Baruch Scholars 2010

The community service project has been a big part of my very first semester in  College. Although I was active in high school, it seems that this community service project is much more influential and rewarding than any of the others that I have completed in high school. The steps that I went through to complete it have and will continue to help me throughout subsequent semesters in Baruch College.

In order to research and obtain information about the topic, I went to the databases that were available on the William and Anita Newman Library website. I have heard about these databases in many of my other classes however, it was the library visit with Stephen Francoeur that helped my the most. By listening to his presentation about the databases that were most useful when looking for non-profit organizationsthat needed volunteers, I was also able to be familiarized with the other databases that helped me tremendously with the other projects that I had to complete during the semester, like the Company Project for Business 1000H recitation. Professor Francoeur’s presentation was also an incredible help when looking for the non-profit organization that I was going to work for. The databases that he recommended were an immeasurable help and were the way that I found the organization that my group was going to volunteer for.

The Community Service Project was the prefect conduit to expose the learning community to the resources made available. Initially the project familiarizes us with the faculty and staff. The project then allows peers to become comfortable with one another. The resource necessary for the project requires the introduction to the support centers and library. The project then furthers its goal of instilling a sense of giving back to the community with student clubs that can help with the process.

The Community Service Project was introduced and explained by the Honor Program Director, Mr. Medina, and Peer Mentor, Maria Guglielmo, who would later introduce us to the resources and opportunities provided by Baruch. The group placement allowed us to interact with the peers of the Learning Community. The previously mentioned resources and opportunities included STARR Career development program, SACC, and the Writing Center, which are all available for the benefit for the students. The introduction to the library and its unlimited reserve became a beneficial resource. The Honor Program’s private librarian, Stephen Francoeur and his knowledge of the extensive research databases would become a useful tool towards the Community Service Project and future projects. The Community Service Project itself was the catalyst that allowed us to immerse ourselves in the available resources.

The Community Service Project has made known of the available resources. The choice not to utilize these resources would be foolish and hardheaded. The library and librarian Stephen Francoeur has been most helpful; when entirely lost and confused, an expert in a field of research is always helpful. The resources provided for the Community Service Project can be applied to all classes and courses. The knowledge of the available resources and each specific expertise makes searching for particular help easy.

My understanding of community service has evolved, not due to the project but Freshman Seminar; Mr. Medina’s story about the Midnight Run expanded my schema of what community service encompassed. Community service is giving back to the community and by doing so, you are also helping individuals who value and appreciate these acts in ways you cannot imagine.

Freshman Seminar was certainly an interesting class and I’m glad I got a chance to learn from it. One of the major things I’ve learned about was some of the organizations in Baruch and what they do. I was extremely glad to learn about VITA… it really seemed like a great opportunity to get involved. It makes sense business-wise and also seems like a meaningful experience to be a part of.

Speaking of community service, I learned a lot in the process of coming up with the group project. Researching the organization took time and effort, but it really was worthwhile. I got a chance to become closer friends with those in my group and I’m glad for the chance to get involved.

The fact that community service is a requirement for the honors program is quite interesting. It kinda forces us to start doing something for the community, in hopes that we would be inspired to continue doing so even after Baruch. I feel that I’ve learned a lot about the need for community service and the honors program certainly will help me towards that.

Successful college students take the initiative to seek out resources they need including faculty, peers, staff, support centers, the library, and student clubs among others. My participation in the Community Service Project has encouraged me to draw upon the expertise of faculty and staff. Our group was able to easily ask both Mr. Medina and Maria for help on what organizations to look for and finally choose. This opportunity also gave us the chance to work together as a group of eager students, finding an organization that somehow fits all of our varied interests. We used different websites and asked around to find the best organization out there. Using these resources and working together has helped me with other class projects at Baruch. I am now better at working together with other students, and can use my talents and interests along with my peers’ to do the best job on all of my assignments. I now know how to thoroughly search for a community service organization, and will therefore be able to search for future internships and community service options that I want to pursue. Having worked with my community in organizing fairs and fundraisers, and also having worked with young kids, I have more of an understanding of what the Community Service Project wants from us. If I can work with the Baruch community, I will hopefully be able to easily and successfully work with the Children of Bellevue organization.

For my group, the community service project and Baruch’s vast array of resources were mutually exclusive things. Baruch offers many tools to its students, but none of them were necessary to complete our particular project.

However, Baruch’s staff is always of the utmost help. The Star Career Development Center is a priceless tool unique to Baruch. Most of the professors teaching at Baruch are also at the ready to help anyone in need. I recently came upon a hard time. Both my LC coordinators, my peer mentor, and my guidance councilor reached out to help me. I am very thankful to be in a school where such care and attention is given to its students by the faculty.

Unfortunately, I have not yet joined a club. For my first semester as a college student, I did not want extracurricular activities to detract from my academic focus. Making the transition from a High School lifestyle to a College lifestyle is a big enough experience; I did not want to further complicate it unnecessarily. However, in the coming semesters I do plan on looking into some extracurriculars in order to expand my resources. Two organizations I am interested in are Alpha Epsilon Pi and AIESEC.

AEPi is a social organization that connects Jewish men across the country. I actually know a couple of kids from my high school that are in this fraternity – they tried to get me to rush but I was adamant in not joining any clubs this semester. AEPi runs trips to Israel, promotes Jewish charities, and holds ties with organizations ranging from Hillel to March of the Living. As a Jewish man I feel like this would be a great experience for me, as well as being able to meet many great people.

I would actually like to see if I could do AIESEC and Study Abroad consecutively. AIESEC is an international, student-run, nonprofit group that sponsors internships abroad. This would help me acquire many skills (leadership, communication, management, etc.), and would look outstanding on a resume.

The community service project made it necessary for us to first research probable NGOs where we could volunteer and i learned a greal deal about how to research such organisations. It was also vital that we check in with linda maestro and make sure that our project idea was viable and satisfactory. Other than that, i do not think any support centre was required. my peer mentor, Justin, was a great help and i often turned to him for advice regarding the group project.

I have not yet joined a student club and i know this will come back to haunt me in my later years at baruch. I however, have every intention of doing so and am interested in several organisation, cheif among them VITA which i think is a wonderful organisation based on a marvelous idea. Other than that, the Golden Key Honors society presents a great deal of opportunity though i would prefer to get involved with something smaller and actually be a useful member to it rather than just a number. i am also interested in the semester abroad oppurtunity that Baruch offers and would like to avail because i like to experience new cultures, languages and learn how to interact in an increasingly diverse and globalized world.

My understanding of community service has significantly evolved; i have come to view it not as “something” that must be done because the honors program wants us to do it but rather as a genuine opportunity to give something back to the community that has given me so much.

Thus far in my college experience I have not sought out any non-mandatory resources, save a few conveniences. I have been to the library a couple of times to read, and I wrote one article for the school newspaper which was chopped up, restructured, given a dumb title, and put through some sort of apparatus that takes every word I that I actually put some thought into and changes it to something less concise; all without my permission or knowledge.  The project has not furthered my understanding or appreciation for service to a community that I find flawed and motivated primarily by deception.

I have seen the day-to-day relations of us kids gradually alter however from socially tentative individuals stuck in the same classes together to individuals stuck in the same classes together. Yet despite the usually decline in average temperature that accompanies this time of year, it hasn’t seemed so cold lately. On the other side, where the ceiling is cracked in the hall the rain comes in sometimes. It all really depends how it falls. Slouched yearnings evade hands like sieve sand. This time it only rained for a minute or two, and now me and me small-step down the diffusing corridor. Time, wearing dark glasses, erodes skin and bones as I go, half-heartedly dodging broken glass. Almost all the windows have now been broken, those windows that used to be mirrors in the dark. I’m still learning scales, and my ruminations bounce around like sound, but in stranger pieces. Now as I trudge my prescribed path, I can’t help but get a kick out of the smell of the rain outside on the pavement with regret obscured. Its broken panes crunch under my shoes.

When I was in high school, I did a lot of group community service. However, we did not to do any proposal back then. It is a new experience since there was never a demand for a level of cooperation for a task like this. I wouldn’t say it’s too challenging, but having a group makes this task quite different from my experience. This time since we are doing something more formal, we had to ask people for help and advice. I asked Linda and Justin was there for us the whole time.

However, because of the community service requirement, I have been drawn to VITA. Which, to me, is really cool since you would know how to do your own tax return and you would be able to help other people who are in need of it. Some people just can’t afford such service and that’s where VITA comes in. I didn’t think that there was an organization like this, but after I heard it I went to the meeting. Although it seems somewhat complicated, I think I would be willing to take the challenge.

Aside from community service, I still have not joined any club yet. But I did use a lot of the support centers. First, I think Mr. Medina is a great help, but I don’t think his office is considered a support center though. I did go to the SACC for help and they are very friendly there. Besides that, I have yet to explore. I think my next location would be the STAR career center because I think I really need help in deciding my major.

こんいちは、みんあーさま！

Hello, everyone!

Baruch is, without a doubt, an amazing college, with so many resources to offer to its students. Furthermore, as Baruch Scholars, we have even more opportunities and facilities to use to our advantage.

Regrettably, I have not drawn much on the expertise of faculty and staff, but for the Community Service Project, I have utilized the study rooms in the library (along with my fellow group members) in order to do research, and to collaborate and work on our project. In general, for this entire semester, I have made much use of the quiet areas in the library for studying and doing homework, and I have found that doing my work in the library is a lot easier than doing it at home, where there is much more noise (and lots of distractions as well!). As for student clubs, so far, I have joined (and actively participated in) the Japanese Anime Asylum and the Tae Kwon Do Club, both of which I frequent nearly every Thursday during club hours. I have also joined the Japan Club, which I attend for different events that catch my interest (such as the Japanese Conversation Classes). I would like to participate in VITA during the spring semester (if I’m able to attend the January classes), and I would also like to become involved in Golden Key and at least one National Honors Society (though I haven’t looked into specific ones yet).

When I would volunteer my time at the Brooklyn Public Library, I really did enjoy it. However, the reason that I chose to volunteer at the library was because of its convenient location (with regards to where I live), and because I love books. Nothing more, nothing less. However, with this Community Service Project, I have discovered that community service can be much more complicated than simply volunteering at a local library. I never had to do any research on the Brooklyn Public Library prior to applying for a volunteering position; I did not have to search through different locations or different days and times of events; I did not have to contact any coordinators in order to volunteer (as I was already well acquainted with the majority of the library staff); all I did was fill out a form and hand it in. Knowing that I’m going to be doing something more life changing than shelving books, however, makes the extra work worthwhile.

ハブ　ア　ナイス　デイ！　じゃあ　ね！

Have a nice day! Bye!

-Christina