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AKPsi Takes NYC

Alpha Kappa Psi, NJIT’s business fraternity, took a trip to New York City on November 7 to visit Societe Generale.  

“Societe Generale is a corporate and investment banking company that is present in the main financial markets, with coverage in almost every continent.”

Upon arriving to the business district of New York City, the brothers of AKPsi, me included, were extremely excited and felt very proud to represent NJIT in such an official and upscale environment. We were all dressed to impress and we could not wait to show the employees of Societe Generale how professional we are.    

The event we attended was site visit hosted by Societe Generale for the University of Toronto and NJIT. As we sat in a very nice and professional glass room, we had speakers, Jurrie Reinders and Jeffrey Waltz, talk to us about their career, how they attained their job there, and what they do from a day to day basis. They also spoke about what working in an investment baking company really entails and how it affects the world on a local and global scale. 

As the presentation went on, the speakers encouraged us to ask them questions and, nevertheless, we had a lot on our mind. Many of the students from our group asked questions, such as “What should we be doing now in order to help us attain a job here at this company or other banking companies in the future?” and “How would we implement our (insert major) in this career?” After the question and answer session, in conclusion to the visit, we then got a quick tour of the third and fourth trading floors to see the environment in which the employees worked in. 

After our successful trip to an even more successful company, we then decided to go out to brunch together in the city and bond together as a fraternity. We all agreed that we learned a great amount of information from this trip and we felt very proud to represent NJIT in such a professional setting. 

In conclusion, not only were we able to learn more about a career in the business world, but also become closer friends with one another and share a memory that will last all of us a lifetime. 

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The FINEST Time I Have Ever Had

FINEST: Filipinos In Newark Engaging In Sociocultual Traditions 

Entering college, I knew that I wanted to take part in numerous clubs and eventually become very involved on campus. Thus, during my freshman year, when I walked around the club fair after Convocation, I made sure to sign up and take pamphlets for as many clubs and organizations that I found interesting as possible. However, there was one club in specific that I absolutely knew I wanted to sign up for and become heavily involved in: the Filipino club. At the time, they were called FSA (Filipino Student Association), and when I went up to sign up, the people tabling were so friendly and welcoming. In that moment, I just knew that this is where I belong and that they were going to be my new family.

Growing up, I was never really surrounded by people of the same ethnicity as me. I am 100% Filipino and close with my culture, but I grew up and went to school with pretty much majority Italian and Polish people. Thus, when I got to college, I was extremely excited to join the Filipino club and make friends with other Filipinos my age. 

 Due to school work, I was unfortunately only slightly active during my first semester. However, the event that really threw me into the Filipino community was the annual Ms. Philippines Pageant, a District 3 (D3) event held by Rutgers Newark’s Filipino Club, also called “FSA.” District 3 of FIND, Inc. is compromised of Filipino clubs from colleges in the New York City, Northern New Jersey, and Long Island area. Needless to say, all schools from D3 take part in this big event. Little did I know, being nominated to represent NJIT FSA in this pageant would ultimately change my life forever. 

In the end, I was able to achieve 6th place out of 22 contestants. Through this pageant, I was not only able to meet new and awesome people both from NJIT FSA and from all over D3, but also ultimately learn so much more about my culture and myself. Being in the Ms. Philippines Pageant truly gave me the confidence and inspired me to rise to the occasion and never be afraid to be in a new environment and meet new people. 

 After I took part in the Ms. Philippines Pageant, I became more and more involved in NJIT FSA. I began attending all of the meetings, hanging out with the club’s members, and partaking in almost all of the events, such as the Rutgers New Brunswick’s Filipino Club (RAPS) event, “Barrios,” and our own event, “Aking Ugat.” Before I even knew it, these people became my closest friends and my second family. I truly found a place that I could call home within NJIT. 

 I felt such a close connection with the club that I ran for and was able to attain the e-board position, Internal Public Relations Officer, for the next school year. Since then, the rest of e-board and I have been getting together and planning events all summer for the upcoming school year. As a whole, we are working hard to become more established as a club and make the club more known within campus and in D3. The first thing we did was change the club’s name from FSA (Filipino Student Association) to FINEST (Filipinos In Newark Engaging in Sociocultural Traditions.) Currently, our next step is to plan our annual dance competition event, “Reign or Shine.”

 The 10th anniversary of Reign or Shine is going to be on November 12, 2016 and our e-board is working extremely hard to make sure it is the biggest and best competition yet. We plan on having a great amount of urban dance teams compete or showcase their set. We are going to be having our own urban dance team, Purple Dancers, showcasing as well. There are many more aspects that are yet to be planned, but nevertheless, it is going to be a really great time and amazing show to watch. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the event.

 FINEST has become my home away from home and the people there have truly become some of my best friends. I can truly say that this is more than just a regular club. It is a family of fun, weird, and adventurous people who come together to celebrate Filipino culture. I have made countless memories and learned valuable lessons that will absolutely last me a lifetime. 

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5 Things I Learned Being a Peer Leader for NSO

Summer 2016 is a memory that will forever stay close in my heart and I owe that completely to my experience as being a Peer Leader for the NJIT New Student Orientation.

Ever since my own freshmen orientation a little over a year ago, I immediately knew that I wanted to be a peer leader. All throughout my high school career, I was very passionate in taking part in various leadership clubs and programs, and I wanted to continue these kinds of activities throughout college. To keep things simple, I REALLY wanted this job. After multiple interviews and months of waiting, you can just imagine how ecstatic I was when I learned that I got hired. I knew that this job required me to be a good example and help the incoming students. However, I did not realize that it would help and teach me so many things in the end as well. Nothing would have prepared me for the experience I was going to have through this program and I would not have wanted it any other way. 

1. Don’t be afraid to open up to new people.

Going into NSO, I only knew a few people that would be on the team with me. To be honest, most of us barely even knew each other. However, one thing we did know is that we would be spending the rest of the summer working together and that we all wanted to get to know each other. Whether if it was through our work training or just simply hanging out, we were opening up and getting closer with one another. Before we even knew it, all 30 of us ended up establishing a bond of friendship and trust that truly was like no other.

2. Diversity is SO IMPORTANT.

Entering NJIT, I knew I would be attending a school with a heavily diverse community, but to be honest, I didn’t completely understand what that meant. However, through NSO, orientation after orientation, I came to have a better understanding of what diversity really is and how important it is. Being surrounded by and meeting a multitude of different kinds of people every day truly broadens your way of thinking and educates you about different cultures. Having a full understanding of what diversity is allows you to become less judgmental and more relatable and open with others. I would have never expected that these students would teach me this much. 

3. The difference between “dorm life” and “commuter life.”

As a commuter, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live on campus. Through NSO, I was given the opportunity to do just that. I lived in Laurel Hall for almost two months and it was honestly was one of the best times of my life. When you’re a commuter, you always have to think ahead and ask yourself questions like, “What time do I need to leave my house in order to get to my class/meeting on time?” and “What is the traffic going to be like?” It really is the struggle. However, when I lived on campus, I didn’t have to worry about any of those things, and it was incredibly relieving. Also, as a commuter, you tend to become friends with a lot of other commuters from different towns, so it’s kind of difficult to plan hang outs with them. However, when I lived on campus, I was able to hang out with my friends 24/7 and develop close-knit friendships in such a quick amount of time. I can go on and on about the difference between the two, but I’m just really glad I was able to experience both.

4. What it means to be a leader.

Throughout my entire time in NSO, I was constantly learning every single day what it meant to be a leader. During our first week of training, our boss, Leo, taught us all of the qualities and characteristics on how to be a good leader. We learned to be relatable with the students, be empathetic not sympathetic, and how to take charge but also be cool about it at the same time. Through the duration of the orientations, us peer leaders were not only able to implement these teachings, but also learn even more along the way. We learned how to work together as friends and as a team, how to step up and be confident in our tasks, and how to get our job done and have fun at the same time.  

5. GET INVOLVED AND MAKE CONNECTIONS.

The most important thing I learned in NSO was to get involved and make connections. NSO taught me to be fearless in my actions and take part in as many activities, clubs, and events on campus as I could. By doing this, I’ve been able to make so many new friends and create such great memories that I will treasure forever. The more involved you are on campus, the more people you will meet. And the more connections you make, the more opportunities will come your way. My decision to get involved and take part in NSO was the best decision I’ve ever made and it truly has changed my life for the better. <3