By Amrita Das
October 20, 2009
Final Draft
Rishabh Lall, 22 of Hickville, Long Island, is a Sophie Davis Biomedical school
student in the brink of graduation.Lall said he struggled to keep up with his work-study
program this semester.
“When you’re on financial aid, you worry about having 12 credits
but with the program that I’m in and trying to get into medical school it’s tough to keep a
4.0 and work 30 hours a week” says Lall.He has also tried to make sure that he has
money saved aside to start paying off loans that were taken out against his parents 401K.
Lall, a fourth year undergrad, said he worked night shifts at Columbia Presbyterian
Hospital as a pharmacy assistant and then leaned back listening to Nirvana on his iPod in
his green American Eagle polo, Armani Exchange belt and blue and white Nike’s.
Thirty-eight-year-old Clara Puri of Merrick, Long Island, said that during a
recession less and less people seem to care about others’ concerns.This former
housewife recently went back to JohnJayCollege to be a criminal justice major. Sitting
at the Merrick train station at 7:30 a.m., Puri said that she’s trying to finish what she
started 10 years ago.On a rather cool summer day, Puri, in a white and purple striped
button-down shirt and black dress pants, she re-positioned herself revealing black satin
sling-backs and starts her story. She explained how she had no choice but return to school
and finish her degree because her husband lost his 20-year-old IT job at IBM and they
were now trying to manage a household on his unemployment income.On full financial
aid this semester, Rita Kaur 20, who commutes from Merrick, Long Island, expressed her
concerns as she boarded the train to go to school.Kaur voices her concerns, taking a
break from the homework she’s started on the Express LIRR train.Sitting comfortably in
her black so-low yoga pants solid grey T-shirt and zebra print flats, she explains how she
has just recently declared her major as psychology and was just making sure that she’s
keeping up with her grades so her scholarships and grants don’t fail her.Kaur took on
extra shifts at her part-time job as a receptionist because she, couldn’t afford to buy all
her text books for this semester.Kaur had to charge everything on her
credit card.Even though she already owed $1200 she wanted to avoid paying high
interest.
Struggling to understand her financial status, CityCollege’s freshman Ekta
Ahluwalia said her family’s Indian restaurant on Atlantic Avenue near her South Ozone
Park home, barely struggled since the day it opened eight years ago until this year.
“People have stopped coming, and if they do it isn’t enough to keep us going, we’re
trying to scrape up as much as we can” says Ahluwalia,“ and the tuition increase isn’t
helping either.” In her blue faded distressed jeans, Abercrombie pull over and black
bow tie ballet flats,she made her way down the street into her restaurant.“My commute
is really long and I have to come straight to work after so I can help my parents out as
much as I can.” Extra curricular activities are out of the question for this biology major
intent on research study when she enrolls in med school.
Roohi Maini, 19, of Bethpage a second-year undergrad student Hunter and has
more passive concerns.Having just transferred into CUNY as a psychology major,
Maini said adjusting to New York City was easier than she had thought it would be.
Making friends, however, was a concern. “I’m so used to knowing people and I feel more
comfortable with that safety around me.It’s not easy to walk up to strangers and start up
a conversation and hope they’ll be your friend” says Maini, wearing a peace sign
sweatshirt, black lace leggings and blue converse.Her goals are to pass her classes with
all A’s because that’s what parents expected and joined as many clubs as she could so she
was able make friends and ease her transition into a new world.