It can be said that Baruch College is now my new home. At the end of August, when school first started, I never thought I would be spending this much time in and around school. Being a commuter, my game plan originally was to go to school to my work and go straight home, however, that wasn’t the way things turned out. Currently, I’m spending four days a week in school and in the library. At the beginning of the school year, I was expecting to receive a lot more schoolwork then we have been getting. And with that, it is safe to say that my teachers have been great in a sense that they are funny, not too strict, and lead great discussions in class.

Aside from the teachers, the friends I have made also allowed me to make a quick adjustment to the college life. Originally, I believed that being in a block with the same thirty students was a horrible idea. However, after a month into the school year, I was quickly proved wrong. The block made the courses and the breaks a lot easier to get through. With just under a month left of school I am eager to register for classes and I am quickly preparing for Winter Break. The one thing I don’t look forward to is the final exams that are creeping up on us. To conclude, Baruch College has been quite fair to me, and a lot more than I expected. I look forward to another three years at Baruch. 

When I heard the words “Enrichment Workshop”, I was expecting to learn of different features and programs, provided by Baruch College, that the freshman class were unfamiliar with. However, I didn’t care as the workshop happened to cease my plan to finish up a project, thus disrupting my work in an unwanted fashion. I was in the room before any other student, as I sat deep in the classroom, alone and at peace. Sadly, as the room began to fill, I wound up sitting next to a whole crowd of people that I did not know. I know: it’s great to make new friends, but I had to drop my studying and planned work for a workshop that I could have been assigned to another day, so my mood was a bit off. As the projector turned on and the first PowerPoint slide was shown, I instantly knew that the workshop was simply a waste of my time. Sounds pretty rude of me, right? For me, it comes with the millions of times I had to hear about leadership in college, the many ways to succeed in college, the transition from high school to college, etc. Discussions and lessons like this were constantly thrown at me to the point I couldn’t see a benefit of me being in the room. The activities didn’t do much good, either, as I did not work with anyone near me, whatsoever, and STILL came up with good answers for the discussion. Keep in mind how the rest of my mini-row expected me to cooperate with them by looking at me, yet they did not even think of volunteering and providing examples to the rest of the room.

 Really?

I’m probably speaking out of personal experience, as I’m not sure if my opinion is mutual with others. Overall, the focus of leadership in the workshop was repeated to the point I wanted to walk out of the room and not come back. When I think of a workshop, I don’t think about a high school-style assembly. If college is supposed to be different from high school, why am I forced to partake in activities that I had to participate in back in my high school days? I feel like this workshop was launched due to a previous lack in student life participation and the administrations are trying harder to convince students to partake in many clubs and activities. I don’t blame them for trying, but it’s not like this workshop discussed various topics regarding “enrichment” because it didn’t. The title really should have been “Leadership Workshop”. I hope I don’t have to be forced to partake in something like that again. I think college succeeded in having me understanding that if a student doesn’t join the actual college community, they won’t get the best of everything that’s there. I just don’t show it, nor do I want to put myself out there at this current moment.

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My first 3 months at Baruch went a lot better than I expected. I learned a lot and met a lot of great people. The professors here really open your mind to all the different issues that are taking place around the world and each provide a unique prospective to all the issues. I believe that these three months has helped me gain a lot more knowledge. I’m also really excited to get a involved with the different clubs here at Baruch. Everyone is so welcoming and makes you feel right at home.

The picture I picked is someone going through a journey. This is kind of how I think of my time here at Baruch. It is a journey that I am taking. I hope that on this journey I pick up more great things and meet more great people. Baruch provides great opportunities to do this and I am glad I get to experience it all.

Upon walking into the workshop, it was clear the presenters were excited and wanted to get started right away. The main purpose of the workshop was to inspire leadership into the audience. Throughout the presentation the speaker referenced several leaders that took initiative such as the Robeling family who designed the Brooklyn Bridge and Abraham Lincoln, the sixth President of the United States of America who came into office during a turbulent time of a nation on the brink of civil war. The orator consistently stressed the qualities and persistence each of the leaders mentioned had throughout their journeys, later asking us to contribute to the discussion with what we had as goals and thought were the qualities of a leader.
Personally, the workshop mirrored many of my emotions throughout the first semester at Baruch College. Many of the student leaders that were asked to share their experiences started out as modest and humble students focusing primarily on their academics and then gradually incorporated themselves into the community through a club, student government, or fraternity. Likewise I feel that education should always come first, but already knowing I want to be a leader, I plan to participate in several endeavors such as T.E.A.M. Baruch, join a club, and apply for an internship in the upcoming semesters.

The enrichment workshop hosted by the Office of Student life really helped me realize the importance of getting involved in school. They began the presentation by using unique instances of leadership throughout US history. One example that they used was the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. Without the leadership of many people, the bridge would’ve never been built. It takes leaders to lead the way and do big things.

One way to get involved as discussed in the workshop is to join clubs in school. I have already been to a few club meetings and found a club I would like to be a permanent member of. I also signed up for team Baruch to be an P.A.W.S. member. Hopefully I get the position! But anyways, what was stressed a lot during the workshop is that Baruch is a great place to build your leaderships skills and they provide a lot of opportunities for you to do so.

The enrichment workshop was helpful to me because it illustrated the benefits of joining clubs. I feel that immersing ones’ self in Baruch’s diverse and rich culture can provide a student with a self of fulfillment and well being. I for one do not plan to join any clubs at the moment due to the fact that I commute to and from school every day and want to focus on my school work. I do not want to overwhelm myself with extracurricular activities which could possibly result in a decrease in my grades. Also when I get out of school at 4:30pm I must start a long and tedious commute back home. So for one thing I would not like to have to go to a club meeting or activity while I could be on the way home. Also if I shouldered anymore responsibility with school I would not be able to work my part-time job and support myself. That is why I feel an individual must first determine whether or not they are in a position to shoulder more responsibility  before making such a large commitment to a club.

The enrichment workshop turned out to be more helpful than I expected. Like most of baruch students, I commute to school every day. After being in class until 4:30 or 5:30, I’m ready to just go home and go to bed. The last thing I want to do is make it so I get home even later. Athough, the speakers opened my eyes to the importance of being involved with my school. They also described some different clubs around Baruch College and how they can help students learn leadership skills. I do not intend to join a club this year, I would prefer to get accustomed to college and the commute first. Hopefully next year my schedule will allow me more free time and I will have time to join a club.

I found the enrichment workshop to be really interesting. I really enjoyed the first presentation because we were given real life examples of how people decided to take the role of a leader. It inspired me to join a few clubs and try to be more involved in them. If I want to meet new people and make Baruch my second home instead of just school, then I have to take that first step.
The student speakers were very informative too. They shared their own experiences about how they didn’t feel the school spirit until they became part of a club. It made me feel that maybe I will be able to feel that school spirit too if I  became a member of a group.
The workshop inspired me to consider all the various clubs I have to choose from, and to actually be part of the Bearcat community.

The enrichment workshop was an enlightening experience. In a school with students from all over the five boroughs and a small campus, school spirit is not the first thing that stands out. College life for most people seems to be a process of coming in for class and leaving after class, all business. However, this workshop brought up the point of leadership and examples of leadership, on both campus and in the city.

I believe that college is a great place to test out our comfort zones and also get away from them. It is a place where we learn about different things, join new groups, and experiment with our comfort zones. In this case, leadership is a great way to spread out and go beyond. While we all attend a business school, it doesn’t mean we must adhere to the plain black suits and ties, but take a step up and be colorful, inspirational, and game changing leaders. Whether it’s in the stories we tell, innovative ideas, accidental discoveries, or challenging opinions, with the willpower and effort, we can all become leaders.

Susan Kim

To me, the enrichment workshop, explored the need for leadership and how it provokes action. Acts of leadership can bring about significant change. Like many, there are many things that I am dissatisfied with in my life, and even in the world. To bring about change to these dissatisfactions, leadership is required. To me, the workshop, emphasized how we must all take up leadership roles and help bring about positive change.

Leadership can start anywhere and the enrichment workshop elaborated on how involvement in extracurricular activities is a great way to start.