Author: Sitara Sawh

As the final statement of her speech at Convocation 2016, keynote speaker Celeste Ng asked Baruch freshmen, “What will you do with your visibility?” These few words inspired me to truly ponder my role as a Scholar and helped me realize that I must not merely seek new opportunity and new experience for my own benefit but also create new opportunity and new experience for others. To craft my ideal college experience I must be enterprising, not idle.

The community service project has been especially transformative for me; it encouraged me to look for a cause I felt passionate about and ensure the project was an enjoyable process instead of a stressful assignment. I loved the feelings of responsibility and accomplishment that accompanied the need to be proactive in finding the organization and planning the project. This drove me to become involved in at least one club during my first semester at Baruch.

I wondered about how much I would gain from joining a club, and I learned that how much I gain is dependent upon how much I actively involve myself in club activities. I first learned about Ascend Baruch from a table the club had set up in the plaza during Convocation Day. The professional development aspect of it interested me, and so I attended a general interest meeting. What captured my attention at the meeting was the numerous openings for assistant e-board positions. I was ambitious. I wanted a leadership role, I applied to be Chair of Community Service, and I received the position. Since then, I have organized one event: for willing Ascend members to help beautify Riverside Park. One of Ascend’s core values is service initiative, and I plan to organize a variety of events in the new year that exemplify this.

For me, gaining from involvement does not only apply to clubs; it applies to experimentation. During the semester I attended three, on-campus public speech events in which CEOs conveyed their experience as business leaders and/or the keys that make their companies successful. I loved what the speakers had to say as much as I loved being able to do something to make the school day different from other days. The result is that I continue to seek out similar events because I know that I acquire knowledge, inspiration, and interesting experience from them.

My first semester at Baruch has been amazing and it has made me grow so much as an individual. I can only imagine what the next three years will hold. Over the course of these years I shall never cease my exploration and experimentation. My passion for learning, dedication to hard work, and understanding of what it means to be a true Scholar will always be genuine and unrestrained.

I cannot believe how fast time has flown since last fall when I attended a Baruch Honors Program information session. I did not know then that Baruch would ultimately become my first college choice, but I remember still feeling excited about what the program had to offer. My attention was particularly drawn to the aspects of the balanced college experience put forth by the honors program: academic excellence, research and creative inquiry, international experience, cultural exploration, and leadership and service. I believe that my role as a Baruch Scholar is to actively seek new opportunity and hence new experience in these areas in order to chart my own path. I must ask myself with an open mind, “What can I make of the resources available to me?” In fulfilling my role I shall strive to uphold my values of integrity and reward through hard work. Equally important, however, is to also find appreciation and meaning in what I set out to do.

When I think of my passions, community service quickly comes to mind. Throughout high school, volunteer work was never merely a graduation requirement with a minimum number of required hours, but also- and much more important- a duty and means to grow for me. Over time, volunteering both helped me to grow individually and allowed me to realize one of the roles I want to have as a person for years to come: serving the community. For me, this does not mean giving back out of mere requirement but instead giving back out of willingness, understanding, and appreciation.

I remember so vividly my first day of kindergarten- posing for pictures, riding the school bus for the first time, and lining up with the other students in my class. Most of all, I remember feeling excited. Similarly, each day in which I travel to Baruch is a vivid, exhilarating experience for me; the sight of the awesome Manhattan skyline never fails to take my breath away.

I do not merely let observations and experiences reveal their meaning to me, but I also seek to search for their meaning myself. My inquisitive mind, my unfettered thoughts, my compassionate heart, and my ambitious soul define my character and have been inspired and strengthened by my family, as well as my home. My parents have taught me the power and hence importance of confidence in one’s self and unwavering perseverance. My younger brother has reinforced my work ethic with his own dedication to schoolwork, his passion for learning, and his focus and drive for achieving a goal. My safe, secure, and tranquil home with its beautiful yard of trees and flowers has allowed me to appreciate and love even the smallest, simplest things in life.

My parents have shaped my values for and practices of integrity and hard work, which in turn have shaped my attitude toward education. My drive to excel in school reflects how I strive to be the best I can be. My passion for learning not only satiates my desire for knowledge but also reflects my gratitude for having the privilege to acquire knowledge.

As a Baruch Scholar and as a college student in the greatest city in Earth, I am unbounded in both the domain of exploration and the range of experience. I inevitably await the myriad of opportunities and the unbridled potential for individual growth.

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