Heyooo!

As you can tell from the title my name is Tanvir Islam and as you can tell from the course site, I am a student at Macaualy CCNY. Perhaps what you cant tell about me is that I literally lived in 3 cities throughout my life. Originally Born and raised in Brooklyn, I abruptly left the comfort of Chruch Ave for the bucholic landscape of Eggharbor, New Jersey only to rush back to the city and eventually live in Queens.

If we were to be named by our passions, my name would have been Soccer Soccer Soccer. Its not like I dont have any other passions in life, but its just something that I enjoy greatly. Needless to say, its also one of the things in life that brings me pleasure under mountains of stress.

I am currently a pre-med student majoring in International Studies and I am greatly fascinated by subjects relating to global health. I aspire to one day be a doctor and own a private practice in a fast paced but yet serene environment, probably somewhere like New York. Until then, I am greatly interested in Professor Rosenblum’s Macaulay Class and I am excited to learn about my city.

Hi guys! My name is Rebekah and I was born in Woodhaven, Queens, but have been living on Long Island for a long time. I am currently undecided about my major, but I am leaning toward science and health. Recently I have been interested in becoming a physician assistant or an occupational therapist, as I would really like a job that helps others. However, I am hoping that soon I will have more direction in what I would like to pursue. My family is semi-big with four siblings, my parents, and my lovable dog Bailey. I love reading, riding my bike, going for hikes, baking, and watching movies. Since my family in itself is not really culturally diverse, I am looking forward to learning more about other cultures!

Hello! My name is Minhal, and I am from Long Island, NY. I’m a pretty cultural person, considering my family history consists of several countries, and I am currently learning my 5th language. The main knowledge I have from each of these cultures is the food, because nothing else really interests me. I am also pretty passionate about sports, both watching and playing. I hope to become a doctor in the near future, in 6 years to be exact, and become a radiologist and live in a huge mansion with 2 twins- a boy and a girl. That’s the dream. Anyway, here is a picture of me eating a crepe.

Minhal

My name is Maia and I’m from Canarsie in Brooklyn. I thought I was going to get out of the hood for college but that didn’t really work out and now I’m here in Harlem, studying sociology at City College. I don’t really know what I want to do after college, but hopefully I’ll figure that out by graduation. I’ve worked as a canvasser for the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT rights group, but I’d rather not spend the rest of my life standing on the street 6 hours a day asking strangers for money and credit card information. If all else fails, I’ll go back to Poland and marry a farmer. In my spare time I like to figure out ways to make money with as little effort as possible because a girl has to eat. It’s going alright. This is a picture of me and the love of my life, potatoes.

Maia

(I miss the beach)

Hi guys! My name is Claire Lynch and I was born in White Plains, NY in Westchester County. I lived in New Rochelle (also Westchester) until third grade when I moved to this small beach town on the North Shore of Long Island named Bayville.

Currently I’m studying Political Science, International Studies (with an International Relations concentration), and Jewish Studies at the City College of New York. After getting my undergraduate degree I plan on going to law school where I intend on specializing in human rights and international law. I love to sing, work out, and watch the Daily Show. In my free time I intern with NYPIRG as their homelessness and hunger campaign leader at CCNY and I play chaser for Macaulay quidditch (don’t mock us it’s a sport I swear).

Hey! So my name is Mark Solter. I was born in New York City, but my father was born in the Republic of Moldova, and my mother in Kiev, Ukraine. I’ve spent the vast majority of my life in the relatively insular neighborhood of Brighton Beach often clashing with the rigid cultural values of the residents but now live in Harlem which is a great change of pace!

Technically I’m undeclared, but after a series of revelations I’ve decided to major in philosophy. I have absolutely no idea what I want to do when I grow up but I’m sure that I’ll figure it out along the way. Despite my lack of certainty about my future, I have numerous academic interests ranging from quantum physics to political anthropology. I’ve spent a lot of time interning for the Bill de Blasio campaign and am currently part of the Pied Filmmakers Collective. Outside of academia, I’m very into nature, comedy, and traveling.

I guess all that’s left to say is that I’m really excited to learn more about the city that I love!

Hi, I’m Amir Stewart. I’m majoring in chemical engineering at CCNY. The classes for it don’t start for me until next semester; nevertheless I’m excited to get started in it.

I’ve lived in New York my whole life, mainly Staten Island. My mother’s side of the family immigrated here from Trinidad in the 1960s while my father’s side has been in New York for a while now. The biggest migration in my life has been from Staten Island to where I currently live in the Bronx. However, I have visited other places in and out of the US such as Florida and Jamaica.

In my free time I enjoy reading books on my Kindle and solving puzzles. I have a fascination for chemistry and math, going so far as to help others understand the latter subject through tutoring. Despite that I am very interested in what we will be delving into in this class, such as how the different people in New York got their start. I’m sure it will be a very informative class, and I can’t wait to get more from it. I look forward to an exciting and invigorating semester.

Hello! My name is Jeffin Xavier and I am a second semester freshman like many of you in this class. I am currently double majoring in mathematics and economics. I am originally from White Plains in Westchester County. After college, I want to pursue a career in financial engineering, basically, I want to study the mathematics involved in the financial market.

I am a first generation Indian American. My parents are from Kerala, a small state located near the southwest tip of India. I am someone who is heavily interested in my cultural background and my roots. It’s sad to say that I might be minority of Malayalees(those who have origins in Kerala, India) who were born in the U.S. who speak the native language, Malayalam, and eat the food, which is really good!

I hope that by taking Professor Rosenblum’s class on the Peopling of New York, I can learn more about the changing demographics of NYC, past to present. I think it is important to have this perspective about New York City, the city that I now call my home.

Jeffin

Originally from Ohio, I moved to New York City just over two years ago from Jerusalem, Israel to attend college. I’m studying towards a major in physics and astronomy at the Macaulay Honors College Program at the City College of New York. It is my dream to one day, hopefully not too far in the future, study the mysteriously vague first few nanoseconds of our universe. However, I also have a (not so) secret love of black holes and their conundrums and I may abandon the search for our early universe in favor of quantum-relativity speculation. I love living in this vibrant city, and I look forward to learning more about the people who have contributed their passions, hopes, and unique perspectives to create a truly multicultural and cosmopolitan city.

I am an electrical engineering major and a studio art minor (possible major) at the City College of New York. I was born in Ghana, lived there for about 16 years, then moved to New York; I currently live in the Bronx. Although I am not planning to visit anytime soon, I might relocate back to Ghana sometime after retirement (and Yes! I know that is a long shot). My hobbies include skateboarding, table tennis, soccer and basketball. And I love to draw; which may or may not turn into a career based on how my studio art minor/major goes (I would like to be an illustrator or a concept artist). I also have a passion for electronic devices, lights and all forms of technology, hence, my electrical engineering major. I hope to find an overlap between electrical engineering and studio art; although I haven’t been successful so far (any suggestions would be appreciated). I hope this class will help me to put my own immigration story into perspective as well as the migration of all the other cultures that makes New York City so unique.

Daniel

My name is Rachel and I am originally from a town on Long Island called North Massapequa. I have lived there my whole life, but I love going to school in the city as well. I am currently an International Studies Major. I hope to work in helping better education systems in third world/developing countries. I also want to help address the growing number of homeless people in this country, specifically New York City. Basically, I just want to help make the world a better place as “cheesy” as it may sound. Outside of school, I love to dance and have done so since I was three years old. I continue to teach at studios on Long Island a few times a week and commute back to teach and choreograph. I’m also a special education mentor for kids with disabilities at my old high school. I hope this class will help me gain a more insightful and knowledgable perspective on the different groups of people living in the five boroughs, and their histories within New York City.

As a second-semester freshman at Macaulay Honors College at CCNY, I am currently studying to become a chemist. The intended major may shift towards engineering, but regardless, in the future, I hope to create lotions, perfumes, or medicine; improve food through molecular gastronomy; or become your local pharmacist. I commute to Harlem every day from Rockland County, the esoteric neighbor of Westchester County. Although I have a career interest in chemistry, I also enjoy learning about literary classics, astronomy, physics, art through history, and various cultures and traditions. I hope that by the end of this term, I become familiar with all the neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs and with how each neighborhood’s personality ties in to the overall dynamic of New York City.

Wendy