About Us

Jamileth Ayala: Hi I’m Jamileth, but almost everyone calls me Jammy. I am a freshman in MHC at Baruch and commute from Elmont, Long Island. I am interested in majoring in Accounting and minoring in Spanish (to improve my own Spanish) and am looking forward to starting a career in the FBI as a forensic accountant. My parents are Salvadorian immigrants and they are the reason why I am interested in other hispanic cultures, which is why I choose to write about Mexican clothing. I really enjoy listening to different varieties of music, playing sports, and eating a lot of Italian and Hispanic food.

Filipe David:  I am a son of Portuguese parents who emigrated to the United States in the middle of the twentieth century. Currently, my family lives in a town located in Nassau County. I am fluent in Portuguese and am also able to speak French and Spanish. My interests include soccer and traveling. I plan on graduating from Baruch College in 2018 with a major in Finance.

Katherine DeLorenzo: I’m Katherine, Kat for short. I was born and raised in Brooklyn and I am currently a MHC student at Baruch College. I am planning to major in graphic communications and minor in marketing and Italian language. In my spare time, I enjoy binge-watching tv shows on Netflix, painting, baking, and dreaming about island vacations. I really enjoyed working on this project because fashion is one of my passions, and as a class we got to explore the different fashions of the cultures of NYC.

Delsy Espinoza: My name is Delsy Espinoza and I was born in Arequipa, Peru on June 2nd, 1996. I moved to the US when I was 7 and have been living in Queens since I was 12. I plan to major in Marketing and Advertising in Zicklin. I also plan to study abroad in China for 3 weeks in the summer of 2016 and a semester in London during the fall of 2016. I have a cat named Chiqui who’s lived with my mom and me for 5 years.

Bethany Freynk: Hey! I’m Beth. I’m a bubbly MHC freshman with a colorful background. I am a Russian American Jew, and I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I am fascinated by the arts and cultures within New York City, as I love exploring this concrete jungle. I enjoy learning new things by traveling to new places. I can usually be found listening to music on the Staten Island Ferry, doodling in my notebook in Baruch, watching a Broadway show, or discovering new sites around the city (probably for lunch). For this project, Sydney and I interviewed a variety of individuals in Borough Park, Brooklyn and wrote about Orthodox Attire.

Simha Gulkarov: Hello! My name is in the bold text, but its hard to pronounce so you can just call me Alex. I was born and raised in Queens, NY but spend most of my time exploring New York City. I plan on majoring in accounting, pharmaceuticals, and philosophy. When I am not exploring New York City, I am most likely at home reading a book or burning my apartment down– I mean attempting to cook. I hope you enjoy and learn from the information and research I have prepared on my page of Yarmulkes.

Sydney Hecht: Hi! My name is Sydney Hecht and I am a freshman at Macaulay Honors College at Baruch. I am undecided about my major, but I will be going into the business school at Baruch. I was born and raised in Long Island, NY, but since starting school I have been living in Manhattan. In my free time I love to watch TV, hang out with friends, and and explore New York City. For this project I focused on clothing trends in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods with Beth.

Nurunnahar Kashem: I am a Muslim American student working towards my Bachelor’s Degree at the Macaulay Honors College at Baruch. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, in a neighborhood heavily populated by Bengalis (the motherland) and other Desis. Currently I work as an Arabic teacher for young girls at my local masjid. I’m always interested in anything Korean-related so if you know anything, let me know!

Nikita Khalid: I am from a multi-ethnic background that brings together both the culture of the Indian subcontinent and the Western European culture. I am half Bengali and half Russian. I have been living in New York City since I was two years old. Having lived in New York for such a large portion of my life, I have come to enjoy the various activities of city life, as well as having begun to pursue my major in biological sciences.

Alanna McAuliffe: I’m Alanna and I’m a MHC freshman at Baruch College, where I intend to double major in Journalism/Creative Writing and Political Science with a minor in English Literature. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, but now unfortunately make the harrowing daily commute from Staten Island. When I’m not frantically studying, I can be found writing, reading, or manically playing air guitar while belting out off-key renditions of classic rock songs. For this project, I focused on the socio-political power dynamics of fashion in regards to cultural appropriation, a social justice issue that I have always had a particular interest in.

Neha Mehta: Hi! My name is Neha Mehta and I am a MHC freshman at Baruch College. As of now, I’m planning to major either in Finance or International Business (Aye s/o to every other person at Baruch with similar career plans) and minor in Mandarin and Business & Law.  If I wasn’t at Baruch and going into something business-related, I would, without a doubt, be a rapper or MC. Thats why if you ever see me hanging around I will always be bumpin’ to hip-hop music or indie music. Outside of the academic atmosphere, I’m very passionate about tennis, football, sleeping, travelling, and telling corny/punny jokes.

Sabrina Momtaz: Hi! I am a Sabrina. I was born and raised in Bangladesh but I moved to NYC when I was nine. Because of going to school in Bangladesh and here, I am always in an inner debate of whether I am Bengali or American and then come to the conclusion that I will never know. I love Bengali food and clothes, especially the saree. Unless I am starving, you will never see me eat any American food because it has no taste 😛 . I am debating between accounting or CIS. Outside of school, I love binge-reading books, wasting time doing absolutely nothing, and baking for no reason because sugar is life.

Zaris Mota: Hi, my name is Zaris Mota. I’m a freshman pursuing a degree in Public Affairs with minors in Philosophy, Law and Policy, and Interdisciplinary Studies. I am a commuter student from the Bronx where I live with my very Dominican parents. I wrote the section on Fusion weddings where I explored how the diverse culture of NYC promotes interethnic weddings and how the couples seamlessly blend their traditional cultures with the Western American tradition.

Anand Poonai: My name is Anand Poonai. I am currently a freshman in the Macaulay Honors Program at Baruch College. I am originally from White Plains, New York, but I moved to Manhattan during my second semester. I am undecided about my major at the moment, but I’m hopeful that I’ll figure out what I want to do with my life soon. I’m a big soccer fan and I’ve been playing soccer for almost 14 years. Some of my hobbies include watching movies, dancing, and running. During my time at Baruch, I really hope to get more involved in Student Life and join more clubs. Also, I plan on studying abroad for a semester, but I haven’t decided where yet.

Ann Privorotskiy: I’m Ann, I’m on the pre-med track and am pursuing a Biological Sciences major. I’m a Type A personality, which means that I always feel the need to be doing something and hate not being productive with my time. I come from a Russian household so this project was really interesting for me because it allowed me to delve into a part of my culture that I haven’t really thought much about. For anyone visiting this website, if in 20 years you see me wearing a fur coat…please…please stop me.

Dzvinka Stefanyshyn: Hi! My name is Dzvinka (it’s pronounced the way it’s spelled – doesn’t get any simpler than that). I was born and raised in Lviv, Ukraine, and moved to New York when I was seven. I commute from Staten Island to Baruch because I’m all about that ferry life. My hobbies include creating Ukrainian Easter eggs (called pysanky), reading, binge-watching shows on Netflix, and playing ping pong. I intend on majoring in Finance with a possible math minor.

Dmytro Usyk: Hello, I am Ukrainian immigrant who arrived in JFK when I was 6 years old. I have lived in Brooklyn for the majority of my life and I see myself as an American. I believe myself to have a good understanding of American, Russian and Ukrainian culture, as I have been a part of each at some point in my life. I observed the Ukrainian population in New York adapt their traditions to American culture and, like myself, become more Americanized.

Jess Torres: Hi I’m Jess and I’m stuck in a school for business when all I want to do is read and write. I’m an intended English and Journalism double major with maybe a random minor splashed in there. I wrote the section on ceremonial attire because after attending one too many Sweet 16s a few years back, I wanted to look into this coming of age trend a little deeper. I’m also rabidly into Food Network, plants, and especially video games. Catch me at your local Gamestop waisting all my money.