Before my very first volunteering experience, I always saw it as a requirement. I went to a Catholic middle school and there, it was part of the confirmation process. Personally, I am not Catholic and therefore was excused from that assignment. Through that I got to watch my classmates take on extra work for essentially nothing in return. It was not until high school was I exposed to the act of volunteering.

My first volunteering experience was at a summer classes program. There I was in charged of assisting with the teaching of a class of younger students. At first, I approached it like I would a job, except without the pay. I hated waking up early in the morning to a full day of work in the summer. However, as time went on, that feeling warmed into one of pride and fondness. I grew an attachment to the students I worked with, and I take pride in their accomplishments. I was proud of every single one of them, even the really playful and energetic ones. To me they were like my children in a sense. I was honored to be able to be a part of these children’s development and growth.

Through my volunteer experience, I also found that I was not the only one offering my time and energy to the groups of students in the program. A lot of the adults are volunteering their own time off the clock to make sure the students are understanding the material they were taught. From that I got a great sense of community and the value of giving back to that community hit me for the first time.

My main role and focus here at Baruch is that of a student but at the same time I am a member of the Baruch community. As a part of this community, it is important for me to give back what I have received. And the culture of service in the Honors Program really reminds us of that. Sometimes we are so overwhelmed with work that we often forget to give back or convinces ourselves that we do not have time give back to our society. The service aspect of our program helps us take a step back and make time for meaningful things like community service.