Although I have not actually started the Community Service Project, I am extremely excited to start it. I want to get involved, do something meaningful with my life. A meaningful life to me is one I can reflect on and in ten, twenty years tell myself, “That was worth it. I got something out of it. I am a better person because of that – not just a happier person, but a better person.”

I did not use many school resources to necessarily help with the project, but I did use some. I used the skills I learned about the Library, such as the different databases, and websites to find organizations. The usefulness of the databases helped me in other classes like my English class, and my Business Recitation class. They were EXTREMELY helpful at finding great information. Communicating with Dariya, our peer mentor, was also extremely helpful. She always provided great feedback to my group’s questions or draft submissions.

Because of this project, I have thought more about Volunteering. I have thought about how hard it is to find a great organization. As I was asked today when we presented, I do wonder why volunteering becomes such an issue in NYC. There are so many parameters on volunteering that should not be there. If I am willing to give you FREE help, why not take it? I feel like this is a lot of the reason why many New Yorkers are not motivated to volunteer, because it is inconvenient. Many people cannot volunteer every day for 3 hours; they have other obligations. I think there need to be more organizations like New York Cares, which make it easier to volunteer.

In three years, I see myself getting ready for my last semester at Baruch. I see myself having done my Study Abroad in either Spain or the Netherlands, having a couple of internships behind me, and getting ready to graduate with distinguished Honors, perhaps even an Honors Thesis.

-Pamela Ozga

Participating in the Community Service Project has made me realize that it is not as easy as I thought it would be to volunteer for something that we truly want to volunteer for. It has made me realize that even finding an organization to work at is hard, especially if we need to cater to not only our own interests, but others’ interests as well. At first, it was hard to pinpoint a specific interest that all four of us were interested in because we had differing interests and not everyone was comfortable with some of the volunteer work that was brought up. Because of this, we had a hard time finding the right organization to volunteer with.

However, along the way, we were provided with a few websites that helped us each search for organizations that we would want to volunteer with. Through the use of these websites, we were able to compile a list of organizations that we could then narrow down to one specific one, as long as every group member was comfortable with the organization and its mission. Luckily, we were able to agree one of the organizations mentioned: the Wounded Warriors Project organization, whose mission is to help veterans.

Through this process of researching, I was able to build more experience in doing research and learned to identify the more credible websites from the sketchy ones. Doing this process helped me with my research in other classes because I was able to dismiss less credible websites and focus more on the credible ones.

I also learned from doing the Community Service Project that volunteering isn’t just about doing volunteer work for the hours. It is about helping those around you who have helped you or society as a whole, either directly or indirectly. It is about giving back to those people who helped you get to where you are today, whether you know it or not.

It seems as if it were only yesterday that I was writing my first journal entry for our Freshmen Seminar class. Oh how time flies! I can’t believe the first semester of college is already about to come to an end. This first semester has really been very challenging but at the same time I’ve learned a lot.

The Community Service Project has brought our freshmen seminar group closer. At first it seemed like a lot of work and it did not seem easy. But led by Dariya and Mr. Medina who guided us throughout the project, we were able to do a good job. Though it was not easy to come to a decision of where we would like to volunteer, we learned a lot about each other’s interests and passions. The project also led us to learn about the power of teamwork. Though at times it was difficult to reach our other group members, we could not have done such a well job without each other’s help. The project also helped us to realize that working in groups not only is more efficient, it also fosters learning through other’s viewpoints and ideas. Through the research we did for this project I learned how many people in the world really need help and are less fortunate than us. Being part of the honors program where we are endowed with many privileges and advantages that others may not come by easily, I feel we should give back to the community not just to fulfill our requirements but also from the goodness of our hearts because there truly is many people out there that need help.

I was unable to join a club this semester due to time restrictions and also because I wasn’t able to find a club of my interest. However, next semester I do plan on joining a few clubs and next year I plan on trying out for the basketball team here at Baruch which hopefully turns out well for me.

I haven’t found the need to use any of the resources here at Baruch this first semester such as the support centers. However, the library and the honors lounge have been very helpful for me to have some time to catch up on school work. Also I’ve used the gym facilities, especially the basketball courts, to really relieve stress from school work and take a break from reality.

Three years from now I hope to finish my undergraduate studies here at Baruch. I hope to have many internships done through the next three years. I would also like to have done at least a semester of study abroad either in Italy or France. At that time I would be applying for my graduate school studies whether here at Baruch or somewhere else. All this however is pretty far fetched because 3 years down the line is so far away. I hope to get a lot through my college experience here in the next 3 years and I hope to come out of my undergraduate studies as a mature, confident, and independent individual who is ready to face the challenges brought by the working world.

One of the benefits of being a Baruch Scholar is that there are so many resources offered to us. As a student, it is my responsibility to grab hold of these advantages because education is my top priority. When given an assignment as the Community Service Project, it made me realize that I cannot accomplish without others’ support.

This is a community, which means that we need to help one another. I need others’ help and others need my help. I have certain qualities or skills that others doesn’t have and others have knowledge and experiences that I don’t have. As a community we fill in for each other’s weaknesses. And the faculties, mentors, upperclassmen, and peers are people that are offering their help.

There is a librarian that we went to when researching for non-profitable organizations to volunteer in. We also asked our peers. Asking them for help was an efficient way to find an organization to volunteer in for our Community Service Project because they have previous experience in volunteering more than we do. They offered us several recommendations. One of the upperclassmen in my Christian Fellowship Club suggested us to try out the Father’s Heart Ministries. And a pastor in my church also suggested the same organizations. After we research this organization, we saw the various programs they offer and were interested. We went to volunteer for one weekend and enjoyed providing service. This is just the start of opening up and feeling more comfortable in using the resources.

After volunteering, I see that the people we serve in the soup kitchen and me are similar because we both use the resources offered to us. And not only should we take, but that we should also give. In three years, I still see myself studying and using the library resources.

From first setting up our group members, figuring out our Community Service Projects, to actually volunteering in a program, I have learned how to effectively take advantages of the resources Baruch has to offer to gain an upper edge. Dariya, our peer advisor, provided me with lots of advices and ideas I could use to find an organization. However, while our group compiled all our ideas together, none actually satisfied everyone’s tastes or fit their schedule. What started as a desperate search on the web for random organizations (e.g. mentorship, bicycling, walking, etc.) turned fortuitous as Mr. Medina introduced to us to a librarian who was familiar with the wide array of databases that offer legitimate organizations. Moreover, it is from this finding that my group and I decided that soup kitchens would be our major focus for our community service project.

There was also the Volunteering Fair where I was able to speak with individuals representing organizations to learn more about their activities and objectives. Apart from having small talks with the representatives, there were also upperclassmen attending the fair who recommended me the Father’s Heart Ministries, a not-for-profit charitable organization headquartered in lower Manhattan that serve the poor and the needy. It was here that our group finally agreed to devote our time to this organization.

Since I have already volunteered in this project, I grasped the importance of giving back to our community. As Baruch Scholars, we are fortunate enough to receive stipends for our education, while other less fortunate people could not afford their education, or even their basic living expenses. Although my job consisted of carrying boxes to and fro the church, I met and talked to those in need and learned their struggles first-hand.

Through this experience, I have learned the important aspect of reaching out to others for help and advices. While, at heart, I seldom rely on others, it was through this search that I began to understand the usefulness and effectiveness of using external resources, such as the school library, for projects, and hopefully, future assignments. In the next 3 years, not only will I to use these resources for my researches, but I will continue to volunteer and give back to my community.