S2 / Episode 1 – Making your way through cinema

Raquel:  WELCOME TO OPENLAB STUDENT VOICES, A PODCAST THAT PRESENTS INSPIRING STORIES OF BMCC STUDENTS. WE ARE STARTING SEASON TWO, CALLED MAKING MORE OF YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE. WE WILL NOW HAVE STUDENTS TALKING ABOUT HOW THEIR PARTICIPATION IN STUDENT CLUBS AND PROGRAMS HELPED THEM IN THEIR PERSONAL JOURNEYS. IN THIS EPISODE, IQRA SHEIK, FROM THE OPENLAB TEAM, INTERVIEWS JASMINE,  A LIBERAL ARTS MAJOR STUDENT AND MEMBER OF THE MYANMAR STUDENT ASSOCIATION. JASMINE TALKS ABOUT THE CHALLENGES IN BALANCING HER STUDY/WORK DUTIES, AND ALSO HER PURSUIT IN STUDYING CINEMA, HER GREATEST PASSION.  LET'S LISTEN TO HER STORY. _____ Iqra: Hi everyone, my name is Iqra Sheikh and today I am here with Jasmine. Jasmine who…? Jasmine: Jasmine Yunay. Hello Iqra: I met Jasmine in a class in BMCC. I’m not a student here but umm… Jasmine: I unfortunately am…  Iqra: Unfortunately… !. So yea, do you want to introduce yourself like what’s your major? Jasmine: So Hello! I am now a senior at BMCC. I am a liberal Arts major. And that's it! That’s all there is to know.  Iqra: Okay so this is going to be our first episode for season two for the OpenLab Student Voices podcast. For this season, we’re going to be talking about students involved in a club, or some type of initiative yea a student who’s doing something other than just coming to class at a college. So do you want to share your experiences in joining a club which you said was the MSA. Jasmine: So I joined the MSA, unfortunately, in my last semester here which is this semester and it was really nice. I felt like I really met people that really understood my struggle and understood me. It was just really nice to meet new people and have a couple of new friends. In my first year I had no friends. I was such a loner. It was interesting to say the least, but you know as life goes on and I started digressing I guess from the club ...yeah it's just not… Iqra: Yeah I mean ‘cause you're also busy. Like you’re a busy student. You're a full time student and you have a job and you were also in this MSA club. I assume it was really hard to balance it out.  Jasmine: It was really hard. I mean honestly…. Especially club hours on Wednesdays.  Iqra: 2-4? Jasmine: Yea and Wednesdays happen to be my busiest days. I have classes then work then the club. My life was in shambles. It was such a mess! Iqra: Yeah that’s a lot.  Jasmine: yeah… the finals are kicking my butt. It’s still in shambles but it's almost over.  Iqra: Isn’t this the last week? Jasmine: Literally last week! I submit my final Thursday.  Iqra: ooooh!  Jasmine: So… Iqra: That’s exciting! … but also scary.  Jasmine: I knoooow! I think tomorrow is my last day ever on campus so we’re just gonna keep going…going with it.  Iqra: Since you mentioned that this is your last year, are you transferring to continue your education? Jasmine: I am. I’m going to Brooklyn College for film studies. I live in Brooklyn so the commute is going to be a lot easier. I'm really looking forward to it. I toured the campus and met some really cool people and I have a lot of friends that go there. So I'm hoping that the transition will be a lot smoother than what it was at BMCC ‘cause when I started at BMCC we were still in the pandemic. So everything was online. It was just a horrible experience to say the least. I'm happy to just be back in person and be on campus, especially like at Brooklyn college. The Brooklyn College campus is really nice.  Iqra: Yeah it has more of that suburban college feel because of the grass and greenery.  Jasmine: Yeah. Like one side I think is not the greatest area versus the other side is a really nice area. So coming in from that area feels like you're coming into a gated community. It’s so nice. So, I’m really looking forward to it. Iqra: So why film … film studies? Have you taken a film class here on it? Jasmine: I haven't. I was always just kinda a weirdo honestly, In highschool I was a film critic… obviously not published or anything. It was just really nice I took a program in high school that I now work for. It was just really interesting to see all these films and review it and critique them. And I coincidentally  have a lot of family in the film industry. So I was like you know what let me just see what happens. And then I kind of ventured out a little bit when I was in LA and now I'm just going in for Film Studies. I'm really looking forward to it but I viewed…not viewed, toured the film department at Brooklyn College and it is just a rugged down building.  _ Raquel: JASMINE SEEMS VERY EXCITED WITH HER DECISION TO GIVE FILM STUDIES A TRY AT BROOKLYN COLLEGE. WHILE THE FILM DEPARTMENT THERE MAY NOT BE FANCY, WE CAN NOTICE THAT JASMINE'S LOVE FOR CINEMA CAN DRIVE HER TO OVERCOME THIS PROBLEM. NEXT, JASMINE SHARES MORE ABOUT HER TASTES IN THE FILM INDUSTRY. __ Iqra: So who’s your favorite film director and movie besides Shrek and Dreamworks.  Jasmine: Honestly, I don’t have a favorite film director. I would say my favorite movie is Kids from Larry Clark…he's a photographer Iqra: ooh the 1999 film?  Jasmine: yeah. I don't know it just talks about the HIV AIDS epidemic  Iqra: that's a badass movie  Jasmine: yeah! I don't know why I just watched it randomly. I watched clips of it on youtube randomly on youtube when I was I don’t know how old I was … 14…? Iqra: Wow, you're a cool girl. That's cool. I found out about it when I was 18.  Jasmine: Really? I found out about it when I was 14. I don't know why I was just watching stuff on Youtube. I was in that I guess black hole of stuff and came across it and watched the whole movie.  Iqra: Some people can’t watch it. Like it's too disturbing…that's what i've heard. I was recently talking to my friends…. I dj at my college radio station and like we were talking about that film and many of the students were like “ I don't like that movie. It's like too graphic. Too much to watch”.  Jasmine: Really? Wow…I think the movie is also like really interesting because it was like a real thing that did happened. You know people doing whatever with people.  Iqra: yea and it's just life. Underaged kids doing Jasmine: being stupid Iqra: yeah like that's just the reality and that's like what most of my friends said why they couldn’t watch it because it was too hard to see that… like underaged people you know doing all these crazy things and it just becomes unsettling. And I get it. That sometimes we don't wanna see the truth or try to make the ugly look pretty…but that's what I like about that movie. It’s raw and just honest.  Jasmine: and honestly…I mean honestly some people find it controversial because Larry Clark is a middle aged man hanging out with skater kids. That's what someone had told me so I had never thought about it before like that but I dont know its just interesting to see the reality of it. Like these are actual portrays of the 90s and 80s. Also I was just into weird movies like that. Umm…my other favorite movie is kids…also a 90s… not kids mid 90s by Jonah Hill.  Iqra: Oh ohh yeahhhh. Very similar. So similar!!! Jasmine: exactly. Iqra: That’s so similar. Yea I remember I saw an interview where he said he was very influenced by kids. They’re so similar. Jasmine: He said he was a skater kid but really. I dont know its just like the skating and the 90s aspect and the nostalgia. I'm not a 90s kid. I was born in 02. But I grew up in the same era afterwards. I don't know if it's just interesting. I really liked it. Also these are just movies I was exposed to when I was experiencing my first film thing if that makes sense…? So yea… Iqra: cool. So that was like a side note of your interests… so we talked about what you're going to do after BMCC…where you're going… oh! If there is something that you could change about BMCC or let your past self know what to do - what  would you…. What advice would you give? Jasmine: I would say definitely take advantage of the programs we have here. I think…I mean any of the students that got here they never take advantage of the things we have here.  We have so many academic advisors and advisors that can help you with your mental health. Take advantage of that. I just got an email that we’re going to have breakfast tomorrow.  Iqra: Oh my god! That’s awesome. I love free breakfast. I feel like college gives you a lot of free food.  Jasmine: They do!  Iqra: You just need to constantly look at your emails.  Jasmine: Yeah I wish there was a way other than emails especially Outlook. I have so many emails I have to go through. I don't know just really taking advantage of what we have here umm… besides like the free breakfast things and what not I know that... I've seen Brooklyn College had done puppies for helping distress and I know BMCC a couple years ago gave free massages. And then they do your taxes.  Iqra: Yeah! Yeah for free! That's what I miss about BMCC. I would always do my taxes here for free. And they did it good like it was… Jasmine: oh yeah. Iqra: it was spot on.  Jasmine: ummm… just taking advantage of things like that, and especially ‘cause since I know a bunch of students are coming back to school at BMCC and a lot of students already ”started their life”…umm…I mean I haven't. I still live with my parents. Iqra: That’s fine! That’s fine! I feel like I don't know, like, something about college too, there's this feeling that you're always behind. I don't know if it's college. Maybe it's just the age but it always just feels like you're behind. That’s fine to live with your family. __ Raquel: LIVING WITH PARENTS WHILE IN COLLEGE OFTEN CARRIES A CERTAIN TABOO, AS THERE IS A SOCIAL PRESSURE THAT LEAD STUDENTS TO THINK THAT THEY SHOULD STRIVE FOR INDEPENDENCE AND MOVE OUT. HOWEVER, IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT STAYING WITH PARENTS DURING THIS TIME CAN HAVE SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL BENEFITS. BY REDUCING THE BURDEN OF RENT, UTILITIES, AND OTHER LIVING EXPENSES, STUDENTS CAN SAVE MONEY AND ALLEVIATE FINANCIAL STRESS.  NEXT, JASMINE TALKS MORE ABOUT FINANCIAL ISSUES, GIVING A VALUABLE WARNING FOR STUDENTS REGARDING COLLEGE TUITION. __ Jasmine: Be smart with your finances! Save your money…and… Iqra: Like save your money how…? Jasmine: Umm…so…a little context…a couple months ago I had an academic advisor meeting with ASAP…and apparently I didn’t know that ASAP didn’t cover the rest of tuition. So what happened was…she was like oh you owe money for this semester tuition and I was like yeah I know I need to pay it because financial aid didn’t cover me which is stupid because my parents make under…the…that whole thing. Iqra: Yeah these things are stupid how it changes every year. I'm like what? Jasmine: yeah my parents don’t make over that cap … so regardless my parents don't pay for my tuition anyway…it's just me. Iqra: Yeah! Iqra: Ok, I think this is it! This was really fun! Ok, thank you so much for anyone that tuned in and if you don’t tune in, that’s also ok because someone else will take your spot and tune in for you. Ok, bye! ___ Raquel: THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US ON THIS PODCAST EPISODE FEATURING IQRA SHEIKH AND JASMINE YUNAY. THROUGHOUT THE CONVERSATION, WE EXPLORED JASMINE'S EXPERIENCES AS A STUDENT AND HER INVOLVEMENT IN THE MSA CLUB, HIGHLIGHTING THE CHALLENGES SHE FACED WHILE BALANCING HER STUDIES, WORK, AND CLUB ACTIVITIES. WE ALSO GAINED INSIGHTS INTO HER UPCOMING TRANSITION TO BROOKLYN COLLEGE FOR FILM STUDIES. JASMINE'S REFLECTIONS ON HER TIME AT BMCC OFFERED VALUABLE ADVICE FOR STUDENTS, AS SHE EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE ON CAMPUS. MOREOVER, JASMINE SHARED A PERSONAL LESSON ABOUT FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, STRESSING THE NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF TUITION EXPENSES AND DILIGENTLY MANAGE ONE'S FINANCES. HER STORY SERVES AS A REMINDER TO STAY INFORMED ABOUT FINANCIAL AID COVERAGE AND EXPLORE AVAILABLE OPTIONS TO ENSURE A SMOOTH ACADEMIC JOURNEY. THIS EPISODE IS PART OF OUR SECOND SEASON CALLED MAKING MORE OF YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE, IN WHICH WE FOCUS ON HOW JOINING BMCC INITIATIVES, SUCH AS CLUBS AND PROGRAMS, CAN HELP STUDENTS ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS INTERVIEW, AND PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH US. YOU ARE ALSO INVITED TO SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES IN THIS PODCAST. YOUR VOICE IS IMPORTANT. I AM RAQUEL NERIS FROM THE OPENLAB TEAM, AND I WILL SEE YOU IN THE NEXT EPISODE OF THE OPENLAB STUDENT VOICES PODCAST.