Hi, my name is Catherine Gu. I currently live in Kew Gardens, Queens but I grew up in Forest Hills, Queens for most of my life. I am a freshman at Baruch College and I plan on majoring in either marketing management or operations management. For the most part, I consider myself to be a part of many communities such as the college community, and the Asian American community. I do not really consider my current neighborhood to be my community since I have not lived there for long but I do consider my hometown to be my community.

Prior to the beginning of this project, I thought I was familiar with Chinatown, and not so familiar with Brighton Beach. However, after I took a tour of both neighborhoods and read/researched about the neighborhoods, I grew even more familiar with Chinatown and learned more about Brighton Beach. Regarding Chinatown, I learned more about its history and its relation to its culture. With Brighton Beach, I realized that there was more to it than Coney Island and the beach. The tour itself along with the readings helped me to gain a better perspective on the neighborhood.