fine.”

“I like collecting buttons. I have a jean jacket and it’s filled with a bunch of different buttons. I decided to buy this one because a lot of people think that same-sex marriage is the end of what ‘the gays’ want. That’s it. The fight’s over. But that’s complete bullsh*t because there are plenty of other aspects that get brushed to the side. There shouldn’t be a stigma about not being heterosexual. I shouldn’t have to be wary when meeting people for the first time and try and censor the way I act or who I am just because it’s not spoken about or addressed in public. Everything we perceive about sex is a social construct, and that’s where all the problems stem from. If labels weren’t created by society, society wouldn’t feel the need to make certain ones taboo. It’s all just a way to fit people into boxes because we, as humans, just don’t like the idea of things being abstract. Even with the idea of abstract art, what’s the first thing they ask you when you look at it? ‘What do you see in this? What does it mean to you?’ Well, why does it have to look like anything? Why can’t I just say it’s beautiful? I don’t have to be, like, ‘Well, there’s a giraffe, and if you look over here, there’s a dolphin.’ No. It’s a piece of art that someone put their time, effort, and creativity into, and I should be able to accept it without having to put it in a box so that it makes more sense to me.”

“I just gave birth to my little girl, and the hospital is seeing to all my baby’s needs, and mine for now. I feel so happy and proud to hold my baby, and I’m happy to think of little else right now. But, I’m already anxious about what’s coming after I leave the hospital and I have to return to work. I’m going to have to hire someone to look after my baby while I’m at work, and I’m having trouble coming to terms with that. I wish I could tend to her for a little longer, without having to return to work so soon. I don’t feel that I’m being fair to my child by returning to work, but our financial situation demands it. I’m torn about this, and it’s eating into my strong wish to be with and care for my girl. She needs and deserves her mother. Just a little bit longer.”

Issue Post 4:

Photo Credit: Ariella Kornreich, From Rockaway Blvd. Father driving.

“The [Hook Creek] Wildlife Sanctuary definitely plays an important role for migrating birds, as it is part of one of the largest green spaces in that part of Queens, but  there is definitely conflict between these birds and the operations at nearby JFK Airport. The Port Authority has killed thousands of birds and other animals as part of their mission to protect JFK and LGA, including Snowy Owls, Coyotes, and other species. Bird culling has taken place in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on the other side of the airport.

“The remoteness of the park and the openness of the space around it are one contributing factor to why it has been used as a dumping area over the years. Many New York City Parks are used as dumping areas, or have been used as dumping areas in the past, especially in areas that are less populated along the waterfront. The park around Hook Creek, like other parks in the city, has had some cleanup efforts over the years, but because it is so large, it must be difficult to control everything that happens there….

“It’s an area at the center of several of the most pressing issues in NYC, including sea level rise, climate change, air pollution, and the difficult balance between humans and the “natural” world.” —Nathan Kensinger, photographer and filmmaker.