After graduating from BHI, I went straight to Brooklyn College (I was too lazy to wake up an extra hour early to go to any college in Manhattan). I graduated in December '04 with a BS in Business/Management/Marketing and a BS in Psychology (yes, it's a mouthful - that's why it took me 4.5 years to graduate!) I was planning on going to graduate school directly from college, but then decided to hold it off, get some experience, and finally decide what it is exactly that I want to do with myself.
During my first semester I got involved with Hillel and went to Israel for the first time. During my four and a half years at Brooklyn, I was the vice-president of NYSIPAC (Israel-related club) and the vice-president of the Russian-Jewish Club; I went to Hillel's convention in Moscow as the "American" representative, taught Jewish holidays and traditions in a Russian kindergarten, worked with the mentally disabled…. and much more.
The best thing that I did in Hillel was organizing their annual fund raising fashion show. This year will be my fifth year working on the show and I absolutely LOVE it! My experience with the show helped me realize that I want to be involved in the fashion or entertainment industry in the future, particularly, in PR and Marketing. Right after graduation I got my first marketing job in a new denim company, which was very exciting! I learned a lot there but, unfortunately, the salary was too low and I had to leave after a while. Now I'm looking for another place to do something interesting, while working at a company in the fashion industry.
If I knew right away what I wanted to do with myself, I probably would have gone to FIT. However, I certainly don't regret my decision to go to Brooklyn College because of the great experiences I had there and the wonderful people I met.
There is one piece of advice I want to give to current college students: you have to do internships! They are a great way to learn what a field is really about, and to help you decide which career path to take.
Although I'm not a student anymore, I'm still involved in the Brooklyn College Hillel through organizing programs, parties, and staffing trips. In May I went to "March of the Living," an educational trip about the Holocaust. We spent one week in Poland and one week in Israel. I went as a staff member for high school students, so I had to be on top of the kids all the time instead of looking around, but still, this trip probably affected me more than any experience in my life. I strongly recommend it to everyone!
Aside for my school and career activities, I have also been dancing for many years, and currently work for a dance company. We perform every week in different places. Some are fun, some are not, but I LOVE it! We get to travel, see interesting places and people…it's awesome! I also teach dance a little so if anyone is interested in lessons, let me know. Additionally, if anyone has any questions about careers in fashion or event planning, or anything else that I can help with, please don't hesitate to contact me at marisha6662000@yahoo.com.
BHI MEMORIES
I wasn't very close with a lot of people in BHI since I only came to the US in the 10th grade, but I do remember: how we used make fun of everything and everyone with Mindy…how Natalya used to always fix her jewellery (my class will know what I'm talking about)… I remember the lunches, for some reason J
A MESSAGE TO MY FELLOW ALUMS
The best way to learn about life is by living it, not reading about it or hearing about it from someone else. Life is short, and time flies by very fast. We cannot waste it.
ON A FINAL NOTE…
Good luck to everyone! Great job with the website. Thank you for creating it and keeping it up!
