I was raised in a home where my parents always encouraged my siblings and me to give back. Although, we didn’t grow up in an over-the-top, extravagant home with very fancy things, we were never to take for granted what we did have.

In my sophomore year of high school, one of my friends told me that he wanted to start up a Red Cross club in our school. I was intrigued and also excited about the idea, and by my junior year, the club was up and running. I decided to really throw myself into the club and apply for the position of Vice President, which I was ultimately given.

In the fall of my junior year, Hurricane Sandy mercilessly tore through the North East leaving many people, even several of my close friends with thousands of dollars in damage and lost possessions. Living in a Zone B area, thankfully, the worst of my family’s worries was being without electricity for five days. However, in neighborhoods no more than a ten-minute walk from my house this wasn’t the case. As a result, I contacted a local disaster relief organization named “Gerritsen Beach Cares” where I along with a group of about 6-8 club members would volunteer nearly every Saturday. Not only was it one of the most fun experiences I’ve had but it was certainly one of the most rewarding as well. Seeing and speaking with people that had near to nothing but still had hope and smiles on their faces was truly remarkable.

To me, this is what it means to serve my community. For me, seeing people that had lost so much right next door to me, where by chance I was fortunate enough not to, drove me to “serve my community.” It sparked a fire in me that I believe (and hope), will last a lifetime. I’m not by any means saying its wrong to want things (as we all do) however, I never want to become so wrapped up in my own desires that I lose sight of those around me. Within the walls of Baruch, I think we all have a responsibility to be a friend and confidant when ever one of our classmates needs it; we are all essentially in the same places in our lives and we’ve all experienced hard times when we needed someone to lean on. Outside of school, in our communities, I think it’s incredibly important that we volunteer time to helping out various organizations we are passionate about. The stress placed on service through the Honors Program does a great job of encouraging a mix of both these forms of service.