Mohammed Masroor

College has been a roller coaster experience with it’s ups and downs.  College and family has put a lot of pressure on me to maintain a high average.  Throughout life my dad has always forced me to study and get high grades, if i got lower than a 90 I would be penalized.  The honors program has also put on increased pressure to maintain a 3.3 average.  The possibility of getting kicked out of the honors program, something i worked tremendously hard for in high school, is horrifying. But community service is something that doesn’t revolve around grades, but around me and my personal interests.  It gives me freedom and a sense of responsibility to accomplish a certain task that i want to fulfill.

The city is filled with endless possibilities for volunteering.  The librarian tasked to help honors students greatly helped my group approach a topic that we were interested in.  The library website itself has countless databases to find unlimited resources and knowledge.  The clubs present in Baruch are also a means of finding knowledge on Baruch, NYC, jobs and simply a way to have fun.  Even though Golden Key membership requires you to be a junior I still regularly go to their meetings to meet new people and volunteer in events throughout New York City.

Volunteering in clubs and organizations in New York City has given me a certain edge over my courses and Baruch.  It has given me a sense of responsibility to achieve my own goals through my actions because college demands you to be more independent and rely on your own skills than the teachers.

Community service has always been a regular part of my life.  I was very active in high school in many of the clubs and participated in volunteer organizations and internships over the summer.  I joined many clubs such as the ECO club, give aid give hope and red cross club.  I heavily participated in most of the events of these clubs.  There would be annual events every year such as the Breast Cancer Walk and AIDS walk.  I see the community service requirements held by Baruch not as a nuisance but an opportunity to make my self better and get to know my community more.  In many of these clubs I had a leadership role that may involve simple tasks such as collecting money to a more grand task such as organizing an event.  I also participated in volunteering outside of school.  I joined a political internship over the summer promoting political awareness and the importance of voting.  Volunteering outside of school gave me i higher sense of responsibility.  I was not doing this for college applications but to build my character.  Through these events i met new people, developed leadership skills and learned something new everyday.  I want to possess these same characteristic throughout my college years in Baruch and the honors program.  This quality of leadership is a necessity in today’s world of cut throat business, something that I want to pursue in life.

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There really haven’t been any particular experiences in my life that have shaped me, but i could say people and religion have.  I was not born and raised in the USA, but actually in Saudi Arabia.  Who ever is reading this blog must be thinking, “OMG THAT’S CRAZY, PEOPLE GET THERE HEADS CHOPPED OF THERE.” Its not that crazy actually.  I lived a regular life of a kid, who had no concerns about the outside world, but just cared about having fun.  You can say that living in Saudi Arabia influenced me heavily to rely on religion.  I went to Sunday school, I learned how to behave in front of other people, how to dress appropriately, how to talk, how to eat and basically everything about my life through religion.  I also learned from different cultures and religions, other than Islam’s.  My neighborhood was very diverse. A Hindu family from India, Ghana and Chicago lived in my neighborhood.  They not only came from different religious backgrounds but from different cultures also.  I have forgotten their names because it has been a long time, but i still remember how loving and affectionate all of these families were toward me.  I learned about different parts of the world from each of the family.  NYC, the current city I am living in, is even more diverse.  Its the melting pot of cultures and religions from all around the world.  Living in NYC makes me feel like I don’t belong to a certain race or country, but i belong to the human race.  This city and the neighborhood i was raised in, has certainly taught to me respect and love people from all religions and cultures.

College has begun and i feel like it is a gateway, to new opportunities, such as choosing a career path and making friends.   I want to be an accountant because my dad is one.  My father is a great role model and that’s why i have chosen my decision to become an accountant, but so far every teacher who I have told about my career path said that I will eventually come to the terms of suicide because of boredom.  I wonder how my father survives.  If he hasn’t committed suicide then i believe that i can manage the workload as well if i work hard.