Baruch Scholars 2011

Participating in the Community Service Project has trained me in various ways: I learn how to access to reliable websites using the library database instead of Google; I learn how to communicate to employees of the non-profit organizations; I learn how to cooperate with my peers by working in a group. All of those that I learn from the Community Service Project relate to successfully seeking the useful resources and using them as your powerful tools.

College is a large community that contains plenty of resources we can access to, including faculty, peers, staff, support centers, the library, clubs, and etc. Tremendous resources are available to us but they are there to be used, not ignored.  We should take the initiative to seek for good resources and learn how to benefit from them. No matter how great the resources are, if we do not approach to them and make use of them, they become useless. However, in reality, a lot of students are lazy and do not bother wasting their time searching for those beneficial resources; instead, they just simply using Google. Of course, it is saving time and a lot easier to operate, but how relevant are they?

Doing Community Service Project, we are able to actually invest time and effort to research those non-profit organizations. Instead of Google, we learn to use Idealist, a better and relevant website that offers volunteer and internship opportunities. We actually take a close look at each organization on the Idealist and examine which one to work for next spring. We called and emailed the companies asking questions, such as what type of volunteer they need, when they need volunteers, where the location of company is, and etc. After all that research, I feel community service becomes really sincere project as opposed to unimportant feeling I got at the beginning of the semester. We start to manipulate the resources that are offered to us and this will become an edge in other courses and my future success at Baruch.

Personally, I start to get benefits from support centers, especially Writing Center. As a Chinese immigrant who speaks English as a second language, I really need help in writing and Writing Center helps me with this issue. With its help, my writing improves a lot even though I am still not a perfect writer. Next semester, I wish to join student organizations and clubs, because I want to be more interacted and associated with my peers. I wish to become not only a successful learner but also an open-minded person.

These past few months at Baruch have been crazy! I’ve had so many papers, tests and presentations- it gets overwhelming at times. Luckily, I have discovered just how helpful the Writing Center is with helping me proof read and revise my essays especially for English class. I simply send my essay to the Writing Center online and when I open up my Baruch email the next morning, a revised version of my essay is waiting for me, full of gramatical corrections and suggestions for my paper. This has certainly been a huge help! At Baruch, I am involved in the Intervarsity Christian Club. The people in this club are very welcoming, and I have met many new friends through this club. Resources such as The Writing Center and The Sac will definitely give me an edge in my future courses at Baruch. The Writing Center will help me be able to do the best I am capable of on my English Essays- helping me to catch my gramatical mistakes and flaws in my papers. My understand of community service has evolved as a result of my participation in this project. It has made me more aware of the many organizations in New York City that are dedicated in helping causes such as homelessness, blindness, and HIV. I am excited to volunteer at Lighthouse and the many other non profit organizations that I will be involved with in the future.

In the next three years, I can see myself continuing my education at Baruch, majoring in either Marketing or Accounting. I know these next few years will be academically rigorous, however I am excited to learn and be challenged. I will continue my adventure living in New York City, discovering what New York City has to offer. I am excited for what lies ahead because I know I have a bright future ahead.

When I was in high school, I was involved in many extracurricular activities such as band, National Honor Society, Student Government, and Varsity tennis. What I have experienced from high school made me realize that being involved in clubs and organizations is important since it offers many opportunities and information.

Here at Baruch, I am currently a member of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, Wall Street Club, Baruch Japan Club, and Korean Students Association. So far, these clubs offered me many opportunities such as social meetings, conferences, workshops, classes, corporation briefing sessions, and training sessions. I was so glad to be a part of these clubs because I learned so much and met many people in different grades with different majors. For example, Wall Street Club’s meeting is on every Friday, and the office members always give presentations to members about finance and economy, and they also host professionals such as accountants and finance managers so the members can listen to their stories and ask them questions. I was very amazed because I have never expected to experience something like this and I was so glad that I am a member of this club. And I have also used support centers at Baruch such as the writing center. I went to the writing center because I wanted somebody to proofread my book critique, but unfortunately the session was not really helpful because the instructor did not know about the book at all so she just marked some grammatical errors.

As mentioned above, I already knew the importance of getting involved. However, my participation in the Community Service Project encouraged me to use the appropriate online resources, which does not include Google or Wikipedia. In addition, the project also gave me an opportunity to work as a group, which can develop my skills in terms of teamwork. The psychological test I did for the grouping was very interesting and interestingly, I think the psychological test results make sense because our group’s teamwork is great. (Thank you, Maria. Our group’s understanding of community service was pretty thorough since all members have many community service experiences, but from this project, we were able to find out that many organizations provide community services in many forms such as supporting the programs of other non-profit organizations.

In next three years, I will be a senior student if I am lucky and work hard enough. I will have completed the community service requirements, and I might be busy because of internship, schoolwork, etc., but I will try to make time for additional community service.

When I was in high school, I was involved in many extracurricular activities such as band, National Honor Society, Student Government, and Varsity tennis. What I have experienced from high school made me realize that being involved in clubs and organizations is important since it offers many opportunities and information.

Here at Baruch, I am currently a member of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, Wall Street Club, Baruch Japan Club, and Korean Students Association. So far, these clubs offered me many opportunities such as social meetings, conferences, workshops, classes, corporation briefing sessions, and training sessions. I was so glad to be a part of these clubs because I learned so much and met many people in different grades with different majors. For example, Wall Street Club’s meeting is on every Friday, and the office members always give presentations to members about finance and economy, and they also host professionals such as accountants and finance managers so the members can listen to their stories and ask them questions. I was very amazed because I have never expected to experience something like this and I was so glad that I am a member of this club. And I have also used support centers at Baruch such as the writing center. I went to the writing center because I wanted somebody to proofread my book critique, but unfortunately the session was not really helpful because the instructor did not know about the book at all so she just marked some grammatical errors.

As mentioned above, I already knew the importance of getting involved. However, my participation in the Community Service Project encouraged me to use the appropriate online resources, which does not include Google or Wikipedia. In addition, the project also gave me an opportunity to work as a group, which can develop my skills in terms of teamwork. The psychological test I did for the grouping was very interesting and interestingly, I think the psychological test results make sense because our group’s teamwork is great. (Thank you, Maria. Our group’s understanding of community service was pretty thorough since all members have many community service experiences, but from this project, we were able to find out that many organizations provide community services in many forms such as supporting the programs of other non-profit organizations.

In next three years, I will be a senior student if I am lucky and work hard enough. I will have completed the community service requirements, and I might be busy because of internship, schoolwork, etc., but I will try to make time for additional community service.

Next Steps…

Being a Scholar and having the opportunity to begin college with a learning community is very helpful. There is an advisor and a peer mentor who willing help me with whatever problems I face. Although I have yet to have such a problem, or make use of their assistance, it is reassuring to know that they are there. However, they are just two of the many resources that are available. From the special freshmen seminars we had, I am now aware of many more if not all the help that I have; from the Writing Center, to tutors, to the STARR center, etc.

The Community Service Project allowed me to really utilize the help our librarian Stephan Francour gave in his workshop. I was able to more effectively search for my group’s organization than I probably would have before that meeting. Although I didn’t use the school databases for this particular project, because of freshmen seminar, I was given the knowledge to use towards other classes. Similarly, the Community Service Project forced me to communicate with my peers. Sometimes I was put in a situation where I had to initiate the conversation between my group members. Before, I always relied on having others lead me.

When I was younger, I thought of community service/volunteering as something I was required to do in order to get something in return. However, as the years went by, I realized that it means more than that. It felt great to know that I was helping something and I didn’t necessarily want anything back for the work I done, although it is always a nice thought. The Community Service Project hasn’t changed that particular view much. Now I am more aware of who I should help and question why they would need my help to begin with.

I have only used the Writing Center, once, for one of my other classes. Although I was advised beforehand to make appointments ahead of time, my first experience of waiting for over an hour because I didn’t have an appointment taught me to know better for the next time. It was sad to see that I wasn’t able to effectively use what I learned from the Writing Center and get a good grade on my paper, but this will not stop me from going there a second/third/etc. time. In the future, I hope to attend more of the STARR and Writing Center workshops to help me improve in the many areas I lack in. Also, I recognize that the need for me to get rid of my fear of talking to professors and ask them for help when I need it.

Since the beginning of the Fall semester, I attended a few club meetings here and there. However, I haven’t really stuck to any. There were either more ‘important’ things to do. I rationalized my inactiveness as a student by saying I would do more next semester/school year. Although I am not sure if I will do this or not, it is my current plan in regards to clubs.

In the next 3 years, I hope that I will still be a part of the Scholars community. I would learn many things either from classes, from the clubs I will join, the STARR workshops I go to, etc. Then I could use this toward my job/career. Because I am currently undecided on my major, I want to be able to discover the major that I will be happy with yet it will be a career that I can benefit financially from. As I stated in my second journal entry, hopefully, I will be able to use whatever leadership skills I am able to acquire and use them towards the Baruch community.

Next Steps…

Being a Scholar and having the opportunity to begin college with a learning community is very helpful. There is an advisor and a peer mentor who willing help me with whatever problems I face. Although I have yet to have such a problem, or make use of their assistance, it is reassuring to know that they are there. However, they are just two of the many resources that are available. From the special freshmen seminars we had, I am now aware of many more if not all the help that I have; from the Writing Center, to tutors, to the STARR center, etc.

The Community Service Project allowed me to really utilize the help our librarian Stephan Francour gave in his workshop. I was able to more effectively search for my group’s organization than I probably would have before that meeting. Although I didn’t use the school databases for this particular project, because of freshmen seminar, I was given the knowledge to use towards other classes. Similarly, the Community Service Project forced me to communicate with my peers. Sometimes I was put in a situation where I had to initiate the conversation between my group members. Before, I always relied on having others lead me.

When I was younger, I thought of community service/volunteering as something I was required to do in order to get something in return. However, as the years went by, I realized that it means more than that. It felt great to know that I was helping something and I didn’t necessarily want anything back for the work I done, although it is always a nice thought. The Community Service Project hasn’t changed that particular view much. Now I am more aware of who I should help and question why they would need my help to begin with.

I have only used the Writing Center, once, for one of my other classes. Although I was advised beforehand to make appointments ahead of time, my first experience of waiting for over an hour because I didn’t have an appointment taught me to know better for the next time. It was sad to see that I wasn’t able to effectively use what I learned from the Writing Center and get a good grade on my paper, but this will not stop me from going there a second/third/etc. time. In the future, I hope to attend more of the STARR and Writing Center workshops to help me improve in the many areas I lack in. Also, I recognize that the need for me to get rid of my fear of talking to professors and ask them for help when I need it.

Since the beginning of the Fall semester, I attended a few club meetings here and there. However, I haven’t really stuck to any. There were either more ‘important’ things to do. I rationalized my inactiveness as a student by saying I would do more next semester/school year. Although I am not sure if I will do this or not, it is my current plan in regards to clubs.

In the next 3 years, I hope that I will still be a part of the Scholars community. I would learn many things either from classes, from the clubs I will join, the STARR workshops I go to, etc. Then I could use this toward my job/career. Because I am currently undecided on my major, I want to be able to discover the major that I will be happy with yet it will be a career that I can benefit financially from. As I stated in my second journal entry, hopefully, I will be able to use whatever leadership skills I am able to acquire and use them towards the Baruch community.

Next Steps…

Being a Scholar and having the opportunity to begin college with a learning community is very helpful. There is an advisor and a peer mentor who willing help me with whatever problems I face. Although I have yet to have such a problem, or make use of their assistance, it is reassuring to know that they are there. However, they are just two of the many resources that are available. From the special freshmen seminars we had, I am now aware of many more if not all the help that I have; from the Writing Center, to tutors, to the STARR center, etc.

The Community Service Project allowed me to really utilize the help our librarian Stephan Francour gave in his workshop. I was able to more effectively search for my group’s organization than I probably would have before that meeting. Although I didn’t use the school databases for this particular project, because of freshmen seminar, I was given the knowledge to use towards other classes. Similarly, the Community Service Project forced me to communicate with my peers. Sometimes I was put in a situation where I had to initiate the conversation between my group members. Before, I always relied on having others lead me.

When I was younger, I thought of community service/volunteering as something I was required to do in order to get something in return. However, as the years went by, I realized that it means more than that. It felt great to know that I was helping something and I didn’t necessarily want anything back for the work I done, although it is always a nice thought. The Community Service Project hasn’t changed that particular view much. Now I am more aware of who I should help and question why they would need my help to begin with.

I have only used the Writing Center, once, for one of my other classes. Although I was advised beforehand to make appointments ahead of time, my first experience of waiting for over an hour because I didn’t have an appointment taught me to know better for the next time. It was sad to see that I wasn’t able to effectively use what I learned from the Writing Center and get a good grade on my paper, but this will not stop me from going there a second/third/etc. time. In the future, I hope to attend more of the STARR and Writing Center workshops to help me improve in the many areas I lack in. Also, I recognize that the need for me to get rid of my fear of talking to professors and ask them for help when I need it.

Since the beginning of the Fall semester, I attended a few club meetings here and there. However, I haven’t really stuck to any. There were either more ‘important’ things to do. I rationalized my inactiveness as a student by saying I would do more next semester/school year. Although I am not sure if I will do this or not, it is my current plan in regards to clubs.

In the next 3 years, I hope that I will still be a part of the Scholars community. I would learn many things either from classes, from the clubs I will join, the STARR workshops I go to, etc. Then I could use this toward my job/career. Because I am currently undecided on my major, I want to be able to discover the major that I will be happy with yet it will be a career that I can benefit financially from. As I stated in my second journal entry, hopefully, I will be able to use whatever leadership skills I am able to acquire and use them towards the Baruch community.

My participation in the Community Service Project has enabled me to understand the vast amount of resources Baruch has, such as the STARR Career Development Center, which I plan to visit in the near future to secure a summer internship. Baruch has more resources (clubs, centers, offices, and individual faculty) than anyone can count, so I really do feel like I’m privileged and well cared for, in every sense. On that note, I think it’s important to mention that it isn’t only the centers and clubs that help students, but the individuals. Professors will go to great lengths to make sure a student achieves what he/she sets out do to, and all you need to do is ask for help, which I find remarkable in a school as large as Baruch. Growing up, I was always taught as a part of my culture to strive for success and value the pursuit of knowledge. Although I’ve only joined a few clubs (Dollars & Sense, The Ticker, and Israel Club), I know that this low involvement is temporary– I plan to become more involved in student life after I become acclimated to college life. Although right now, I haven’t actually performed my community service requirements at Baruch, I have done community service in the past, and I can’t wait to do more service, as I enjoy it immensly (so, you see, I’m doing this for purely selfish reasons). In the next three years I see myself… I’m not sure. Living in Italy during my semester abroad? On an African safari? (That one isn’t too likely). Right here at Baruch? It’s really hard to tell. I think the only thing I can do in respect to the future is plan ahead and hope that my goals be achieved, and maybe somewhere along the line, even if I don’t reach the moon, I’ll land among the stars.

Unfortunately, I have yet to commit myself to a club or organization at Baruch. Currently, I’m “in” the Baruch Handball Maniacs club, but I haven’t found enough time during club hours to attend. However, I do see things changing for the Spring semester. I scheduled all my classes in so all my school days will end before 2 PM.

In terms of utilizing the resources provided by Baruch, the library has been essential to my college life.

Because I work, sometimes I don’t have enough energy to power through the night and complete all my work.

But I manage and prioritize my tasks based on what classes I have after break.

During my breaks, I would go to the library, sit and usually complete my tasks.

Also, the cyber library has been extremely useful. For many classes, such as speech, fro, and business, I needed to find a lot of external sources (not just internet sources) for my assignments. Thankfully, as students of Baruch, we are allotted various databases that assist us in finding these sources. The database helped me find research on the company I had to follow for business recitation. I also used the sites that Mr. Francouer told us about on the library page to find/research for the organization for our volunteering.

Already having experience with such things is definitely going to be of assistance in the coming future. When we are able to finally stand on our own two feet, independence is key. When we are doing our coming projects and papers, no one will be there to tell us how to use what, every step of the way. Experience goes hand in hand with independence. I definitely got a lot out of using these databases for the team projects. I will be sure to remember how to use them when I need to again.

Participating in our volunteering attempt so far has taught me that there are people who genuinely just want to help others and that’s what we need in this world. The world is so full of dislike that it’s sickening. I truly believe that Chicago, NYC, Boston, Washington DC etc. are all in a bubble. That bubble is a good bubble… with a lot of diversity and acceptance. But outside of that bubble, in the rest of the U.S. and the rest of the world, people are not like that. People do not WANT to help strangers that have AIDS or that are homeless.

Being able to even have an opportunity to step up to the plate shows there’s still some hope left in this treacherous world…

In three years, I see myself, hopefully excelling and still in the honors program.

I hope I figure out what field I truly want to be involved in with an internship in that field as well.

In the words of my friend, “I just want to be happy.”

Unfortunately, I have yet to commit myself to a club or organization at Baruch. Currently, I’m “in” the Baruch Handball Maniacs club, but I haven’t found enough time during club hours to attend. However, I do see things changing for the Spring semester. I scheduled all my classes in so all my school days will end before 2 PM.

In terms of utilizing the resources provided by Baruch, the library has been essential to my college life.

Because I work, sometimes I don’t have enough energy to power through the night and complete all my work.

But I manage and prioritize my tasks based on what classes I have after break.

During my breaks, I would go to the library, sit and usually complete my tasks.

Also, the cyber library has been extremely useful. For many classes, such as speech, fro, and business, I needed to find a lot of external sources (not just internet sources) for my assignments. Thankfully, as students of Baruch, we are allotted various databases that assist us in finding these sources. The database helped me find research on the company I had to follow for business recitation. I also used the sites that Mr. Francouer told us about on the library page to find/research for the organization for our volunteering.

Already having experience with such things is definitely going to be of assistance in the coming future. When we are able to finally stand on our own two feet, independence is key. When we are doing our coming projects and papers, no one will be there to tell us how to use what, every step of the way. Experience goes hand in hand with independence. I definitely got a lot out of using these databases for the team projects. I will be sure to remember how to use them when I need to again.

Participating in our volunteering attempt so far has taught me that there are people who genuinely just want to help others and that’s what we need in this world. The world is so full of dislike that it’s sickening. I truly believe that Chicago, NYC, Boston, Washington DC etc. are all in a bubble. That bubble is a good bubble… with a lot of diversity and acceptance. But outside of that bubble, in the rest of the U.S. and the rest of the world, people are not like that. People do not WANT to help strangers that have AIDS or that are homeless.

Being able to even have an opportunity to step up to the plate shows there’s still some hope left in this treacherous world…

In three years, I see myself, hopefully excelling and still in the honors program.

I hope I figure out what field I truly want to be involved in with an internship in that field as well.

In the words of my friend, “I just want to be happy.”