David Rosenthal

When it came to finding an organization to volunteer for, I definitely utilized different resources. At first, Pamela was a huge help to my group in deciding on what type of organization to volunteer for. Also, the workshop we had with the helpful man from the Newman library helped us tremendously as our eventual organization was found on a website he showed to us, idealist.org. Having a conversation with one of the super nice guys at DoSomething.org also really helped me see what they’re all about and also helped give me an insight and practice into emailing with professionals, which is truly invaluable for the future.

Since starting the community service project I learned a tremendous amount about community service in general. Yeah, I need to do it. But that’s not what it’s about. It’s about giving back. Being so privileged with food, a home, a spot in the honors program… you need to give back to those who aren’t as fortunate so hopefully they can get on the right track too. That’s why I love the idea of volunteering for DoSomething.org, because the community service they do is giving other more fortunate teens the opportunity to give back as well. And that’s one of the best ways of giving back, kind of like paying it forward.

In the next three years I hope, more than everything else, to grow. Not physically, but to grow as a person. I want to succeed in the things I do but I also want to be able to constantly help others succeed as well. Because in the long run, that’s really what life is all about.

Giving back to my community is something that had to be taught to me, but something that I have learned to love. To be completely honest, I never really did any community service or volunteering until I got to high school. When I got to high school and was told that there was a requirement of 15 hours per semester of community service, I thought it was a crazy idea. I mean seriously, who gave my high school the right to force me to do community service. I didn’t think that was what serving my community should be about. But of course that didn’t matter, and I did what was expected of me. I started volunteering for an organization called The Friendship Circle, an amazing organization geared towards kids with special needs. I started to love my time there, always looking forward to my Sundays volunteering with them, and all of the sudden I was running for President of my chapter. Looking back, after 4 years of volunteering with The Friendship Circle and 2 years of presidency, I thank my high school for giving me the requirement. If they never forced me to do community service, I never would’ve found something that I now love so much and that gives back to the community at the same time. For this reason, I am very happy that the Honors program at Baruch has a community service requirement. Not so much for me, because after my time with Friendship Circle I would be volunteering now either way. Rather, I’m happy for the people who wouldn’t otherwise be volunteering, the people who might get lucky like me and find something they love.

You can check out the friendship circle here: http://www.friendshipcircle.com/about_friendship_circle_international.asp

Hey guys!

So a bit about me- I was born in Flushing, Queens and started off my childhood there. I spent the first 8 years of my life in Queens and made some great friends there that I still have. After the 3rd grade, my family and I moved to Woodmere, on Long Island and that’s where I still live today. I went to an all-boys private school for high school where I learned a tremendous amount and made some of the best friends I could ever ask for. After I graduated high school, last year I set off to Israel to study abroad as a gap year. My time in Israel was probably the most pivotal time period in my life as I feel the experience I had immersing myself in the culture of where I come from and the adventures I went on with friends really shaped who I am today. Also, the friends that I made while in Israel, from all over the United States and Canada, will ultimately prove to be a tremendous asset for me in terms of guidance and companionship for the rest of my life. I was lucky enough to score a spot into the Baruch Scholar’s program at Baruch and since I started classes about a month ago I’m really starting to get the hang of things. I hope that through college I will be able to find what I want to pursue and to gain knowledge in all fields through my different courses. I also am looking forward to continue making new friends!

-David