Author: v.wright1

My Community Service Project mostly encouraged me to draw upon the expertise of the librarians. In order to find an organization I’d enjoy volunteering with, research was required. The library staff eagerly helped us to learn a few resources regarding searching for non profit organizations. I’ve mostly only utilized the library as a resource but I have learned a lot about other resources. Though I haven’t used them yet, I know that if I ever need anything, I know where to find those resources. We learned a lot in FRO about where to find these places and what they do for us. When the time comes, I know there are people to help me. I’m very involved in the BlueNotes A Capella group. We’ve had many performances so far and have even more coming up. It’s nice to have that community. In the future, I also want to get more involved with BSU (Black Student Union). I’m very lightly involved with USG, but my main focus has been USG. Using some of the resources presented to me in FRO will definitely help me with future success in my courses at Baruch. From the writing center to the career center, I know that I can find what I’m looking for when I’m ready. If I don’t understand something, I know there are plenty of tutoring opportunities available to me. My understanding of community service hasn’t really evolved much. Community service has always been something that I took part in, and not just for the hours. I’ve tutored, made meals for the homeless, worked with pets, helped with random event set ups, etc. Community service is just something that feels natural. I’m very happy that it’s a requirement because it keeps me on track. I now realize that this is a push to do what I should be doing anyway. Without his requirement, I may not have made community service high on my list of priorities in college, but I’m genuinely glad it’s become part of my routine. In 3 years, I see myself as a better scheduler. I’m disappointed that this year I didn’t truly get my scheduling together, but I’ve taken some baby steps. In 3 years, I’d like to be amazing at task management. I also see myself having another country notched off on my list of places traveled following a study abroad. In regards to my community service, I see myself as a coach of one of my own AmericaSCORES teams. I spoke to the program director and told him this was one of my intentions and he was all for it! Overall, I see myself handling multiple opportunities while being better at handling all of them due to my scheduling prowess. I’m excited to see where I end up in a few years time!

To me, serving my community means to offer my time in order to help better the world around me. My role as a Baruch Scholar should of course, be the role of a student who has ambitions to be successful, but on a broader note, my role is that of a person who should use their opportunities and experiences to help better the lives of those around me. Being part of the school community and actively involving myself in clubs and activities outside of my academics is of major importance to me. I believe the Honors program promotes these values and pushes us towards helping our community because the program wants to highlight the importance of being a good person all around. The goal shouldn’t just be to do things for yourself. A goal of the program is to help us build awareness and understanding of the world around us. We’ve been blessed with an opportunity to attend school on a scholarship, which saves a lot of us from a future financial burden. It’s a great thing to pay it forward and in some way, try to better the world around us. Of course, we should be concerned with our own successes, but a successful person who doesn’t make an active effort to improve their community isn’t really reaching their full abilities. It’s a beautiful thing to see people who have resources continue to help those who may not have the same opportunities available. Baruch’s Honors program strives to produce individuals who understand that their reach can go so much farther than their own personal successes, and that’s something we can all value and learn from. Community service isn’t something we should feel forced to do. We shouldn’t feel that it’s some form of punishment. Community service and helping those around us should be something we strive to do, no matter what. Having community service as a requirement will help to remind us of its importance, and hopefully, encourage us to continue the behavior of giving back in our futures.

Journal Entry 1 (Group 4)

My name is Victoria Wright. I was born in the Bronx, NY. At age 5, my family moved to Freeport, NY on Long Island where I spent the majority of my life growing up. I’m the youngest of three sisters. I enjoy reading, watching shows on Netflix, and eating different foods.

Many things in my life have shaped who I’ve become, but nothing more than failing calculus and missing out on my goal of becoming valedictorian. Growing up, I was an avid perfectionist. I vividly remember my teacher calling home after I severely cried in class when I got an 88 in 7th grade Algebra I. He told my mom I needed to learn how to relax and go easy on myself. That wasn’t who I was and I couldn’t help it. Up until 11th grade, I really hadn’t experienced legitimate bad grades. Calculus was simply not something I understood. It threw me for a spin because, for the first time, I wasn’t good at something school related. At the beginning, cried many times when receiving exam scores. Eventually, I began to understand it was okay that I wasn’t great in one class. It just wasn’t my forte. I still put in effort throughout the year and ended with a 3 on my AP exam. Not the best and not the worst, but I endured.

My low grades in calculus basically ensured that I wouldn’t be valedictorian, a dream I’ve had since my 4th-grade graduation when I learned the word’s meaning. I was right and I was disappointed, but I didn’t overreact as much as I initially thought. I was okay. I still graduated third in my class and as class president. While I may not have been one, I was still able to get into my dream school, Georgetown University. I had plentiful extracurricular activities ranging from music to debate to student government and many more. I was active in my community and that’s all that mattered. These experiences have made a huge impact on the way I feel and think about myself. When I can’t figure something out or I have trouble in a class, it no longer makes me feel stupid or angry at myself. I simply push myself to work harder and remind myself that I excel in other aspects of life and that’s an insanely important lesson to learn.

As a college student, I hope to continue to do well in my studies. Not only do I want to help in school, but also the community I’m involved in. I took part in so many community services initiative is high school and would like to continue. I was actually interviewed for a book by Kerry Kennedy due to the service work I did with my advisor for the Class of 2017. I’d like to continue to make changes in my environment. Outside of school and volunteer work, I definitely expect to make the best of living in New York City. This is my dream city and I would absolutely love to spend the rest my life here. I want to explore, experience new things, and enjoy the insane amenities a city like this has to offer because there’s no place like it.

For my first semester, my absolute goal is to develop a very good schedule that includes proper sleep and studying time. I hope to experiment with different studying techniques and note keeping techniques to find one that works for me. Setting a schedule and sticking to it is very important to me and I think it will be beneficial throughout the next few years, so that’s my biggest hope for this semester. Of course, I’m afraid of not doing as well as I’m accustomed to because assignments are different now. I’m a bit afraid of the adjustment, but I am optimistic and I think I’ll push through.

I’m excited for this new year and this new step in my life! Thanks for reading!