I am an Afro-Latina who enjoys eating Hispanic, American, soul food, so when I heard that most colleges serve “unseasoned food,” I sort of cringed. As a cook, I know that food is too delicious not to be served to its best potential!  Despite my initial shock, I was still eager to try new foods–I knew that NYU served food from all different cultures, so I thought college would be the perfect place to try something new.

That eagerness soon transformed into disappointment. I found myself trying new foods and hating them at the same time. The lack of healthy, culinary variety at NYU caused me to stick to the same foods that I liked over and over: cheeseburgers, fries, pizza, jambalaya, grilled chicken, mac and cheese, etc. Yes, I know this is not healthy at all as that is why I sincerely tried to change my diet. I tried eating healthier new foods, but they never impressed me. After all, the healthy foods served at NYU were bland and they would repeatedly serve the same items causing my dislike to further grow. There wasn’t a variety and my taste buds weren’t having it. Although I loved my Hispanic food, many of my food choices served at home were limited and weren’t very healthy (though not really unhealthy as well). I just wanted to try new dishes to my liking.

Image Credit: https://www.tastemade.com/videos/juicy-lucy-crunch-burger

During the spring semester, my best friend told me she wanted to lose weight with a new weight loss plan. Her plan consisted of going to the gym and eating more healthily. When she told me this, I honestly thought that she picked the worst partner to invite along on her weight loss journey. Although I didn’t mind the gym, the eating would have been an issue for me. Still, I agreed to her little plan–which we ended up barely following.

She then thought about going vegan, but I reassured her that she wouldn’t like it considering she would have to give up her Starbucks lifestyle. Once, though, she and I tried my roommate’s vegan pizza for the first time, and I absolutely hated it while my best friend loved it. That vegan pepperoni pizza didn’t make it to my list, but it made my friend’s list which made me happy considering this was her journey.

During my friend’s food venture, I seriously started to think about mine. I’m fairly skinny and had the mentality that what I ate would never impact me. In college, I began to gain weight, but I liked the way it looks on me and I have grown more confident. That’s not to say that I shouldn’t be looking out for the consequences junk food has. Although I ignored her constant preaching and converting vegan tactics, my roommate did cause me to acknowledge the importance of switching up my diet once in a while. Since I will have a kitchen in the fall, I plan on cooking new and healthier foods of my own taste. I’m still and will probably always be a meat lover who will never discard any plate of platanos and chuleta that comes my way. But, I will still be open to new foods on my pace, liking, and turf.

By Tiana B.

Tiana is a sophomore at NYU concentrating on journalism and creative writing. She seeks to display the representation of African Americans and Latinos by providing her own experiences and illuminating marginalized issues in her own writing. When she’s free from her stressful college life, she likes to listen to rap music, binge watch on anime, splurge on Kmart deals, and cook her Hispanic cuisines. Tiana also runs another blog called True T which also highlights not only her personal experiences, but her genuine and unfiltered opinions on today’s matters.

For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

Everytime registration deadlines are near, I always become anxious. I usually make five backup schedules in case anything goes left and all my first choice classes are usually taken up in the first few days. Unfortunately, many of these backup classes are usually classes I really don’t want to take, but fit into my schedule at my convenience. In addition, most of the times I am stuck in these classes as I don’t bother with the waitlist process. It’s one of the consequences I have to deal with as a lower class student because the upper class will always receive first dibs.  

Image Credit: https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/four-key-questions-about-large-classes/

After a disastrous class registration as a pre-freshman, I always braced myself for the leftover classes. Most of the times, these classes were historical which didn’t upset me too much. I was fairly good in history classes at high school so I did not expect to feel out of place. It wasn’t until sitting in those history classes as a college student I felt so academically behind. These classes focused on Asian history or included dense readings that were way too complicated for me to understand. Ultimately, staying in the back of the classroom while watching other people’s hands skyrocket after every question asked motivated me to take advantage of office hours and manage to improve my grade. At times, I felt that the professors took pity on me when grading me, but then again all I cared about was my grade.

Although these history classes weren’t the most entertaining, I always did learn something and was able to walk away with new knowledge. I would learn about African culture, the means behind humanitarianism, notable theorists like Foucault, and Orientalism which did at times prove to be captivating.  My other go to, back up classes were usually CAMS courses (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Studies) and those classes were amazing. Although this may sound unusual, it taught me what not to do with my future kids along with scientifically proven methods of achieving joy which I need these days.

So even though I never ended up with my desired classes, I can say that each class I took, I was able to apply that knowledge to the real world. That’s not to say that I don’t get bummed out with the classes I end up with. However, the least I can do is find some meaning in them and work myself off as it makes me appreciate these classes and the semester a ton more.

By Tiana B.

Tiana is a sophomore at NYU concentrating on journalism and creative writing. She seeks to display the representation of African Americans and Latinos by providing her own experiences and illuminating marginalized issues in her own writing. When she’s free from her stressful college life, she likes to listen to rap music, binge watch on anime, splurge on Kmart deals, and cook her Hispanic cuisines. Tiana also runs another blog called True T which also highlights not only her personal experiences, but her genuine and unfiltered opinions on today’s matters.

For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

The best thing about being in college is the independence that comes with it. As much as I love my familia loca and the Sazón seasoned food that they cook with amor, it feels so great to have some space from them. Just like many Latino families, they can be overly strict and judgemental–which at times is extremely annoying. And even though I didn’t have the best roommate situation once I got to school, it taught me how to deal with my own issues. I can genuinely say that I feel so much more like an adult and I deal with stress much more efficiently.  

Since I dreaded being in my dorm room, I would barely spend time there. Other than wanting to get away from my roommates, I also wanted to explore NYU and find my study niches that would have the potential to become my procrastination and cooling sites. Ironically, the best place I found was a place right in my residential building. I found the library too crowded and other places not private enough. The quiet zone in Rubin Hall, my favorite studying place, had the individual desks with rollable walls. It was perfect to study in, make faces without anyone staring at me, become 100% comfortable, relieve stress, and most importantly, escape from anything and anyone. Once one has their niche in college, everything seems much easier and you can maintain faith that college is doable.

Another way I fulfill my independence at NYU is by going to Kmart. I know that Target and Walmart are on everyone’s preferred list on super shopping, but I literally live for Kmart. Not only do NYU students barely shop there, making it perfect for me to escape from the college environment, but I also get everything there for free. I am proud to be a Kmart/Shop your Way member. I am a student and it is crucial for me to seek all the discounts I can get. I can shop there for hours, take time out for me, all while leaving with free items.

When you’re independent, you focus on your mental health a lot more. Starting my own blog was one way that I genuinely became happier. After being persuaded by a few peers and giving a presentation about the lack of underrepresented voices in the media, I finally took the initiative to start my own blog. I went a while not having an audience and I can gladly and gratefully say that I have a small one now. Additionally, blogging allows me to say what I want in an unfiltered tone. Blogging allows me to illuminate my current feelings onto a site that is completely under my control. My blogs are a reflection of me, and rereading them makes me proud of the person I am. After hearing from my professor that writing daily leads to happiness, I wanted to take advantage of that. Although I don’t write daily, I can say for sure that I am a much happier person now that I write more often.

image credit: https://middleseats.com/2017/01/20/be-mindful/

In my eyes, being independent in college means finding your physical comfort zone similar to Woolf’s vision of having a room of one’s own. Relieving stress and finding independence as a student is about finding your escape and that can include anything–like blogging! The majority of the time, you only have yourself to depend on, so, keeping your sanity while being alone goes a long way in adulthood.

By Tiana B.

Tiana is a sophomore at NYU concentrating on journalism and creative writing. She seeks to display the representation of African Americans and Latinos by providing her own experiences and illuminating marginalized issues in her own writing. When she’s free from her stressful college life, she likes to listen to rap music, binge watch on anime, splurge on Kmart deals, and cook her Hispanic cuisines. Tiana also runs another blog called True T which also highlights not only her personal experiences, but her genuine and unfiltered opinions on today’s matters.

For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.