Osiris

"New York City– it’s kind of my comfort, comfortability."

By Students of NYC

February 28^th, 2025

"Our school — it’s pretty relaxing. There’s not really any drama. If someone doesn’t like someone else, nobody makes a big deal out of it. It’s not like people want to fight each other or something. It’s calm. Outside, too. That’s why I love the Lower East Side. It’s calm, there is space. It can get crowded sometimes, but there’s a time around 4 p.m. where the trains are mostly empty. I like that time. New York City — it's kind of my comfort, comfortability. Especially the Lower East Side. I’m familiar with this area, it feels like home. People have opinions about the city, but you can’t have an opinion on something when you don’t know it. Personally, I like the people here. It's a community. I remember once when I went to get chicken or rice from the food truck, I only had eight dollars on me, and I realized the chicken and rice was nine. I told the guy, 'Never mind.' But as soon as I said that, he told me, 'Don’t worry, for you, I’ll do seven.'

I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer. I used to think it was just going to be simple — like finish college, go to law school, be a lawyer. But as I’ve learned how difficult it’s going to be, I started to take it more seriously. I'm going to have to work hard. Bard is good practice. Sometimes, I have like four hours of homework. But I always do it. I'm going to keep working hard. I can picture myself working in my office somewhere, behind a desk, wearing a suit.

The biggest thing I’ve overcome though, since starting school here, is being able to socialize. I used to be so quiet and afraid to talk to people. I was nervous that if I did something even slightly embarrassing, or if I said the wrong thing, I'd get judged. But at this school we have this thing — it’s called the big sibling, little sibling program. My mentor, A'jha, she was the first person in the school that I was able to go up and talk to. She was so social and energetic. I asked her if she wanted to be my mentor, and she said sure. That really helped me. Ajha made me start to talk to people. She introduced me to her friends. They would wave at me in the hallway, and I’d wave at them back. They would even start conversations with me. Now, I'll wave at them first. My socializing, it's still not perfect. But five months ago, I was a different person than who I am now. A'jha was such a good mentor to me. She helped me a lot ... I don’t know if she knows how much."