Glen Cheung's site

What is a successful college student?  I am already off on a bad start with a risk of probation from the honors program.  Does this mean I am an unsuccessful college student?  I believe college is more of a bonding period in life.  Try to create strong friendships with people around you.  At first, I believed I was unsuccessful and was a little depressed about it.  But my friend in the honors lounge told me, “Come on, how are you going to tell me that one semester in your life can mess up the rest of your life?”  Then, I realized he was right.  Without his moral support, I would’ve gone on a downward spiral.  I never asked for excessive help in my life.  But now I see myself talking to teachers about my bad grades and asking peers to review my essays.  I never would’ve sought out help because of an inferiority complex I have.  “Hurt people, hurt people.”  That is the truth in life.  If something bad happens to you, you will reflect that pain on others.  But, I’ve also learned that “Helped people, help people.”  With the opportunity I have to help others in this program, I can actually indirectly help many people while I directly help a few.  My group has uncovered a program known as the Starlight Childrens’ Foundation.  I can help children cope with pain, study and interact. Regardless of the opportunity or not, I could help someone simply by listening and understanding.  Thus, creating a bond.  That’s what makes a successful college student.

Why are we asked to help our community?  Is it because we want the satisfaction of being able to say we “helped our community”?  Or is it, in fact, something more.  People say there is no such term as a selfless good deed and there shouldn’t exist such a term.  I believe my role in the community is to help at least one person’s life become a bit brighter than it already is and to put a smile on someone’s face.  But, my role in this is more than just helping someone else.  In the process of making someone’s life brighter, I should make myself brighter as well.  I should receive infinite satisfaction from helping another.  My belief is that we, as Baruch Scholars, should help others to help ourselves.  This is related to the culture of service of the Honors Program because we are being introduced to this environment.  Many Baruch Scholars may not have been or ever be introduced to such an environment if it weren’t for the Honors Program.  Of course, there will be individuals that will do the community service just to say that they did the community service.  But, there will also be many individuals that obtain something far more precious that community service hours and that would be the satisfaction of helping another person.  If we are introduced to this type of environment now and make a habit of it for the rest of our college life, we will be tremendously more inclined to continue such acts of community service in the future.  The Honors Program is trying to promote a community that will help the community, a sort of Domino Effect spreading throughout the world.