I am a first-generation immigrant from Bangladesh. As with many immigrant families, I definitely had a culture shock seeing so many different types of people all in one place together. In my home country, I was used to being around people just like me. I saw people that spoke like me, ate like me, and even slept like me. Now, everything was flipped on its head and I would have headaches trying to wrap my mind around the diversity that was present here.

When I first went to school in the first grade, I distinctly remember only knowing one English word besides “hi” or “bye” and that was “banana.” It was just so fun to say. With my amazing English vocabulary, I tried to interact with the other kids. At that time, I was wearing a floral jacket and the other kids, seeing what I was wearing, asked if I was a boy or a girl. Boy? Girl? What did those words mean? I didn’t know what to say and just told them I was a boy. They were surprised given that first graders adamantly believe that flowers were for girls. The lack of communication with others made me look for a place where I felt accepted: my local mosque. 

Whenever I felt like I was alone, I would go to my mosque and hang out with the other Bangladeshis. My mosque became a sanctuary where I found solace and a sense of community. There I learned the concept of tolerance and brotherhood, to be able to accept others for who they are regardless of their differences. As I spent time there, not only did my English improve in the meantime, but I also gained more confidence to be able to hold conversations with people with backgrounds completely different from mine. Regardless of culture, ethnicity, and upbringing, what brought us all together in the mosque was our faith. And by extension, what brings everyone else together.

Now, as a young adult, I realize just how important it is to keep that sense of community. However, more often than not, communities are separated because of the lack of communication between its members. In the CUNY community, I very much feel that is the case. I have spent countless times emailing faculty members regarding certain issues with either no response or a late response stating that they were unable to help.

It is definitely frustrating coming as a freshman with 4 years ahead of me looking for guidance but not being able to find it. Regularly, I receive emails saying that there are faculty members ready to help us at any moment but rarely is that the case when it matters. Take for example when I was applying to a scholarship through Grove. I emailed about at least 5 different groups/ faculty members requesting urgent help with most of them not even bothering to send an email back. In the end, the only person that I received help from was another CUNY student through the Bridge Coach program. It is frankly unacceptable that some educators refuse to do their job. I hope that I can bring even more light into this issue with my time here.

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