Aanchal Somani

Last week, we completed the presentation of the Community Service Project Proposals. The variety of community service opportunities that groups are taking advantage of is amazing. There are groups working to lend a hand in the fight against sexual harassment and sex trafficking, providing equipment to war veterans, helping to feed the hungry and the homeless, and helping to plant trees in neighborhoods across the city.

A major element in our presentations was the awareness of the resources that we are provided as scholars students and our obligation to give back to the community. As college students, we are given access to the Baruch library and it’s faculty who is there to help us find the resources we need when completing assignments. The library further provides students with cubicles, study rooms, and presentation rooms, each catering to different needs. There are also writing centers that help students edit and perfect their writing.

Student clubs and peers also constitute a major part of the college experience. I am currently a part of the Baruch Honors Student Council, and the Ticker. The Ticker, which is the school newspaper, has been the place where I have found myself a large portion of my time. With people always walking in and out of the Ticker and Lexicon, the yearbook club, this room is amongst the most social places in the building. Here, I have made friendships that I hope to keep for the rest of my life. The Ticker has been a place where I have had many debates on moral principles, and conversations ranging from physics and time to culture and religion. It’s intellectually stimulating environment allows me to learn and grow whilst creating friendship that will last a long time.

An awareness of these opportunities instigates me to further help my community. There are people throughout the world that are in need of help. Many hope to learn and continue their education, but don’t have the resources. Others struggle to live through one day at a time, and yet they never give up. If they are willing to try and come out of these struggles, we should be willing to lend a hand in pulling them out of the the hole they are in. Our smallest of actions serve as a motivator for them to try harder so why not take a moment out of our day to help a neighbor in need?

If we are faced with even one obstacle, we become discouraged. We dwell on the consequences of what will happen if we fail rather than focusing on winning. Instead, we, too, should look only towards the future in a positive light. No matter how hard times become or how hard we think the next test will be, we should remain positive, take things one step at a time, and look at everything as just another challenge. Personally, obstacles and challenges have always inspired me to work harder and to win. Everything is an opportunity. Defeating each obstacle one at a time brings me that many times closer to success.

To add, I would like to ask each one of you: If there are people who still have faith in you, who are you to give up on yourself?

Community is a word that can be limited to a specific population but can also be generalized to a much larger population. It ranges from a school community to a global community. Further, you also have communities in different sectors of work, such as the business community, the law community, the arts community, and so on. When the question arises of how we should give back to our community, there are many routes that can be taken. Giving back to the community can be through volunteer work, through paid work, or just through sheer dedication to succeed in a career field so as to ensure that a college’s decision to invest time and money on you was a wise one. There is also a fourth option and that is to give back through all of the aforementioned means.

I personally agree with the last option. For me, volunteer work is a way to lend a hand, or a shoulder to lean on, to those who want one. I am someone who is, to mention a few, passionate about the environment and global warming (in elementary and middle school whenever I was asked to choose a topic to write a paper on, the topic would usually be precisely that–global warming), and someone who cares about hunger and disabilities. A few weeks ago, I had gotten into a philosophical conversation with a friend regarding the reason behind altruism, or the need or desire to help others that is intrinsic to all human beings, and the idea is something that I am still exploring and trying to unravel. As of now all I know is that for me it is important to help those who are suffering. I have been given many opportunities and through education have been exposed to so many different ideas and topics across the board. As I continue to learn, I also feel it is an opportunity that all should be given. I also strongly believe if you truly want to help someone, you should “teach a man (or woman) to fish rather than providing him (or her) with a catch one day.” When it comes to the field of business, there is greater competition and to incorporate altruism becomes more difficult. However, much of business, too, has altruistic qualities. All businesses create products or services for their own profit. However, these products or services indirectly benefit the community through which they came about and, as a result, increasing the quality of life for all. Of course, volunteer work is a more direct approach when giving back to the community, while success and work in any field is a more winded approach to the question, but is still just as effective.

As a Baruch Scholars student, I feel I should give back to the community for multiple reasons–the first being my part altruistic nature. The Baruch Honors program has provided me with an array of opportunities that not all students receive. The college expresses faith in me by investing in my education. Thus, I believe I should give back to the Baruch community through volunteer work and, most importantly, through investing my own time and effort into my education and  emerging a much more successful individual through my journey.

There is a lot to say and a short introduction won’t suffice. A cluster of events have shaped me into the woman I am today and as this blog unfolds, so will my story–up until now.

To start off, I was born in 1995 in New York City and have lived here ever since. Up until not too long ago, I lived here with my sister, who is almost 17, my mom, and my dad. Life was pretty straightforward. My parents, just like most, encouraged me to stay connected to my culture and my own family’s past. We celebrated all our festivals with eagerness from the very beginning. I still wait for Holi and Diwali to come back around. The Festival of Colors and the Festival of Light.

I remember my dad telling my sister and I stories about his life–his struggles, his successes, his journey–so we would truly understand and cherish what we have. Even those bedtime stories of India and battles that took place long ago had morals hidden beneath the pages. All that was needed was to turn them over and look on the other side. My mom has always been my go-to person. The one individual I can share anything and everything with knowing that she will understand. When I am in need to step away from daily stress and frustration for a few moments, her hug is the perfect remedy. She has given us all that we have asked for. Opportunities to learn all that we wish and experience all that we want. Both my parents were amongst my greatest supporters.

I have grown up to appreciate my culture, the opportunities presented to me, and my family. And along with that, New York City has taught me to appreciate diversity–of religion, of culture, of language, and of thought.

Of course, education has always been a top priority. I am currently a Scholars student at Baruch College. I look towards college for a new beginning–a chance to create my own identity independent from past assumptions–and begin my journey towards success. Success academically, professionally, and socially are my aspirations as a college student. Of those three professional and academic success top the list. College is the journey that will learn me to be independent, that will teach me to further my career and create and strengthen my professional relationships. College is the beginning of my career. The first step of many.

I wouldn’t be the person I am today in respect to my values if my parents weren’t the people who they are and this city wasn’t the one in which I live. But like I said, this isn’t everything. It’s just the beginning of my story.

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