Baruch Conversation Partners Program

This winter break, I had the opportunity to speak as a panelist at Baruch’s Undergraduate and Graduate International Student Orientations, where I spoke about the Baruch Conversation Partners Program and welcomed 50+ international undergraduates and 100+ international graduate students. 🔥 It was my first time speaking in this type of setting, and it was definitely intimidating at first - especially sitting alongside representatives from various Baruch departments, including the Undergraduate Advisement, Student Affairs, the Writing Center, the Counseling Center, and Baruch College, Starr Career Development Center. The panel was guided by Art King, and it was insightful to hear remarks from Linda Essig following the session. Despite being the youngest panelist in both sessions and the youngest in the room at the graduate orientation, I felt much more confident after doing my trial run for the undergraduate orientation. This is a great reminder of how quickly growth happens when you step outside your comfort zone. 👏 Grateful to Rosa Kelley and the International Student Service Center for the invitation and the opportunity to promote the Conversation Partners Program, which supports non-native English speakers at Baruch in strengthening their English communication skills. 🤝 #StudentLeadership #ConversationPartnersProgram #PublicSpeaking #InternationalStudents

As the fall semester comes to a close, I’m excited to share that I’m stepping into the President role at the Baruch Conversation Partners Program. 🔥 After serving as Vice President for two semesters, I’ve learned a lot working with an incredible e-board team and supporting so many students who participated in our semester-based program. The club has also been a meaningful way to build lasting friendships and connect across cultures. I’m grateful to my team, Scott Tang, Naufan Herzaman, Norman Mei, Syeda Sadaf Munawar, Ying Yi Zhen, Teniah Jackson, Margi Patel, Isabella Chavez, and Yana Chura, for continuing to make our club and program a welcoming space to learn, communicate, and share cultures. Special thanks to my first-year peer mentor, Alice Suazo Espana, for introducing me to the club when I was a freshman, and credit to Basir A. Samad for taking the photo with Scott and me. 📸 #ConversationPartnersProgram #StudentLeadership #CulturalExchange #LeadershipDevelopment

Each semester, our club - Baruch Conversation Partners Program - hosts one of our two signature large events, and this time, it was our Trivia & Dumpling event. We were thrilled to welcome 80+ attendees, including students and staff from the International Student Service Center (ISSC). We kicked things off with an E-board introduction, a program overview, a cultural foods presentation, and of course, fun trivia questions about culture and dumplings. Congrats to the top three teams for getting the most correct answers and winning some amazing prizes! 🎤 This event was also a great opportunity for me to continue building my public speaking and communication skills in front of an audience of students, professors, and Baruch staff. Since entering college, I’ve made communication one of my top priorities. Just like how every industry involves technology, I believe every job requires strong communication, even if it's not explicitly stated. I’m incredibly grateful for my entire E-board team, Scott Tang (President), Naufan Herzaman (Assistant Vice President), Norman Mei and Syeda Sadaf Munawar (Assistant Treasurers), Ying Yi Zhen (Secretary), Teniah Jackson (Marketing Coordinator), Margi Patel (Marketing Committee Member), Isabella Chavez (Events Coordinator), and Yana Chura (Events Committee Member),  for their support, time, and effort in making this event possible. 🙌 A huge thank you as well to the ISSC, especially Rosa Kelley (Director of CPP), Lancia Yan (Assistant Director of CPP), and the rest of the staff for joining us. And of course, thank you to the 80+ attendees for being part of this wonderful experience. 🙌 I look forward to the last few events of the semester and the exciting start of what’s ahead for our club next term. 📸 Photo credit to my E-board team & ISSC #BaruchCPP #ConversationPartnersProgram #BaruchISSC #CommunicationSkills #PublicSpeaking #StudentLeaders #CulturalExchange