Last week, we completed the presentation of the Community Service Project Proposals. The variety of community service opportunities that groups are taking advantage of is amazing. There are groups working to lend a hand in the fight against sexual harassment and sex trafficking, providing equipment to war veterans, helping to feed the hungry and the homeless, and helping to plant trees in neighborhoods across the city.

A major element in our presentations was the awareness of the resources that we are provided as scholars students and our obligation to give back to the community. As college students, we are given access to the Baruch library and it’s faculty who is there to help us find the resources we need when completing assignments. The library further provides students with cubicles, study rooms, and presentation rooms, each catering to different needs. There are also writing centers that help students edit and perfect their writing.

Student clubs and peers also constitute a major part of the college experience. I am currently a part of the Baruch Honors Student Council, and the Ticker. The Ticker, which is the school newspaper, has been the place where I have found myself a large portion of my time. With people always walking in and out of the Ticker and Lexicon, the yearbook club, this room is amongst the most social places in the building. Here, I have made friendships that I hope to keep for the rest of my life. The Ticker has been a place where I have had many debates on moral principles, and conversations ranging from physics and time to culture and religion. It’s intellectually stimulating environment allows me to learn and grow whilst creating friendship that will last a long time.

An awareness of these opportunities instigates me to further help my community. There are people throughout the world that are in need of help. Many hope to learn and continue their education, but don’t have the resources. Others struggle to live through one day at a time, and yet they never give up. If they are willing to try and come out of these struggles, we should be willing to lend a hand in pulling them out of the the hole they are in. Our smallest of actions serve as a motivator for them to try harder so why not take a moment out of our day to help a neighbor in need?

If we are faced with even one obstacle, we become discouraged. We dwell on the consequences of what will happen if we fail rather than focusing on winning. Instead, we, too, should look only towards the future in a positive light. No matter how hard times become or how hard we think the next test will be, we should remain positive, take things one step at a time, and look at everything as just another challenge. Personally, obstacles and challenges have always inspired me to work harder and to win. Everything is an opportunity. Defeating each obstacle one at a time brings me that many times closer to success.

To add, I would like to ask each one of you: If there are people who still have faith in you, who are you to give up on yourself?

As the first semester is coming to an end, I am beginning to think back at everything that has happened over the past three months – first successes and first failures, first papers and first exams, and of course, first projects. The more I think about it, the more I realize that without all the support from faculty and peers of Baruch Scholars, the semester would just not be the same.

The Community Service Project encouraged us all to grow a little closer together, to get to know each other a little bit better and to learn to work as a team. Not every step was easy, and some required a great level of effort from each member of the team. Just choosing the right cause was a challenge! With everyone being passionate about something, it was hard to settle on a cause each member agreed on. Thankfully, Dariya and Mr. Medina were always there to help us out. They pointed us in the right direction, and exposed us to resources like library databases for performing our organization search.

Needless to say, the Community Project was one of the first projects all of us had to do in college. And while it was not the most difficult task, it taught us the importance of teamwork, and the challenges that come with it. Communicating with every member, and coming to an agreement is oftentimes difficult and requires a tom of compromise and communication. This is something that I feel I will not only take into my future courses, but into my future career as well. Being a team player is essential in today’s environment, and having the ability to lead the team in the right direction, while taking into consideration all the member’s thought and feelings is essential for future success.

Three years seems like an eternity at this point, however I am sure that the time will fly by and the three years will be over before I know it. When it happens I hope to be able to look back at my college career and see a fulfilling past filled with successes, progress and personal growth. I hope to see myself as an evolved persona with a wide range of experiences and an open-minded view of the world. Of course, throughout the whole journey I hope to continue progressing in my career (whatever it will be) and be able to enter the workforce as a full time employee upon graduation.

I’ve been told that Baruch was a giant black hole of social inadequacy. I am happy to see I’ve been mislead. All of the people Ive met at Baruch have been supportive and simply amazing. This semester I’ve have the pleasure of meeting many people through Lexicon and the Ticker. Sara Lustberg, Faust Kriter, Damla, Bing Ang, Nick Zehnder, Stevie Borrello, and Michael Lai to list a few. They provided me with a constant source of support and help when I ever needed them. They have all taught me many aspects of Baruchian life and eased the anxieties that I have about my future here. Nick Zehnder has had an important impact on my community service project.

Nick is a writer at the ticker. I did know much about him but he seemed like a great person. He was always usually calm and full of interesting insights. My perception of him changed the second a balloon popped in the ticker office. This sudden noise sent the usually calm Nick into a panic and shock. I learned later that he is a recently returning veteran and still have shocks from his time in battle. This event showed me the length of Nick’s mental scaring. It showed me how although he was high functioning and doing fine now he still has signs of distress within him.

Nick later told me about veteran life. He told me about the many issues they faced when coming home and how many of his friends are unemployed and mistreated. He inspired me to volunteer for the Wounded Warrior’s Foundation.

In three years I see myself still working towards my goals. I expect myself to be involved with research and still invested in Lexicon. Hopefully by then I would have climbed the ladder and would be holding a position at lexicon. I see myself successful both academically and socially with a future path paved and ready for my to take it.

There are many resources that Baruch provide and are very helpful. I have uses the library resources. The library database is good in writing paper in both English and Business. The database is easy to read and easy to access. I have also access that study room. It is very helpful in meeting up with my group and just work through the project. Baruch has many other resources that I hope to be able to use in the future semester for many of my classes.

Working and researching the community service project, I have gain a lot. Even though I have not yet volunteer and actually participate in the experience, I have expectation not only in the organization but also in myself. I expect to reach out of my comfort zone but re-finding it after doing it over and over again. Choosing Citymeals on Wheels allows me to, in my mind, “expand my circle.” Citymeals on Wheels provides me with the opportunity to meet people that I would not have otherwise meet. Going out and help these elderly would not only bring comfort to elderly but also allows me to open up. I hope to gain a lot and might allow me to easier to talk to others.

The next steps. It would be hard to picture myself years from now. Carpe Diem. Seize the day. I was always pressure by the question what would you do in 10 years. What would you like to do as a career? I remember a friend of mine response to these questions, as “I want to be happy.” And that is what I want to be happy. No matter what my choices in life or what path I choice, it is most important to be happy. To me, in the long run, I would like to not regret my decisions. So where would I be in 3 year? Happy.

As a freshman at Baruch College, I was offered various resources in the school. While working on the community service project, I learned the true diversity of resources that I had access to. My group had problems deciding and finding a volunteer group. So we actually consulted some upper classmen because we knew that they had volunteered before. We also interacted with out peer mentor, Dariya, as well. She encouraged all of us to reach out to her if we were having trouble. She also checked in on us several times to see our progress on the project. These resources offered to me showed me a sense of community. It made me feel encouraged and excited to volunteer at Father’s Heart Ministries. Initially, I was a bit doubtful about community service and I wasn’t really sure about it. However, as I researched and learned more about the services that other organizations offered, I became extremely intrigued because there are so many people who need help in this world. Everyone has their own story that should be heard and known. Now, I look forward to community service. It is an opportunity for me to grow as a person and be more grateful for everything I have already.

In the next three years, I see myself as a very active student in Baruch College. I hope to be more involved with different clubs and organizations. Also, I see myself interning at a financial company and being able to manage my time much more wisely. Not only  would I like to be fairly active and have an internship, I would like to maintain my GPA high, despite the hectic schedule. I understand that none of this may happen. However, these are the goals that I will be working towards. My main wish is to be happy and content with my actions.

My participation in the Community Service Project with my group has been extremely beneficial.  My group chose to become involved with The Wounded Warriors Foundation.  This is an organization that provides aid to veterans that have returned from war.  They provide aid to veterans who have been physically or emotionally harmed while at war.  Veterans without these disabilities are offered assistance as well.  I had to do a lot of research before starting our project, but most of my research for this project was done through my own personal connections outside of Baruch College.  I have known someone heavily involved in the organization who got me involved with the organization years ago.  When my group chose this I contacted her and found out what we could do to help.  She was where I got a majority of my information.  Baruch was helpful when I was initially looking for an organization to volunteer with because of the volunteer fair.  Even though Baruch showed me such a variety of organizations, The Wounded Warriors foundation was still the one that meant the most to me.

This project has changed my views on community service.  I have always known it was very important to do community service, but now I realize how it is important to try different volunteer opportunities and to always be open to trying something new.  I plan on staying heavily involved in The Wounded Warriors Foundation, as well as volunteering in many different other organizations.  In the next three years I hope to be still pursuing my major and getting a good education, but I also hope that I am still attempting to make a difference.  I want to remain involved in my community, continue to help those around me, and hopefully opening my eyes to the different struggles people face all around me.

From this community service research project, I have personally learned how to utilize the resources that are available here at Baruch. More specifically, as a group, we utilized the Baruch volunteer fair and have were able to receive a much clearer idea of the nature of different service opportunities.  Without the volunteer fair, it would have been much more difficult to reach out to the respective organizations in order to acquire more information. Having the convenience of service organizations setting up a table at the fair removes the need to reach out electronically to get information. Being able to speak with a representative of each organization allows for a greater amount of human interaction and provides a more direct line of communication.

I have been participating in Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional business fraternity here at Baruch College. Although the organization stresses professional development, there is a very prevalent service component. We have already participated in a large number of service events each tackling a different set of issues. For example, we recently had the opportunity to volunteer at a women’s shelter in Brooklyn providing for those who had been displaced from their homes. Alpha Kappa Psi also had a can drive to provide for the homeless during the winter holiday season. One more event in the future is the Jingle Bell Walk that raises awareness and money for arthritis. Apart from the community service opportunity for Baruch Scholars, I plan on helping out in the service events held by Alpha Kappa Psi.

I see myself graduating in three years going into a full-time job at either a tech company or a financial services company. Prior to graduation I envision myself interning at J.P. Morgan or Barclays Capital. I see myself as a part of the Financial Leadership Program which helps prepare me for these internships. Last but not least, I see at least a semester studying abroad under my belt. I want to travel to another country as an exchange student learning language, culture, and most importantly, tasting the wonderful food.

From this community service research project, I have personally learned how to utilize the resources that are available here at Baruch. More specifically, as a group, we utilized the Baruch volunteer fair and have were able to receive a much clearer idea of the nature of different service opportunities.  Without the volunteer fair, it would have been much more difficult to reach out to the respective organizations in order to acquire more information. Having the convenience of service organizations setting up a table at the fair removes the need to reach out electronically to get information. Being able to speak with a representative of each organization allows for a greater amount of human interaction and provides a more direct line of communication.

I have been participating in Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional business fraternity here at Baruch College. Although the organization stresses professional development, there is a very prevalent service component. We have already participated in a large number of service events each tackling a different set of issues. For example, we recently had the opportunity to volunteer at a women’s shelter in Brooklyn providing for those who had been displaced from their homes. Alpha Kappa Psi also had a can drive to provide for the homeless during the winter holiday season. One more event in the future is the Jingle Bell Walk that raises awareness and money for arthritis. Apart from the community service opportunity for Baruch Scholars, I plan on helping out in the service events held by Alpha Kappa Psi.

I see myself graduating in three years going into a full-time job at either a tech company or a financial services company. Prior to graduation I envision myself interning at J.P. Morgan or Barclays Capital. I see myself as a part of the Financial Leadership Program which helps prepare me for these internships. Last but not least, I see at least a semester studying abroad under my belt. I want to travel to another country as an exchange student learning language, culture, and most importantly, tasting the wonderful food.

Believe it or not, finding volunteering opportunities is actually kind of hard. not only was it hard to pick something to volunteer for, but it was even harder to find an organization in that field. anytime someone recommended something, it was usually an area they secretly wanted to participate it. We ended up picking something that one of the group members had already done before. During the process though, we realized how many adults were around to help us decide. Mr.Medina and the Volunteer fair were two examples of really helpful resources. it helped my realize that the faculty and staff is there to help the students and they will do everything they can to do so. it made me feel more comfortable and open to going to a teacher for help should i encounter a problem in the future.(for our specific project, the veterans office appeared especially interesting/useful).

i unfortunately have not joined a student club and i don’t know how this project has given me an edge in my other classes. other than the fact that i have learned to have more patience when working in group projects. being a part of this project has opened my eyes to what it really means to give back. many times people give back because they have to and not because they want to. picking a cause that we all felt passionate about made it so we could really appreciate the effect of the help we were giving. the people in need REALLY appreciate ANYTHING you give them and seeing that really makes you appreciate everything you have. it also helps you realize the effect you have on the people around you.

in three years, i hope to be applying for graduate school. i would want a few internships under my belt and to be confident in what i want to do when i grow up. i hope to still be here at baruch in the honors program and excelling in all my classes. i hope i have gained a lot of experience through all the culture events and volunteering i will do over the years. i also hope somewhere in the future i can find a way to make time and join a club i feel passionate about.

While getting ready for the Community Service Project, my group and I got the chance to utilize some resources available for our use. The first was the use of the library databases to research about possible nonprofit organizations to volunteer for. Although I had an idea of where I would want to volunteer, my group and I still wanted to explore our options and read up on the organization I’ve chosen. The use of library resources was useful since it was practice for when I needed to write a research paper for English class, which required the use of databases. Other resources, which I found helpful in the library, were the writing center and study rooms. The writing center helped improve my essays and the person who was helping me also gave me a lesson in thesis making, a lesson I will need in the next couple of years. The study rooms were also amazing. My group used them to rehearse for our project presentation and then I used a study room for a group meeting for a business presentation.

Another resource I found extremely helpful in having the community service come together was the volunteer fair. Fortunately, a representative from our organization, Citymeals-on-Wheels, was present and I got the chance to ask all my questions first hand. Later on I found out that the volunteer fair was organized by the Honors Student Council, an organization I have joined.  Another organization that I joined is Hilel, and immediately felt welcome. I’m also in the process of joining Team Baruch to get better involved in school.

In participating in the project my notion of what community service is has evolved. I have volunteered in the past and worked with children. Now my work is going to be on a new scale. It will be about helping someone who is in need and appreciating someone who has a lot of life experience.

In the next 3 years I see myself moving forward and evolving. I already feel like I see a possible life path in front of me and I hope that I find something I’m passionate about. I definitely see myself in Europe for a semester and have even went to the Study Abroad office to find out my options.