Brian P. Ganley

As a Baruch student, I have access to several programs that will help me achieve success through college and my future afterwards.  These include the STARR Career development program, writing center as well as many tutoring opportunities.  The one negative side of these programs is that it is often hard for students to take initiative and seek help, however due to my freshman seminar class and community service project I no longer have this problem.  My seminar class has introduced me to these programs and allowed me to see how accessible they really are.  The community service program has taught me that no matter who you are or what stage of life you are in, someone is always willing to help you succeed.  After conducting research for the community service project, I now realize the plethora of organizations that are willing to help and understand that in the world there are actually many people willing to assist others.  This has taught me that just because I am an “honors” student does not mean I do not need assistance from others.

Currently, I have not yet attended any workshop by myself, however as a class we attended the STARR career development program, which I will be attending many more times in the near future.  Furthermore, I have made connections with a few of my professors, whether it means talking to them after class or asking them for help.  Knowing their assistance is by my side often makes assignments easier and motivates me to do better.  This has allowed me to be more knowledgeable of the subjects I am learning as well as having confusing information clarified.  The community service project has taught me to ask others for help and I believe this will help me become a successful college student.

Initially, my understanding of doing community service was to help those who truly need help.  However, because of Mr. Medina I now truly consider community service to be a much greater part of life.  He stated something along the lines of, “It is not the food, but the conversation.”  This has made me appreciate every opportunity I have to meet someone or learn something new from somebody else.  Therefore, I think this will be a major influence on me in the next 3 years.  For example, I will push myself to learn as much as possible, take various internships to ultimately build a great resume and strive to obtain that prestigious career opportunity after graduating college.

As a Baruch scholar my responsibilities include those within the Baruch community as well as the outside community. I must maintain my GPA and over the next four years and build up the best possible resume I could possible build.  I must strive to do every task I can and not just aim for the minimum requirements.  As a Baruch scholar I must serve as a leader to the school as a whole and in each and every class.  During class I must serve an active role and push myself so I can learn the most that I am capable of.  As the years go on I should engage in the Baruch student government and help make Baruch a better school and one more suitable to the student body in my eyes.  My duties in Baruch will never always be fulfilled because there are endless opportunities that I can complete.

Relating to the broader community, I must complete a minimum of 15 hours of community service.  I must set an example and prove to others that community service is not something to stress about, but should be done voluntarily.  In a tough economy, the possibilities of service are endless and we as Baruch students must fulfill these possibilities.  Therefore, as a scholar it is my duty to not just do 15 hours of community service, but to do many more hours.  By the end of our four years, we should be experts in time management and be able to help others in every possible way we can.

As a Baruch scholar I accept the service requirements that I must do, and look forward to surpassing them.  I am almost positive that I will continue my community service job in the summer at a local basketball camp as well as complete more community service.  The requirements set I think are perfect, because if you want to do community service it should be done out of the “Goodness of your hearts” and not required.  This is related to the culture of the honors program because we as scholars understand that we are completing the service, not to check off a box, but rather because we want to do community service.

My name is Brian Ganley and I am from Brooklyn N.Y.  In general, I would say my family and my connection to sports have truly shaped who I am.  My immediate family consists of 9 people and my twin and I are the youngest.  Some of my older sisters are married and have children, therefore I am an uncle to a niece and a nephew.  Having such a large family means that I am always busy and always doing something with somebody, which at times gets complicated.   As for my connection to sports, this has truly shaped the competitiveness of my personality.  Ever since I was little I’ve played football, baseball and basketball where I have competed in various championships as well as traveled to various states.  I always want to win no matter if it’s a championship game or a family board game.

My expectations as a college student are pretty basic.  I expect to be working hard, studying long hours and passing all my classes.  I hope I will be able to maintain my scholarship, enjoy college a little bit more and if the workload slows down, join one of the major sports teams.   Playing basketball and/or coaching it in high school has given me a college interest, but as a Baruch scholar my schoolwork comes first.  Also, since I started college I’ve had a few concerns.  These consist of grades and jobs.  As a scholar we must maintain a certain GPA, however some classes seem to be very challenging.  Furthermore, I have lessened my work schedule, so I hope I will be able to balance both work and school more efficiently now.  Time management will be the key to my success.  This is a little bit about me as well as a little insight into my future.

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