Letter to My First-Year Self: Isaac Wirth
Dear Baby Isaac,
Surprise! I am writing to you from NYU, and you are majoring in Game Design now. I know right? What a change from “Global Studies” at Appalachian State University. You always knew going back to New York would be in your future, so I have no clue why you decided to go to school in the middle-of-nowhere, but hey- you will figure it out eventually. I would give it about 3 weeks into your first semester at ASU that you actually hate being in the mountains for more than a week straight.
Now I know what you are thinking- “But Senior Isaac, my SAT scores and volunteer record isn’t good enough for NYU?! How did I get there?”. Good question- you are going to spend a ton of time volunteering with LGBT youth while in Boone, create some really cool art that wins awards, and retake your SAT surrounded by 16 year olds when you decide you want to transfer to NYU. So I guess your time in Boone won’t be too bad after all.
Also, I know you are too scared to talk to the Hillel on campus at Appalachian. That’s okay, take your time. You will learn a little bit about Sukkot from the students who set up a “sukkah” (it was just a tent borrowed from the student center due to budget issues) on the quad and were handing out free pizza to celebrate.
But when you get to NYU, definitely go visit the Bronfman Center. That’s where you are going to find your home. There is literally no reason to be scared of it, I have no clue why you are so scared of it. Maybe it’s because you feel that you aren’t “Jewish enough”, but you literally got in trouble while in preschool for speaking Yiddish. So, I am here telling you that visiting the Bronfman center was literally the best choice I made in the past 4 years. The Bronfman center is going to help you find your Jewish identity and make so many wonderful friends. College is going to have it’s ups and downs- but Bronfman will always be there for you.
Good luck with those transfer applications (You will get into every school you apply to btw),
Senior Isaac
P.S: Thanks to the Bronfman center, you will finally have the Bar Mitzvah you’ve been wanting since you were 12 — just one more amazing thing during your time at NYU :)
