I spent elementary through high school in a wealthy suburb in Westchester. I went to an excellent high school, and every year, many of its students ended up in Ivy Leagues and other highly selective private schools. When I first decided to attend Macaulay Honors College at the City College of New York just over a year ago, I couldn’t have been more excited. However, when my parents and I told people where I was going, we were met with mixed reactions. Some were genuine, especially if I explained to them about the hidden gem Macaulay. Some, not so much; a condescending “Oh, that’s nice.”

City College often gets a bad rep because of its open admissions policy of the 1970s. However, the City College of today is quite different from the City College of a few years ago. It is now highly regarded as an engineering school, its campus has been expanding in recent years, and it is attracting hardworking students who truly want to better themselves.

Throughout its history, City College has prided itself on its diversity and affordability for working-class students, and that rings true today. Unlike many Ivy League or private schools, which attract much of the same demographic that went to my high school, there is no sense of exclusivity at CCNY. While here, I’ve met people from all corners of the world. I’ve met people who were raised with different religions, who speak different languages, who come from all sorts of ethnic and financial backgrounds. Many people in my school are immigrants, children of immigrants, or the first in their family to go to college, and many are working their way through. I’ve learned as much from the students I go to school with as I have from the classes themselves.

Of course, CUNY certainly does have its administrative flaws. However, that is a perfect catalyst for student activism. CUNY has mismanaged its budget over the past few years, leading to underpaid professors, neglected facilities and a larger financial burden on students. Because of this, students have been protesting around campus and getting involved in student government to argue their case to the school’s leaders. When the engineering department recently tried to raise fees for engineering students by $150 per semester, a petition circulated almost immediately, explaining that raising costs went against CCNY’s vision to provide opportunities for all people. CUNY students are highly motivated and politically aware, and they hold the university to its highest standards.

I’m proud to attend school here. I’m proud to share my school with 10 Nobel Prize laureates and people such as Colin Powell, Upton Sinclair, and Irving Berlin. I’m proud to have the opportunity to take classes with Michio Kaku. I’m proud of all the hardworking professors and students who have inspired me during my first year here, and I hope to meet many more.

Long story short, I love my school—even if no one can fix the damn escalators in NAC.