Commons

Hotlines and Resources

Homeless Youth and Teen Victims (Safe Horizon)

Hotline: 800-708-6600

https://www.safehprizon.org/get-help/homelessyouth/

Mental Health and/or Subsramnce Abuse Problems (NYC Well)

Hotline: 888-NYC-WELL (888-692-9355)

https://988lifeline.org

Drop-In Centers (ages 14-24)

Manhattan

Ali Forney Center

321 West 125 Street New York, NY 10027 212-206-2574

The Door

555 Broome Street New York, NY 10013 646-690-8986

Safe Horizon Streetwork Harlem 209 West 125 Street New York, NY 10027 212-695-2220

Bronx

Cardinal McCloskey Community Services 333 East 149 Street Bronx, NY 10451 718-993-5495 or 917-334-0957

Brooklyn

SCO Family of Services 774 Rockaway Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11211 718-695-3850

Queens

Rising Ground

165-13 Jamaica Avenue, 2nd Floor Jamaica, NY 11432 718-526-2400 Ext. 2080

Rising Ground

1600 Central Avenue Far Rockaway, NY 11691 718-471-6818 Ext.2123

Staten Island

Project Hospitality 27 Port Richmond Avenue Staten Island, NY 10302 718-876-4752

LETTER TO THE READER

Dear Reader,

Welcome to our Commons Zine, a limited-print zine focusing on common experiences in our city. This zine began with the idea of addressing the themes of homelessness, poverty, and more within the expansive metropolitan we live in. However, as we reported and gathered more pictures and poems we realized that there is also an unparalleled beauty in New York City. So whether you’re a native New Yorker, or someone who moved here we hope this zine makes you feel the uniqueness of our home.

In designing this zine, we searched for voices within communities whose experiences tie to our theme. We’ve all seen the food vendors on the sidewalk, the halal carts selling delicious plates, and the college student shooting a music video amongst the bustle. We decided to delve deeper and further into these narratives and provide more insight on what it means for people and businesses alike to be shaped by a city. I hope that by reading these stories you’re able to realize that everyone has a story to tell, a journey that shaped them, and a city that made them.

Before you begin, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the great work and dedication that brought this zine from idea to reality. A big shoutout to my executive board, who didn’t mind the various emails and deadlines set upon them to bring this to life - Anika Rios, Puspita Dasroy, Patricia Prado, Ethan Saif, and Pearl Lin. Your efforts and dedication to Encounters don’t go unnoticed! I would also like to thank the Mishkin Gallery and CUNY for their support through Alexandra Tell, Alaina Feldman, and @cunybystudents team. Without any of you, this zine would not have been possible.

And, most importantly, thank you reader. You make Encounters possible with your support and allow us to showcase student art.

Sincerely,

Melani Bonilla Editor-in-Chief

MAP OF NYC

Staten Island

Manhattan Bronx

Queens Brooklyn

WHAT DOES IT mean TO

CHRISTOPHER CLARKE

As a Guyanese immigrant and somewhat native New Yorker, New York City street life is integral to who I am. It’s a moving tapestry: a rich fabric of culture and history made up of people from all walks of life intentionally and unintentionally expressing themselves through their mannerisms, facial expressions, and most importantly clothing. From heavy leather coats and puffer jackets to fitted caps with iconic patches matching their colorful kicks, I see everyday people screaming their personalities whenever they step into a room or a subway car.

As you explore these images, my hope is for you to feel the diverse atmospheres, environments, and characters captured through various angles, lighting, scene choices, and styling. I’ve categorized these photographs by borough, showcasing individuals whose appearances authentically represent their neighborhoods, either embracing the traditional essence or reshaping it with a new-age approach.

Meet Queens natives, Shamar, Jaziah, and Alegra. I encouraged them to embrace bright colors and infuse their own personalities into their streetwear style. Alegra, with her pink leather jacket, curved glasses, and sparkling hoop earrings, Jaziah rocking a baby blue fitted cap and matching sneakers, and Shamar with a baseball bomber jacket, Supreme beanie, and cool grey 3s, all showcase their unique twist on New York’s cultural expression.

Alegra, especially, stands out against the backdrop of the LIRR, radiating confidence with her bright pink jacket and confident side part with curls.

In Brooklyn, Jaela embodies the unapologetic spirit of the streets with her choice of complimentary red and green tones, braids with her half-up, half-down hairstyle, and a fashion blend comprising cargo-style jeans, a bubble vest, and a multicolored ICEBERG hoodie. Her style is a testament to Brooklyn’s fashion ethos—a rebellious yet stylish flair.

Moving to the 23rd Street 6 train stop, a frequented spot for Baruch students, I captured the essence of Dorian and Sebastian’s unique styles. Dorian’s iconic Northface puffer jacket paired with a windbreaker, cargo pants, and New Balance sneakers epitomizes NYC street fashion, blending within the warmly lit underground station. Sebastian, wrapped in a palette of reds and burgundies, layered up for the cold day, exudes an explorer aesthetic, distinct from Dorian’s vibe, offering a contrasting perspective from the same location.

In the Bronx, shooting with Edge, a native, at a nighttime aboveground station, offered a contrasting backdrop—dark yet teeming with life. This setting accentuated Edge’s striking red afro and hand-distressed clothing (her creation), a manifestation of her inspiration drawn from the sights and struggles of the Bronx. We experimented with daring angles and compositions, aiming to cast her as the central character in her unique story. Her handmade garments celebrate graffiti artistry and the influence of black-owned streetwear brands, deeply entrenched in Bronx culture.

Every individual, every borough, paints a different picture—a glimpse into the soul of New York City’s streets. It’s a diverse symphony, a testament to resilience, raw creativity, and a celebration of cultural vibrancy that resonates throughout the city’s neighborhoods.

TO BE A NEW YORKER?

CHRISTOPHER CLARKE

FRANKO MARKU

Alex’s Flowers

SIDEWALK STORIES

Generations of families have gathered together in their lime green flower truck to cultivate an environment where both flowers and community can flourish. Originally from Mexico, the family business of Alex’s Flowers has been serving floral arrangements for any and all occasions to the Bronx community for 43 years. The truck is stationed on Story Avenue and is surrounded by white buckets filled with radiant bouquets of different color variations with carnations, roses, sunflowers, and baby’s breath flowers. By the window, worker Alex Santos patiently awaits customers and their requests.

Aside from working shifts at the truck, 21-year-old Santos is a junior at Baruch College pursuing a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship at the Zicklin School of Business. As the great nephew of the owners, Santos attributes his choice of major to the “entrepreneurial spirit” he states he’s always been surrounded by.

The determination and drive of the owners can be found all over their family history as their extended families also run their floral businesses in different parts of the world such as Nevada and Canada.

An ongoing challenge they have faced as florists on wheels is the chilling temperatures in the Winter, due to the truck’s poor heating. Yet this struggle presents itself as trivial when the florists are rewarded by witnessing the loyal community of customers they have curated. The owners have had the privilege of watching generations of family grow up and purchase from them along with customers returning to the Bronx to purchase from their truck even after moving out of the neighborhood.

The owners state that running their business is what they do best and “what they know,” stating that they can’t imagine themselves doing anything else. Alex’s Flowers has been able to not only depend on their customers but count on the support of the community of local florists in the area, a combination that has contributed to their success for over four decades.

By Julissa Perez and Patricia Prado

Flowers

Ins And Outs

Reach ins-and-outs

a bullet flying out the chamber

a ship propelled into a dark hole in space and forced out the other end you see the forces from timeless, times away. 2-v-shaped cones, ends connected.

Honey poured in

Johnathan Taveras Baruch College

The 2-cones lit in low light. In front of a dim fire by the bedside. Both dimensions filled simultaneously with stardust shaped cones.

Johnathan

Commons

What are some common experiences?

Like individual snowflakes, each New Yorker possesses a distinct identity within the vibrant metropolis. Various ethnicities and countries thrive in abundance to the extent that unfamiliarity cannot be helped even among those who have lived here their whole lives. New York is a giant tower of playdough with all colors swirled together and seemingly impossible to separate. Our location holds us together as a collective while our stories make sense of where one hue ends and another begins.

That begs the question: if we are all so different, then what do we share? An obvious answer is that we all live in New York. We experience the joys of living in an urban area every day, but New Yorkers are no strangers to the hustle and bustle of our world. With all the chaos in our surroundings, many are bound to speak up.

Funny enough, almost every New Yorker hates the subway. Two freshman students at Baruch expressed their distaste for the NYC public transportation system and the high volume of harassment on busses and trains. Another student from John Jay recalled a list of rules she stood by when she took the subway, including “staying behind the yellow line, don’t look at people - especially the performers, keep your hands on your stuff, move around people…”

One student from CCNY sighed, “80% of the time I’m riding, the car either smells like a petri dish, there’s a crazy person on board, or there’s a mix.” Oftentimes coming to Midtown for entertainment,

they confided “trying to get an uptown D train after 8 PM is literal purgatory.” Another bearcat recalled a day in which the 6 train abruptly turned into an express train, causing her to miss her stop at Baruch. As a testament to these complaints, purposefully avoiding the subway and instead walking thirty minutes from my dorm to go to class is my daily practice. Public transportation leaves lots to be desired despite its vast dependency.

NYC public transportation does not only affect people in the city. Those looking to use train systems such as the Metro-North and the Long Island Railroad to get here must pay a steep price. According to New York’s TrainTime App, a round trip from Montauk to Grand Central costs up to $47. Almost $50 can be spent just on transportation alone which makes trips like visiting family and commuting to school a difficult choice to make.

The NYC public transportation system, despite its faults, holds influence. The subway is one of our most recognizable parts and is a symbol of the city in its entirety. A student from New York University discussed his exposure to different people by roaming around cityscapes. “Whether it be people trying to sell you stuff, the homeless people on the street, the people with interesting fashion sense, or the attractive people who look rich, you gotta wonder what brought them to the city and what stories their lives have.”

Oftentimes, we catch glimpses and moments of jumbled lives within the subway, and I believe that’s where many of our stories are created and collide. It’s one of the most universal experiences of living in New York. Down underground, in a place most might say they resent.

AIDAN TO

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

What would you do if you were in my shoes, For just one day, would you sing my blues?

Would you change the way I talk and look, As you navigate the world, an open book?

What would you do if you wore my face, Could you handle the daily, endless race?

Through scrutiny, depression, and obsession’s haze, Would you still shine, through life’s endless maze?

What would you do, stepping into my role, Understanding the toll, the hidden toll?

Seeing how people treat me, their disdain, Would you find compassion, or would you feel the pain?

What would you do if you shared my plight, From morning’s crack to the hopeful night?

Traveling between boroughs, like a grand design, In a world where unique smells entwine.

What would you do at a job without much acclaim, Still showing up, playing in the economic game?

Could you handle being me, day in and out, In a life filled with certainty and doubt?

What would you do, if you stepped in my shoes, And saw yourself in your truest hues?

For a day in my life, could you truly see, The world through my eyes, and be me?

By Vernetta Parkinson

SIDNEY HANS

3D Brook lyn

Puspita Dasroy

NYC VIEWS

CHRISTIAN PEREZ & AIDAN TO

Sammy’s Halal

SIDEWALK STORIES

The food truck’s vibrant blue and red LED lights flashed the word “welcome” in all capital letters above their menu options of chicken, lamb, and falafel, inviting individuals to indulge in Middle Eastern cuisine for under ten dollars.

For over 20 years, Samiul Noor’s food trucks have served its customers a wide variety of halal options all over New York City. Noor’s trucks originally started at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights, where two trucks currently operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

The success of the two carts is a result of the collaborative efforts of its team of seven. As the halal cooks alternate their turns operating the two trucks, the team divides and conquers their duties to ensure success. Together, the halal cooks promptly answer phone calls for pickup orders and serve their new and returning customers. While other crew members are in charge of handling deliveries.

The smell of the chicken and the soft sounds of the grill sizzling fill the air as halal cook Md Shadat prepares a frequently ordered dish, chicken over rice. Shadat moved to New York City from Bangladesh 20 years ago and has been working at Sammy’s for over 12 years. Shadat states that his favorite part of the job is the customers, explaining that he and his fellow cooks see “all types of people,” of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

Despite working eight-hour shifts, Shadat claims that his shifts always go quickly. As he adorns the chicken platter with the customer’s personal request for “extra white sauce,” he states that the momentum of constantly preparing orders “doesn’t make it feel like [he’s] working for hours.”

By Patricia Prado

Halal Food

CREDITS

Encounter Magazine would like to thank the following talented writers and artists for contributing to “COMMONS”

FEATURED PIECES

“What Does it Mean to be a New Yorker?

“Commons: What are Some Common Experiences”

“Ins and Outs”

“What Would You Do”

“Sidewalk Stories: Sammy’s Halal Food”

“Sidewalk Stories: Alex’s Flowers”

written by Christopher Clarke

written by Vendanti Jaimin Amin

written by Johnathan Travis

written by Vernetta Parkinson

written by Patricia Prado

written by Patricia Prado reporting by Julissa Perez

DESIGNS

3D Brooklyn Simulation NYC Map

STAFF

Melani Bonilla

Anika Rios

Puspita Dasroy

Ethan Saif

Pearl Lin

Patricia Prado

Aidan To

Julissa Perez

Razia Islam

created by Puspita Daroy designed by Anika Rios

PHOTOS

Christopher Clarke

Franko Marku

Aidan To

Sidney Hans

Christian Perez

Since its inception in 1993, Encounters Magazine has set the standard for creative excellence within Baruch College. Operating in a business-oriented environment, Encounters showcases and empowers the extraordinary talent with Baruch through its main print publication, released once each semester. From its origins as a literary print journal, Encounters now also hosts events, produces creative content, and releases mini publications, all with the intent to support the talented creators that thrive within its walls.

Encounters Magazine is a proud embassador for Adobe Creative Suite. This publication’s content and layout was created and edited using Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe InDesign.