Category: Uncategorized

The Community Service Project that we engaged in during this semester has been and will continue to be very rewarding. The process of filling out the worksheets and making our PowerPoints to ultimately present to our peers and other faculty members of the college was a learning experience. We learned about the different databases that the library has available for our research as well as various websites that we could use to choose our organizations since it had to be a non-profit 501 (c)3 organization.  We were introduced to a staff member of the writing center in case we needed help with our writing skills. Although we didn’t utilize all these resources in the development of our presentation, they have helped in other aspects of our first semester at Baruch. Resources such as the databases provided by the library as well as centers such as the Writing Center or SACC, which also has options to get help for public speaking, can help us in our current and future classes so that whenever we need information for research, help with our essays or speeches, and/or tutoring for difficult classes these resources are available for our use. Our Community Service Project helped me grow in many other ways as well. Although I have actively volunteered at various soup kitchens and nursing homes before, the requirement to do 15 hours a semester of volunteer service and to do a whole presentation on it as well seemed more like a burden than an opportunity. However, after having presented and seen the presentations of my peers, I realize that it is among the most important things that we can do at Baruch and wherever life takes us afterward. In the next three years, hopefully, I will be graduating from Baruch with a Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs. I will have gained real-world experience from amazing internships offered through this program and become a better leader as the result of the clubs I’ve joined as well as the club I am trying to start. And hopefully, I’ll be off to law school unless another opportunity presents itself.

I think my role a Baruch Scholar at Baruch College is to represent the best characteristics of a student. For me, that means being well educated, self-motived, ambitious, and helpful. We should be examples to the rest of Baruch’s student body and I think that means handling ourselves well inside and outside of the classroom setting. Education is vital to improvement in society, but I think that as scholars we should advance beyond just grades (despite our minimum GPA requirement) towards a more meaningful understanding of what we learn in classes and the overall college experience. It is also important that as Scholars we are self-motivated and ambitious whether it be to study on our own or to try new things, and so on.

As examples, I think it is our responsibility to help others and improve the lives of those around us in any way that we can. That can mean helping other students who are struggling or starting a community project if we realize there is something we can do to help those around us. This correlates with the culture of service that is promoted by our Honors Program. Our community service project is an encouraging way to start determining exactly where our interests lie and what we can contribute that is relevant to our interests. Even beyond the project for this year, we also have a minimum requirement for every semester which will encourage to dedicate our time to those who need help.

Hi everyone. My name is Feba Reji George and I was born in India. My parents and I immigrated to Staten Island, New York when I was two years old. What I love about my life and what has in turn definitely shaped my life is that our travels didn’t stop there. I have traveled to Bahrain, Australia, Israel, France, England, and Switzerland. I learned something new each time like the fact that button down dress shirts and shorts were a trend in Europe. I know, weird right? But it was fascinating to see how each country had different languages, cultures, cuisines, music, etc. While I had never really paid attention to assimilation I am highly against it now. Each and every culture has something special to bring to the table and for people to try to hide it and fit into the mold of another culture, as is common in the United States, is just a shame. This topic is exemplary of how my travels have defined if not completely transformed some of my values and beliefs.

As a college student, I expect to continue establishing my values and beliefs while also challenging them. For example, I don’t know if music is considered a “value” but until I came to Baruch and learned that there was no opportunity to play instruments here I realized how important it is to me. I am currently trying to start a club that very purpose now (Lexington Music). I guess that growing musically has been as much as an expectation that I had as it is a core part of me. I also expect to have classes that are difficult but engaging. Beyond that, I also hope to make friends of different origins and cultures. My new appreciation for differences among people has made me want to branch out in terms of who I even surround myself with. In fact, one of my friends here at Baruch is a student from Greece who has already gotten his bachelors in Physics but thinking of pursuing a degree in International Business to further his own family business. Isn’t that amazing? Anyway, for this semester I hope that I do well and make friends that will last beyond the next four years of my life. I am concerned that Lexington Music might not work out so if you know any musicians, please tell me!!