Author: v.guindi

The Community Service Project was an exhilarating experience that exceeded my expectations. It reminds me of a time in senior year of high school where I was nominated, together with other students, to design and spearhead a community service mission that would appeal to and engage the students at my high school. This project has allowed me to continue building the skills that I have already started prior, and has allowed me to work even closer with a group in order to meet a goal.  This project was different because I had to utilize the resources of the faculty and staff at Baruch College. For instance, the library has helped a ton to navigate my group in the right direction while searching for a not-for-profit. Dr. Medina and Maria Lorenzo were extremely helpful with their advice and suggestions about how to serve our community and how to effectively communicate ideas through  our presentations (Thanks, Maria!). Using the resources that Baruch had to offer for my Community Service Project has proven advantageous, as I am now more experienced with the library, the various academic offices, and the friendly staff. I hope to continue discovering more resources that avail me in the future.

The Community Service Project has shaped my image about kindness and citizenship in a positive way. I can better relate to the unfortunate circumstances of others and am more civically aware of issues in my community that must be tended to.  Understanding the role as a Baruch Scholar serving the community is an essential component to my Honors education as I continue to broaden my horizons.

As I spent the first semester “learning the ropes” at Baruch College, I familiarized myself with the many different clubs and teams. Identifying with my Jewish roots, I started to involve myself with the Hillel at Baruch and their subsidiary, First Lex Capital, in order to grasp the ideas of finance in an interactive way. I hope to find my niche in the student life as I continue on with my college career.

In the next three years, I see myself…simply doing great things for the world and my community!

The reason to belong in a school, at its essence, is in order to obtain an education. Baruch’s students walk into the building each day with the ultimate goal to walk out having learned information. However, what does it mean to be an Honors Student at Baruch? What difference does this distinction forge?

An Honors Student does more than seek to obtain an education. An Honors Student is one who involves himself in all facets of his educational experience which lead a well-rounded individual. By exemplifying character, leadership, and service, Honors Students navigate the course of life in a new, expanded light, unlike the traditional student.

Being a Baruch Scholar affords me the opportunity to interact with a new network of people in order to forge relationships that will allow me to develop my character, professionalism and service to my community. As a Baruch Scholar, I believe that my role transcends that of just getting an education. I am affected by the timeless principles of service and leadership to “give back” to the greater Baruch Community.

I reminisce the day I walked into the Mason Hall on freshman convocation day and experienced the joyful aura and cheerfulness of clusters of individuals wearing light blue shirts. “Who are these people,” I was wondering. “Why do they stand out from the rest?” I slowly learned that these people are the epitome of the values that Baruch College’s Honors Program stand for: They are called “student leaders.” After having learned this, I became inspired to find out how I can give of myself to the greater Baruch Community through various clubs, organizations and correspondences. Luckily, the Baruch Honors program embodies these values. In addition to past service I have performed with senior organizations, special needs individuals, and various charities, I hope to strengthen my values of service and leadership throughout my time here at Baruch.

Hello World! My name is Victor Guindi! I am 19 years old as a freshman at Baruch College this Fall 2017.

Being born and raised at the heart of the Sephardic Jewish Community of Brooklyn, NY, I am constantly exposed to many different events, people and resources that have shaped me as a person. As a second generation of immigrant parents who have lived in Syria, moved to Israel and Panama, and settled in New York, I constantly switch my dialog among several languages, speaking English with my peers, Arabic with my paternal grandparents, Spanish with my maternal relatives and Hebrew with my family in Israel.

But, why is my name “Victor?”

It’s interesting to note that in my community there is a custom to name children after their grandparents. Thus, I am the namesake of my maternal grandfather, Victor. However, I never truly grasped the meaning of my name, until a relative of mine posed the question to me. After asking my mother about the importance of my name, I was fascinated by what she had to tell me:

My grandfather, Victor, was born in Syria in 1949, a few years after the country claimed independence from its French Mandate in 1945. In addition, World War II and the Holocaust had just ended in the same year as well. As a result of these occurrences, Syrians were no longer subject to the rulership of the French and the Jews were liberated from the hostile Nazi Germany. Due to these multiple victories, it was customary for families to name their newborn boys “Victor,” which means one who defeats an opponent in battle.

Discovering the true meaning of my name has molded me into a more analytical individual, embodying the motto that “no inquiry should remain unaddressed.” This attitude should hopefully assist me as I now enter the realm of college, unfolding issues and arriving at meaningful conclusions.

People have been asking me about my major. Honestly, I’m interested in too many areas: mathematics, writing, computers, psychology, hospitality and business are just some of my interests. After much thinking I finally declared the most suitable major: UNDECLARED! Over this year in college, I plan to gain a robust knowledge in different areas and build a supportive social network in order to “address my inquiry.”