Baruch Scholars 2012

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.