Although my family isn’t the most religious, we have always done the best that we can to help others. We donate food, clothing, coats, shoes and much more. I entered into a high school that was very service oriented. By the time that I entered sophomore year I really began to take service seriously. I started donating my time at a local soup kitchen every Tuesday. I began to lector at church once a month and I joined a youth group known as the Dead Theologian Society which did a midnight run and collected coats for the homeless. This is only about half of the service I completed in high school. Thus, I believe that donating your time and resources is one way to serve your community.
In addition to helping others, I feel that taking the time to vote for reliable and honest politicians is part of serving one’s community. All to often, people just vote for a candidate because they are with a certain party or, even worse, don’t vote at all. Our politicians are the people who are going to help us collect money to fund soup kitchens, fund organizations, and pass legislation that will benefit the community. Therefore, it is very important to select the right candidate. I feel that making educated decisions and encouraging people, espeically our young voters, to make intelligent, educated votes is part of serving one’s community as well.
I feel that I have several roles in my Baruch Community. The first is to be a good student. Baruch has given me the opportunity of a lifetime; this has been an opporutnity I have dreamed about for a few years: going to college wihtout taking out loans. Therefore, it is my duty to do well in all of my classes, whether they are core or for my inteded major or minor. My second role is to give back to Baruch through clubs. I don’t know what club(s) I would like to become a part of yet, but I know that I will find one or two truly special clubs in which I can contribute and learn from. My third role is as a volunteer. Considering that I am very fortuneate, it is my duty to help others who are less fortuneate than myself. Whether this be helping an organization fund raise, feed the hungry at a soup kitchen, help abandoned animals at a shelter or gather clothing for those who need it, it is my duty to give back to my community. I have learned to never take things for granted; I feel that service to others is a great way to truly appreciate everything you are given in life.
Obviously the Honors Program wants its students to do community service. We, the students, are receiving full scholarships, laptops, and money to study abraod; it’s only right that we give back. However, I, and I am sure many of my colleagues feel the same way, would like to give back simply because it’s the right thing to do. I have always been taught to help others less fortuenate than myself. I have noticed over the past couple of weeks that the students in the Honors Program are simply “smart”. They are genuinely nice kids who want to help others. We have bonded in a way that I never expected. At Orientaiton in August, I honestly never expected my LC to be thsi close. These kids are so kind, generous and caring that we honestly don’t mind giving back.
The Culture Honors Program promotes well rounded students who are smart, active and caring. Serving your community and Baruch are included in being a well-rounded student. Therefore, my role to help others and my school make me a true Baruch Honors Student. Although I am not fully giving back yet, I intend to next semester. I decided to take this first semester to adjust to the schoolwork and fulfill my first role here at Baruch. Once I get a handle on that, I will start to donate my time (Probably more than what is expected) and find a club that I can help.