To serve your community, is to make an impact on the lives around you as well as further develop your own identity. At least, that’s how I interpret it. I can’t say I’m the most active member of my community. While I do have some volunteer hours at Stony Brook University Hospital as well as involvement with the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life under my belt, I wouldn’t consider my participation to have largely impacted the community. I want to become more involved through hands on community service projects and I believe the Baruch scholars program will allow me to accomplish this.

Baruch Scholars requires that its students complete a certain number of hours of community service in order to remain in the program. This is not a difficult requirement to meet seeing as most of us have taken the initiative to get involved prior to the program. I believe the program will push me to explore and aid others in ways I wouldn’t have thought of before. This would not only be beneficial for others, but for myself as well. Through helping others, one achieves a sense of gratitude and life fulfillment. Knowing that your actions bettered someone else’s life is a great feeling; you’ve made a mark on the world, even if it’s a small one.