The rain didn’t stop the Brooklyn College community from celebrating over 3,700 incoming students during the annual Involvement Fair (formerly Club Fair), held on August 29 on the East and West quads. Amongst a sea of umbrellas, hundreds of incoming freshmen and transfer students showed up to get better acquainted with their new academic home and learn about student clubs, civic engagement opportunities, community resources, and the services offered by the college’s departments and offices. The event was hosted by the Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership (SAIL) Center. With dozens of tables set up and staffed to answer questions about everything from the Accounting Society to Veterans Services, and more, the new students had the opportunity to meet new people, and chat about common interests. Christopher Robin Thompson is a transfer student from the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), majoring in television and radio, and the first person in his family to attend college. Originally from Virginia and raised in Wenatchee, Washington, Thompson is also an Air Force veteran who served a tour in Afghanistan and one in Djibouti. He says that his military experience exposed him to a wider variety of peoples and cultures than he had ever been exposed to. He came to New York, and to Brooklyn College, to immerse himself in the diversity that opened up his worldview. “New York was somewhere I always wanted to be,” Thompson says. “I remember being in choir in ninth or 10th grade, and we started singing a lot of Frank Sinatra songs, and hearing ‘New York, New York’—honestly, that’s what triggered it. If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere. I’m striving to live by those words.” Though it is something he had always been interested in, Thompson is hoping that Brooklyn College will help him discover precisely what it is that he would like to focus on in the television and radio industry. “I never really thought TV/radio was something you could make a career out of. It seemed like an unobtainable goal. I went through a life change two years ago and asked myself what I really wanted to do and thought why not try something new? Maybe sports media or newsroom operations? I’m here to expand on that vision. That’s what I’m hoping to learn over the next two years at Brooklyn College.” Nachum Sash is a transfer student from Touro College, where he studied Judaic studies. At Brooklyn College, he is majoring in math and minoring in finance. Born and raised in Brooklyn, not too far from the college, Sash appreciates the college’s proximity to his own community. He is one of six children, and has a twin brother who is studying graphic design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Sash had a great time at the Involvement Fair, finding that the Table Tennis Club piqued his interest. Currently, Sash’s goal is to become an actuary. “I heard a lot of great things about Brooklyn College’s Murray Koppelman School of Business and what it can offer students looking to go into fields like accounting and finance. That made the decision to transfer here pretty easy.” Brooklyn College’s celebration of its incoming class is just beginning. See below for a list of upcoming events in honor the newest members of the #BCFamily, as well as some quick facts about the incoming class. For more information about these and other events, please contact the SAIL Center, located in the Brooklyn College Student Center, at 718.951.5712. And remember to connect with Brooklyn College on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Upcoming Events Bulldog Pride August 31 12:15–2:15 p.m. East Quad Meet the Greeks September 5 12:15–2:15 p.m. West Quad National PanHellenic Conference (NPC) Universal Night September 5 6-9 p.m. Bedford Lounge, Student Center, second floor Diversity Fair September 7 12:15–2:15 p.m. West Quad Constitution Day September 14 12:15–2:15 p.m. East Quad These Hands Don’t Haze September 19 12:15–2:15 p.m. Whitehead Hall Interesting Facts About the Incoming Class of 2017 Population Freshmen: 1,671 Transfers: 2,108 Total: 3,779 Gender Female 55% Male: 45% Ethnicity American Indian or Alaskan Native: 0.1% Asian: 19% Black or African American: 17% Hispanic: 24% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 0.1% White: 24% Two or more ethnicities: 1.8% Unknown: 14% Top Five Majors for Freshman Biology Psychology Computer Science Film Business Administration Top Five Majors for Transfers Computer Science Psychology Accounting Biology Childhood Education
