When first starting college, I did not expect to meet kind or nice or even remotely friendly people. For a while I did not. College was a world of adults in which I had been wrongly placed. The environment around me felt like it consisted of two main groups. The first, more prominent group, consisted of hungry business students seeking out networking opportunities to further their professional desires. The second group, less prominent but equally as bothersome, was made up of creepy older guys who were suddenly interested in my 'coming of age'.

This put a downcast and gloomy outlook on college and even adult life. Was this all that was in store for me? People who only wanted to connect on LinkedIn but not meet me personally? Or guys ogling me as the newest addition to the girl party platter that was offered by catering company, Baruch College? This feeling of disappointment made it easy to shuffle from college to work to home, barely speaking unless spoken to. It was a miserable time that changed with small actions from the people I never expected.

Here is a short segment from a long list of kind people I have met and would like to thank from my short time at Baruch:

Thanks to the orientation leader who talked to me instead of being sucked in his phone, the Indian international student whose loud laugh and quick smile made me feel I was funny, and the person who returned my phone to security when I lost it (and the next person to do so, as I will inevitably lose it again). Shout out to my peer mentor who had me go on Leadership Weekend, to the girl from my learning community who was shocked when I said I did not think I was a part of her friend group (she quickly corrected me, informing me that I was part of the 'squad'), and to the elderly custodian from the third floor who greets me with a smile.

Although I am only a freshman, about to finish my first semester at Baruch, I feel like I have learned quite a lot. Not just academically, but about the things that matter, like the people at Baruch. I have come to find that yes, this is primarily a business school. Meeting people that are enthusiastic about business is unavoidable, but not everyone is out for personal gain at all times. Finding people who care about others is also possible. They are all around us, it's just a matter of seeing them for who they are and not who we think they are.