Baruch Scholars 2011

What does it mean to serve your community?

As a Baruch Scholar, we are not only suppose to be students who receive good grades but the hardworking students that work toward those grades. Although some of us, like myself, may be use to being more school/grades oriented; this is the exact opposite of what a scholar should be. Rather than focusing on ourselves and things that doesn’t mean more than a grade to pass and get the credits as of now, we should think about what we can do that will benefit us in the long run.

Most Baruch Honors and Scholars students were probably chosen because they weren’t just a star student. It was because they were also individuals who excelled in sports, volunteering, etc. In this light, I think it is expected of us or more correctly, our obligation, to continue to show that side of us and more. It is important to be well-rounded and share with everyone the most we have to offer.

Since we have less worries than regular Baruch students, we should put the unused brainpower into other places. Honors has stressed the importance of helping and providing our services for others through non-profit organizations. We should be more aware of what we have, what others lack, and how we can help them with our abilities. By working with those in need, we would be able to learn to respect the opportunities that we have. We can choose to only fulfill our minimum requirements or hopefully realize the importance of our actions. From there we would build from them to develop skills and traits, such as leadership and many more.

Others may find it easy to automatically say “I hope to be a leader at Baruch and be in Student Government,” “I’m going to be a great peer mentor,” etc. For someone like me, personally, to say such things would make me seem unnatural and fake. I recognize that those are ideas that I should be thinking. I want to be able to provide for others and show I am a living and breathing human being that is capable of more than reading and studying. Right now the path toward those thoughts are still unclear. However, I think with the help of the responsibilities I have as a Scholar and the services I will do, they can assist me to develop the necessary traits in order full what a Baruch Scholar is expected to.

What does it mean to serve your community?

As a Baruch Scholar, we are not only suppose to be students who receive good grades but the hardworking students that work toward those grades. Although some of us, like myself, may be use to being more school/grades oriented; this is the exact opposite of what a scholar should be. Rather than focusing on ourselves and things that doesn’t mean more than a grade to pass and get the credits as of now, we should think about what we can do that will benefit us in the long run.

Most Baruch Honors and Scholars students were probably chosen because they weren’t just a star student. It was because they were also individuals who excelled in sports, volunteering, etc. In this light, I think it is expected of us or more correctly, our obligation, to continue to show that side of us and more. It is important to be well-rounded and share with everyone the most we have to offer.

Since we have less worries than regular Baruch students, we should put the unused brainpower into other places. Honors has stressed the importance of helping and providing our services for others through non-profit organizations. We should be more aware of what we have, what others lack, and how we can help them with our abilities. By working with those in need, we would be able to learn to respect the opportunities that we have. We can choose to only fulfill our minimum requirements or hopefully realize the importance of our actions. From there we would build from them to develop skills and traits, such as leadership and many more.

Others may find it easy to automatically say “I hope to be a leader at Baruch and be in Student Government,” “I’m going to be a great peer mentor,” etc. For someone like me, personally, to say such things would make me seem unnatural and fake. I recognize that those are ideas that I should be thinking. I want to be able to provide for others and show I am a living and breathing human being that is capable of more than reading and studying. Right now the path toward those thoughts are still unclear. However, I think with the help of the responsibilities I have as a Scholar and the services I will do, they can assist me to develop the necessary traits in order full what a Baruch Scholar is expected to.

As a Baruch Scholar, I receive a scholarship that pays for the classes that I take at Baruch. I am essentially going to college for free. Because of this, I feel that I have a responsibility to make use of what I am given and then give back to my community. As a Scholar, I want to do well in my classes and maintain a high GPA so that I can continue to be a part of the program. My responsibilities to Baruch go beyond just getting good grades- I also want to be active in student organizations that interest me- maybe even start one myself.

“Pay it forward.” If you’ve ever heard of that expression, then you’ll understand what I mean when I say that I have a responsibility to give back to the community. The Scholars have been given a great opportunity that allows us to go to college. Just as the Scholars Program has helped us, we need to help others in less fortunate situations.

Most of us already have community service experience coming into the Scholars Program. We are encouraged to expand on that experience then focus on an aspect that we are passionate about. Scholars must participate in a group community service project so that we can help our community while building friendships with our peers. In my opinion, this helps us get off to a good start at Baruch because we are guided by our councilors and have help from our friends in a structured environment.

As a Baruch Scholar, I receive a scholarship that pays for the classes that I take at Baruch. I am essentially going to college for free. Because of this, I feel that I have a responsibility to make use of what I am given and then give back to my community. As a Scholar, I want to do well in my classes and maintain a high GPA so that I can continue to be a part of the program. My responsibilities to Baruch go beyond just getting good grades- I also want to be active in student organizations that interest me- maybe even start one myself.

“Pay it forward.” If you’ve ever heard of that expression, then you’ll understand what I mean when I say that I have a responsibility to give back to the community. The Scholars have been given a great opportunity that allows us to go to college. Just as the Scholars Program has helped us, we need to help others in less fortunate situations.

Most of us already have community service experience coming into the Scholars Program. We are encouraged to expand on that experience then focus on an aspect that we are passionate about. Scholars must participate in a group community service project so that we can help our community while building friendships with our peers. In my opinion, this helps us get off to a good start at Baruch because we are guided by our councilors and have help from our friends in a structured environment.

I’ve never truly thought of community service as a “service,” per se, but instead something to take up the void of time that I had after school. I know that sounds incredibly cliché, but it’s the truth, and probably more because I always chose something enjoyable. The second I graduated elementary school I was back in that small cafeteria helping the children in their weekly drama club meetings. When I got into the eighth grade my civics teacher called this, “community service,” but I enjoyed it just as much as my own drama club. Perhaps this was because I enjoyed the subject or the sense of control I had over the children, maybe it was the children, but either way, I never considered it a chore. Since that first day volunteering at the school, I’ve enjoyed doing my part to enhance my community. Honestly, I consider myself, and my family, quite fortunate and to not help someone else that may need it would be selfish. Throughout high school counselors stressed the importance of community service and extra curricular activities on college applications, something that was never an issue. Now that I’m in college, I wouldn’t expect my service to simply terminate, especially as a Scholar. Baruch hands its Scholars a college education on a silver platter, without any cost. As I watch my friends struggle to acquire loans and struggle with the guilt of having their parents pay for their expensive educations, I become increasingly grateful for my opportunity. With so many opportunities at such a low cost at my fingertips, how could I not want to do something to help others? I think that this is the sort of thinking that the Honors Program tries to promote through the culture of service it suggests. Truly, how could I just accept what Baruch has given me and turn my back on those that don’t have the same advantages? The answer is simple, I can’t.

As a student in the Baruch Scholars program, I feel I am given opportunities that not many other CUNY students, or college students in general receive. We all know the perks such as free Macs, early registration rights, etc., etc. But the opportunities I am referring to are those that help us enrich ourselves.

As a Baruch Scholar, I feel the responsibility to give back. We live in the greatest city in the world and owe it to that same city to help out. The Honors Program promotes a culture of service that I haven’t before seen. Of course, all of us in high school had certain community service requirements to fulfill prior to graduating, but what was different about that was just that. It was a requirement. It was promoted as such and therefore not celebrated. Community service is not something that people should do solely out of requirement, but something that they do because they understand it is important to give back. Rather, the Honors program teaches us the importance of service, and it almost feels as if it would be wrong to not contribute something to the community.

As a Baruch Scholar, I believe my role is to enrich myself intellectually and culturally. In my classes, I should keep an open mind and absorb all of the information given to me that should help me succeed in the future. Along with this, it is important to dive into the surrounding cultures of the city, and one way of doing this is by volunteering. Nothing teaches being open-minded like seeing how other people live, and helping them.

As a student in the Baruch Scholars program, I feel I am given opportunities that not many other CUNY students, or college students in general receive. We all know the perks such as free Macs, early registration rights, etc., etc. But the opportunities I am referring to are those that help us enrich ourselves.

As a Baruch Scholar, I feel the responsibility to give back. We live in the greatest city in the world and owe it to that same city to help out. The Honors Program promotes a culture of service that I haven’t before seen. Of course, all of us in high school had certain community service requirements to fulfill prior to graduating, but what was different about that was just that. It was a requirement. It was promoted as such and therefore not celebrated. Community service is not something that people should do solely out of requirement, but something that they do because they understand it is important to give back. Rather, the Honors program teaches us the importance of service, and it almost feels as if it would be wrong to not contribute something to the community.

As a Baruch Scholar, I believe my role is to enrich myself intellectually and culturally. In my classes, I should keep an open mind and absorb all of the information given to me that should help me succeed in the future. Along with this, it is important to dive into the surrounding cultures of the city, and one way of doing this is by volunteering. Nothing teaches being open-minded like seeing how other people live, and helping them.

As a Baruch scholar my responsibilities include those within the Baruch community as well as the outside community. I must maintain my GPA and over the next four years and build up the best possible resume I could possible build.  I must strive to do every task I can and not just aim for the minimum requirements.  As a Baruch scholar I must serve as a leader to the school as a whole and in each and every class.  During class I must serve an active role and push myself so I can learn the most that I am capable of.  As the years go on I should engage in the Baruch student government and help make Baruch a better school and one more suitable to the student body in my eyes.  My duties in Baruch will never always be fulfilled because there are endless opportunities that I can complete.

Relating to the broader community, I must complete a minimum of 15 hours of community service.  I must set an example and prove to others that community service is not something to stress about, but should be done voluntarily.  In a tough economy, the possibilities of service are endless and we as Baruch students must fulfill these possibilities.  Therefore, as a scholar it is my duty to not just do 15 hours of community service, but to do many more hours.  By the end of our four years, we should be experts in time management and be able to help others in every possible way we can.

As a Baruch scholar I accept the service requirements that I must do, and look forward to surpassing them.  I am almost positive that I will continue my community service job in the summer at a local basketball camp as well as complete more community service.  The requirements set I think are perfect, because if you want to do community service it should be done out of the “Goodness of your hearts” and not required.  This is related to the culture of the honors program because we as scholars understand that we are completing the service, not to check off a box, but rather because we want to do community service.