The Community Service Project not only enables us to lend a helping hand to our community, but it also educates us as students on how to best utilize the resources and facilities that are available for our use. The freshman seminar class in general was a huge asset during the initial stages of the project. We were exposed to numerous resources that would aid us in not only locating a proper organization to volunteer for, but would also aid us in researching the organization and many other topics. It was during one such class, when we went to the library to meet Stephen Francoeur, we learned how to utilize the Baruch databases. Along with that we were provided with a list of possible sites that would help us to select an organization, one of which we later used to find the New York City Audubon Society, an organization dedicated to the conservation of New York City birds. If not for this workshop, the primary planning stage would have been complicated a bit more. Along with that we were able to find an excellent resource for future projects in Stephen Francoeur. We also learn of the resources offered at the library which include not only the databases, but the “ask a librarian,” feature through which we can receive assistance from librarians whenever we need it, and much more. Furthermore it was during the investigation of the New York Audubon that I came to greatly appreciate the massive amount of information and resources that we as Baruch students have at our disposal. There is an endless flow of information that we are provided for free of charge, a privilege not readily available at other colleges and universities. Although I recognize that the faculty and staff at Baruch are a valuable resource for information and research we as a group did not rely heavily on them. Our main source of information and assistance was John. Whenever I had a question regarding what was required of each group for the presentation and the project in general I approached John and he would have a ready answer, which was an enormous help in organizing our efforts efficiently. When we ran in to some problems determining what our actual involvement would be with the organization the first people we went to for help were John and Mr. Medina. Through our conversations with both of them we were able to resolve the issue and get on with assimilating all of our research. It is during such troublesome occasions that one really understands just how useful the people around you really are and how willing they are to take time out help you. An education is not the only window towards opportunities. There are other forms of learning which occur outside of the classroom, learning that is just as essential as what one may be taught from a textbook or a professor. One such form of learning occurs when an individual joins a student or school club. A club or other school organization allows a person to open him/herself to the community’s social life and develop the social skills needed to lead a successful career, be it in the corporate world, courtroom, or the classroom. I understand the importance of participating in clubs and so I have already joined a couple of clubs. Although none of the clubs are geared towards community service and do not relate to our Community Service Project in any way, just the exposure to new groups of people has taught me how to handle situations in which you might be the lone ranger or too timid to approach new acquaintances. Being able to maneuver an awkward or tough situation is just one of the many talents that one can polish and this can be best done by joining clubs. I would like to conclude by adding that the community service project has opened my eyes to the importance of conservation in the protection of wildlife and the environment. I have always been actively involved in the service of people. My junior and senior years of high school were dedicated to providing young children of poverty stricken villages in Kenya with the money needed to construct a school and provide them with a clean water source, a provision they regarded as luxury. It broke my heart to see how these young children had accepted their situations and resorted to drinking water from contaminated rivers and wells even at the risk of becoming sick with dysentery and so I felt that I needed to take action to protect them from these diseases and the injustices that were thrust at them. With the community service project I have been given the opportunity to also reach out and safeguard the animals of New York City and through this I have found a new passion in defending the rights of animals to exist in their habitats.