Category Archives: Journals

I think it goes without saying that those who take advantages of the resources given to them will become more successful than those who don’t. After having to participate and help create a presentation for the community service project, I have a even better understanding of the value of having the resources there to help guide the way. Initially, the thought of having to find an organization and creating a presentation for this organization seem relatively easy. Upon reflection, the whole ordeal seem a lot more complex than I would have originally thought it would be.

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges that my group faced is trying to find an organization we can volunteer at this coming spring. Our group found a number of organizations that we were interested in and would have volunteered for. The problem is that most of these organizations could not create room for us for the Spring term. It is at this point I am personally thankful that Stephen Francoeur had given us the lesson on finding charity groups. It is through him that our group successful found the Central Park Conservancy, the organization that we will be volunteering at. Though we did not, technically, ask him for any expertise, I realize that have an expert or any type of guidance helps going about any type of goal easier – or in our case, salvage our project.

Outside of this project, I have yet to ask for any type of advice from support centers, staff, faculty, the library or any student clubs. After using these resources for the community service project, I can see how this could give me an edge for my future success at Baruch. I think the main thing that I learn after accessing these resources is realizing that relatively ease and wide accessibility of the support centers, staff, faculty, the library or any student clubs. I think that itself should ensure my future success. I say this because most of the time, people do not seek out assistance of any sort because it’s not available to them or they do not know these resources exist to help them. By knowing that these assets are within my reach and it is available to me at all times, I will employ them to help me become a more successful student.

While on the topic at hand, I do not think that this community service project has changed my understanding of community service. To be quite honest, I personally feel that this mandatory is quite imposing. However, I do like to reiterate my view that this project does a great job raising awareness about community service and is, hopefully, the first step towards fostering a sense of community within all of us. I will be quite blunt in stating that this project is not some life changing experience for. I do hope that, the organization that I will be volunteering at will provide me with some value life experiences and memories.

As for my future at Baruch, I do not want to even begin to think about the next three years of my life. Perhaps I will join a student club or two and become active within them. Perhaps I will study abroad and take advantage of all the opportunities that Baruch provides. Perhaps I will run for student government and change Baruch for the better. Perhaps I will focus on my academics while building up a network to land that dream job I always wanted. Or perhaps I want to carry out that dream of creating a non-profit organization, that has been stuck in my head for so long. It is far too early to map out my entire life before my eyes at this stage. Despite many people tell me – that the three years will fly by – I think I will take this one step at a time.

The roles that a college student has to fit in this day and age differs greatly from what it would be 20 or 30 years ago. With that said, as a Baruch Scholar there are several roles that I should or at least I feel I should be a part of in Baruch and in the broader community: being a volunteer, being a well-informed citizen that represents Baruch and being a student.

Being a volunteer is probably the most obvious of the three in the context that is most often used here at Baruch. Personally, I feel that it is of the utmost importance that a person realizes that in order for one to succeed in life, it takes a communal effort and a personal effort to get there. While personal effort is a given, communal effort is overlooked; the community is there to provide the resources and opportunities that a person employs to help them be successful. It is only natural that after taking so much, to give back to the community. This is why as a Baruch Scholar, I see an even more dire need to be in the role of a volunteer. The Honors Program has given me so much and such a great opportunity to have a higher education that I am compelled to do as much as I can to give back.

While being a volunteer is something that is fairly intuitive, being a well-informed citizen is probably not the must intuitive concept. However, it is just an important a role as being a volunteer. Being a well informed citizen means several things: 1) to be a person who is capable of independent though and who can effectively communicate those thoughts effectively, 2) to be aware of one’s surroundings and the events that shape the world and 3) to actively participate in the society that we live in. While it is a valuable service to give back to the community, to actually actively participate and shape the community is, in my opinion, even more important. I don’t think it’s hard for a person to spare 10-20 hours a year to volunteer and say that they have done something essential. But to communicate your thoughts to others in your community, to be aware of the things that impact society, and to actively partake in the world to shape it into a better place is a far more critical service than mere volunteerism. The active exchange of ideas and using those ideas to create a better community is a vital concept that the Honors Program can cultivate.

Perhaps the greatest service that anyone can do and is often overlooked is to be a student. There is a sad reality that such a role is often overlooked in favor other roles that a college student can be. Not only do I disagree with this sentiment, but I am opposed to this overemphasis of the need for leadership and and communication skills. The greatest service that a person can give to the world is knowledge. Only with knowledge will humankind be able to move forward in this world. All of this starts with the ability for a person to be a dedicated student. Einstein didn’t shake the world of physics because of mere leadership skills nor did Drucker change the world of management by communicating. Both of them had ideas and knowledge that they wanted to disclose to the world; leadership and communication helped but they certainly aren’t the most important. Though the Honors Program puts implies a need for a student to be a student, they need to make all scholars realize that the greatest service that anyone can do is to discover knowledge and to disclose it.

These are the roles that I see myself fitting in and I hope that over the next 4 years at Baruch College that I can effectively fill in each and everyone of these roles.

Perhaps one of the most profound moments of my life that shaped me was a near death experience that I had at the age of 11. After being in a car accident and almost losing my life, I have started to view life in a different light. I didn’t learn the true meaning of sanctity of life nor did I had a fear of death that took me a while to overcome. Instead what I realized was that I never had a chance to leave my mark on the world if I passed away. That didn’t mean that I wanted to be well known or have done something extraordinary. It was closer to home; if I have died I never would have the chance to be the first one in my immediate family to attend college, or would I have the chance to experience love, or would I have the chance to feel what it’s like to be a father. It was small things like that that really got to me. Enjoying life became second priority to experiencing life and all the ups and downs it offered. Every opportunity that presented itself before me, I grabbed and took it for the sake of making something of myself.

To better myself and to leave a positive mark on this world; that is my dogma. Better is a rather broad term but in this case I think its fitting that one my my values “better myself” is so expansive. There is always room for improvement either physically, mentally, academically, morally or among other things. I have come to understand that to better myself to is expand my pool of knowledge and to test myself to the limit until I can’t. This fits perfectly with my other value which is to leave a positive mark on this world. It’s important to share all the experiences and knowledge one gathers throughout and life time with others. Not only does it serve as a model for the other person, but it motivates them to do the same as you have did with your life. Moreover, leaving a positive mark in the world doesn’t necessarily mean sharing something that is life changing. It could simply mean sharing something with your significant other or loved one. Something as small as that can make the biggest positive difference in that person’s life.

I have come to see college to be the continuation of improving myself. It goes without saying that I want my academic horizons to be expanded and that I value the knowledge that professors at Baruch will give me. More important to me, is learning how to better socialize with my peers, learning the skills that I learn and making them useful in the work place and making connections that will last me a lifetime. At the moment, I don’t have any concerns for my first semester here at Baruch college. I do hope, however, that I will continue to find this place as enjoyable as I do now and I hope it challenges me so that I can improve myself.