LaGuardia Community College

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Coming from a lower middle-class, ethnically diverse background I am half Jewish and a quarter Korean. I was raised Christian by my father and my mother converted from Judaism after marriage. They met while students at Brooklyn Law School, and with their passion in law and philosophy developed intriguing beliefs about education as a whole. As such, I was homeschooled from kindergarten through high-school, a decision that was made based on my parents determination to influence my education more directly than a public institution could allow. Although their intentions were good and the unique educational program was beneficial to my sense of individualism and free thought, I felt as though I often fell behind my peers in public institutions as our curriculum felt inadequate for the development of my intellectual and academic curiosities.

The summer previous to my enrollment at LaGuardia, at the age of 17 I made the decision to exit homeschooling and I determined that earning my high school equivalency diploma was an essential step to move forward with college enrollment. My Uncle Richard offered to mentor me and introduce guidance to my life, recognizing that I was academically gifted but was also troubled by my lack of formal education. I moved in with my uncle and Aunt in May '21, where I began at a third grade level of education in all subjects besides English. Despite this, I was determined to succeed and I sustained a strict discipline over the next couple of months, studying for 12 hours a day in preparation for the GED exam. I worked hard to ensure that I would pass an exam in which I was beholden to years of knowledge that I hadn't been formally taught, and my efforts paid off as I was able to pass all five subjects on my first attempt. I enrolled at LaGuardia C.C. as a pell grant recipient and an ASAP student on March 7th, 2022.

Battling mental illness since I was young and with the stress of a GED exam approaching next week, I broke down and was sent to the psychiatric emergency room at Elmhurst by my provider as I expressed suicidal ideation. Through that experience, I connected with a therapist and received a diagnosis of complex PTSD, which had effected my ability to focus and absorb information in class. I was connected with the Nuerodiversity office by Prof. Javier Serna through his encouragement after class, and began receiving counseling at the college as well as receiving letters of accommodation. These events have presented challenges to my ability to succeed, but my fundamental belief in the ability of education to lift myself from my depths, have kept me on track and informed my perspective that there is no other option but for me to persevere and succeed. With the support of mental health professionals and faculty, my grades have continually improved with my average GPA per semester being 4.0.

After the conclusion of my first semester in August 2022, I was determined to continue learning beyond my classes and coursework. I will touch on some of the work I have done briefly. I was accepted into the prestigious Presidents Society, an organization designed to develop students professionally and hone their natural skills, and meet donors of the LaGuardia Foundation and make connections with various leaders of industry. Through connections with the society, I earned a professional internship at the distinguished Carlyle, a Rosewood Hotel. In November 2022 I was elected as Parliamentarian of SGA, a position I served in until June 2023 when I won the campus-wide election for President of SGA, currently representing a diverse and brilliant student body of over 12,000. I serve simultaneously as a Senator in the student committee of the College Senate. I have been a University Student Senate delegate from LaGuardia Community College since April 2023, serving on the Audit Committee from April to June. I was elected on the Steering Committee of USS for Community College Affairs in October 2023, representing the over 70,000 CUNY students enrolled in community colleges.

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I would love to meet with a transfer professional one-on-one to help guide me in the coming months as I begin my transfer journey.