Blog Posts from Baruch Scholars

Servicing your community is when you use your talents to better the lives of the people around you. We are all members of many communities and we should do our best to make them as amazing as we can.

We can all do something. As a Baruch Scholar it is my responsibility to make the community that is our school and the community that is our city, our home.

It means more then volunteering a few hours here and there. It means living your life to better the lives of everyone. It means being a good citizen day to day and playing fair.

I will strive to achieve this by always helping my fellow classmates, and volunteering at various events both in and outside of school.

I think the culture in the Baruch Honors program is one of completely committing to service. Not just our 15 hours, its about actively seeking out opportunities and taking initiative to make it happen. We can all serve an hour here or there, even just by doing small things like saying hello to the man selling fruit on the way to school or giving up your seat for the women that just got on the train.

Baruch Scholars are also called to be leaders. Primus inter pares, first among equals; we are meant to lead, but not for recognition or reward, we are called to lead to help others.

“We are only as great as those we bring to greatness with us”

I believe that my role as a Baruch Scholar is to be the best. Whether this is in the Baruch community or in the larger global community. We are the best Baruch has to offer academically and culturally. We have all come from a variety of backgrounds and by working together we will become the best group of people in our society.

I have been given the opportunity to attend college for almost nothing. Since I was given this chance I need to use to not only better my life but also to give back to the people around me. This means giving myself in service to others. It is very easy to simply donate to a good cause, but service is more than that. It is giving yourself to others. There is nothing more you can give than your work. This is especially true of us Baruch Scholars. We are the best that New York City has to offer and our work is also the best. There is nothing more honorable than to give yourself in work to others. Our work in the community will hopefully not only help improve things for the organization and the people the organization serves in the short term but also in the long term. Service also goes beyond the eight or fifteen hours we are obligated to work for our scholarship program but even past graduation. As the best people in our society we have to work to better our society. It is our duty to help those below us reach the same excellence that we are able to achieve seemingly naturally.

The most obvious answer at the forefront of most people’s mind when they hear the words “community service” is a popular sentencing alternative to jail time.

I jest.

For most of us, community service is synonymous with volunteer work. In high school, I volunteered with my best friend at a nursing home for two summers. It was an unforgettable experience, to say the least. However back then, we volunteered mainly with the intention of gaining an edge in our college applications. It was really just a means to an end. Now, as a Baruch Scholar, volunteer work may still technically be required, but it has a different, perhaps more enlightened, rationale behind it.

Of course, on the most basic level I might simply volunteer my time to some worthy cause simply because I wish to remain in the honors program, since it is a requirement. That would be similar to the way i volunteered in high school; still helpful to society, but not as meaningful for myself. I hope that my experience this time around does not end up like that. Being a Scholar is an opportunity I have been given that I will always be humbled by and grateful for. I know that there are countless other kids out there who could use the same kind of help in pursuing their education as well. I want my time doing volunteer work to be my act of gratitude for the opportunity I’ve been given, and I want it to help better New York City society in whatever small way it can.

I think that the honors program does a great job in fostering an attitude of gratitude (yeah, you can quote me on that one) for what we have by implementing a community service requirement. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” 

As a Baruch Scholar I understand that I have two main responsibilities. The first is to meet both my expectations and that of the Honors Program. I believe that in order to meet such expectations I will have to continue to work hard and strive for the best. “Hard work pays off” is a concept that I have followed all my life and it has yet to fail me, so it is only right for me to continue to follow in this lead.

The second responsibility of a Baruch Scholar or any member of the Honors Program is to repay society for nurturing us all these years. All achievements of all scholars and honors students were not accomplished simply by their own capabilities but rather accomplished with the help and aid from those around them offering things like public goods, opportunities for better education, and scholarships like the one that I have been lucky enough to receive. It is therefore our duty and our never-ending responsibility to give back for what we have taken.

The Honors Program both strictly and strongly promotes repaying the community by mandating a certain amount of volunteer hours upon the members of the program. By doing so, students are heavily influenced and motivated to contribute to making their society a better place for others. This method is meant to start students off on their road to selflessness. Many people should and have pushed to contribute an even greater amount of time to construct a better environment for those around them. Being an honor student I am both responsible for and motivated to giving back to society.

I’ll start off by saying the generic answer: it is my duty to give back to the community as a Baruch scholar. I have been granted a seat in Baruch’s Honor program, receiving full tuition. As a result, I am expected to be a “role model” for others. I am meant to showcase the perseverance and hard work associated with Baruch honor students. But we all know this. We all understand that community service is fundamental to the development of society. Many of us performed various acts of community service throughout high school. I dont need to ramble on about facts we already know.

What I want to talk about today is MY thoughts on serving the community. I have always been a thinker. I like to think; I like to observe. My thoughts may be somewhat abstract, and may not directly relate to serving the community in most people’s eyes. No worries. I will strive to become the best person I may be, regardless of what others think of me or how they view my thoughts and actions. But, I digress. Back to my perception of serving my community. When I think of my community, I think of all those that are less fortunate than I am. In our requirement of community service as a Baruch scholar, most of us are volunteering at organizations. We may be  helping these organizations with events, or the like. There is nothing wrong with this, by any means. Its just that for me, I will only truly serve my community to help those truly in need. When I think of my community, I don’t think of my neighborhood as my community, I don’t think of my city as my community, I think of the world as my community. I don’t believe in helping just people around me, but across the globe as well. I have seen many different things in my life that have altered my life. Call me sensitive if you will, but the things I see have a profound impact on my character. I have become greatly depressed when I have seen the pictures of starving kids in Africa, when a homeless mother begs me to help her feed her child in Pakistan (the country of my ancestry), when I see a kid my age selling candy on the street, while having no arm.

I have always been sensitive, even since an early age. Regarding the last example I gave, I remember one time I was in the car with my parents driving somewhere — I cannot recall where exactly– at the age of 6 or 7. We stopped at a red light, and outside my window at car in front of us, I saw a boy about my age now, with no arm, selling candy from a box around his shoulders. This was the first time I had seen someone less fortunate than I was. Living in America, I had been sheltered and had been oblivious to the sufferings in the world. I saw this boy and a rush of emotions came to me. I felt this pain in my heart, a pain I had not known existed in the world. I began to cry in the back seat of my parents car. The tears poured out of me like a waterfall pouring down a hill. Since then, I became more and more exposed to these situations around me, especially during my visits to Pakistan. I become very influenced by these exposures. I am exposed to such situations here in America as well. Just last night, I was in my doctors office waiting for my yearly flu shot. Across from me was a kid, maybe 8 years old. He was physically and mentally impaired. He had a neck brace and some sort of tube on his throat to help him breath. He could not speak, and could only make sounds. He was cross eyed and could not stand properly without losing his balance. I looked down and muttered a silent prayer for him.

It is these situations that have made me decide that one day I will do everything in my ability to serve these people. Every second of my life that I live, I live for these people. I live for these people because they cant. I want to be successful so that I may give back to the unfortunate. I dont care for wealth. What is money? It only has monetary value. However, I want to have money so that I may give back to these people. I may not be able to help them in any other way, but at least I can try to do something. It is my ultimate goal to one day go to an impoverished country and meet with the less fortunate.  I want to talk to these people and let them know that I care, more than anything. And it is not just poor people that I want to help. I have the same feelings regarding people with diseases such as cancer. It is mind boggling to think about all the suffering in the world. It is painful knowing that there is so much pain, and that I cannot help everyone. I hope to start my own charity one day and help as many people as I can. If I am not able to this, I will definitely donate a large portion of my money to various organizations. I may not be Warren Buffet or Bill Gates, but mark my words, I will give back. If I may, I want to visit schools for the disabled and fundraisers and contribute some time there. This is my ultimate goal of how to serve my community. I can do anything else, volunteer at any organization or hospital, but I will never be truly satisfied unless I achieve this goal.

Thank you to anyone who has read this post until the end. It is one of many things I feel very passionate about. Although I may have gone off topic, I could not stop writing until I got the majority of my feelings across.

Serving in the community is not just a good thing to do, but also a necessary thing to partake in. As a Baruch student As a person, it is important to be a part of and give back to the community. Honors students have been given this amazing opportunity to grow and thrive in a new environment, and it is our duty to give the less fortunate an opportunity to grow as well. Students should not see a chance to help as an obligation, but as a good deed. Community service should never be a burden, but a way of life. It is a way to give back to those who really need it while also discovering things about yourself that you never knew! Giving to charity produces an overwhelming feeling of good to the philanthropist. Baruch honors students are given the resources to hone their skills and abilities. Why should they only be used to benefit oneself? These talents and skills we have learned throughout our lives should be applied to the real world to do things that matter. Promoting charities and raising money for organization are ways to help present and future generations. The privileged should never take their fortunate circumstances for granted by always looking to help others. Even if you yourself can not afford to donate money, dedicating your time and offering compassion can change the life of the person you are helping. It is human nature to be selfish, but to redefine our nature as selfless beings is truly admirable.

Baruch takes community service into high regard and that is a necessary part of a good society. Better conditions are a result of better cooperation, better help, and better enthusiasm. There are too types of experiences regarding community service those who do it out of requirement with little passion or little desire to help and those that are full of hope and passion for others. Although community service is a requirement for us why do we have to dread it so much? It’s an opportunity to meet new people, have new experiences, and maybe even change someone’s life. Community service is no longer a sugar coated requirement to improve your changes of getting into a college because now that we’re in college it’s now our duty to give back. The society that has allowed us to thrive and reach this point is one that if you look hard enough at isn’t perfect and needs some help.

when i was accepted to the Baruch Scholars Program, i knew my goals had to be higher than just achieving a degree.  With my tuition covered, i knew i wouldn’t need to worry too much about earning money. So I knew community service would be not only an educational, but also a moral obligation. In todays world, simply having high grades is not enough.  We must show we are truly beneficial and compassionate to our community and society to obtain high ranking positions in the working world, and high prestige and respect in communities across the globe.

Our role should be to help other others who can’t help themselves. I am looking forward to our community service project because doing volunteer work gives me a good sense of accomplishment and good will to know I am helping others with no benefit being reciprocated to myself. This is related to the culture of service the Honors Program promotes Because the programs strives to sculpt intelligent, selfless men and women to not only give themselves success, but to couple that success with helping others have a life they may not be able to afford or provide. As our economy becomes more competitive and companies start to make volunteer service not only superfluous but a requirement, being “smart” is no longer enough for them.  People must go beyond their call of duty.

I feel if we can create a community not motivated so much by momentary gain, but out of respect for others just for the sake of being human like us, and if we can eliminate the saying “It doesn’t affect me,” we can become a much better society.  Because no matter what, what hurts one person hurts us all as a whole, and service should not be seen as burdensome, but as a responsibility.

As a Baruch Scholar, I believe my role is to not only be a successful student, but it is also to be an exemplary individual. Not only am I a student at Baruch, but I am also a representative of Baruch. And I believe my actions should reflect positively on Baruch as well as the Honors Program. I also believe my role is to give back to the community in some way. I truly believe that a successful community’s foundation is built on those who are willing to spend their own personal time helping those in need. If everyone in our community were to be selfish, we would not be the great city we are today.

This is all related to the culture of service the Honors program promotes because I believe the Honors program is dedicated not only to giving us a great education, but also to positively impacting the surrounding community. Community service does not just impact those that it intends to help; community service also impacts those who partake in it. As a scholar, I embrace the opportunity to serve my community, but not just to “finish the hours that I am required to do.” I hope to gain experiences that will enhance my view of an already amazing city as well as positively impact those who are less fortunate. Being a scholar, I hope to not only maintain the sterling reputation of the Honors program. I also want to improve that reputation. I know that the Honors program already has a rather prestigious reputation, but if I can somehow build upon this more, I think I will have been successful in not only fulfilling my community service project, but also fulfilling my own goals.

I feel as though it’s still kind of hard to definitively say what my role is right now as I’m a freshman barely halfway through my first semester. I should be able to help my peers with schoolwork and whatever else they need help with; as I grow into a more experienced upper classman, I’m hoping I will be able to share my years of wisdom with other students, helping them ease into the Baruch lifestyle as many people have done for me.

I am so grateful for the opportunities that Baruch has presented to me, such as a full scholarship and the chances for networking and internships. Because of this, my community service shouldn’t be contained to only Baruch but it should be spread further into the community around Baruch. As tedious as the community service every semester may seem, I know that it will only benefit me in the long run. Many people have made these opportunities available for me, and now it is my turn to make opportunities available for other people, even if they can’t be in the form of a MacBook Pro.

As Baruch Scholars, it is up to all of us to establish precedents for others to follow once they arrive at Baruch. We need to keep the mindset of helping others alive at Baruch because many people take the help and chances they receive for granted. Donating some of our time to help those around us seems only right after all the advantages that were seemingly handed to us upon entering Baruch.