Gabriele Forbes-Bennett

To me, community service is more than just doing a few things to help out groups of people. It is an effort we continually engage in to try and improve the lives and experiences of community members and it is a way for us to give back. When I was in high school, I took part in a variety of community service projects (both school-sponsored and not). I did this not only to fulfill the yearly 20 hour service requirement, but also because I felt that I needed to give back to my community and try to help those in need. I volunteered at a local day camp in my area each summer throughout my high school career, and I have participated in a handful of events that helped the rebuilding effort in the Rockaways after Superstorm Sandy. I felt that I had an obligation to help out with this cause because after the storm, community service organizations like NY Cares and the Build-It-Back program helped my own family out.

Serving my community has taught me certain values and ideals that I plan on applying to my experiences here at Baruch. The Baruch Scholars program places great emphasis on community service and giving back, and I look forward to upholding its standard. I have only been a part of this program for a little over a month and I have already learned a lot about the different types of community service opportunities that are available in this area and in neighboring parts of the city. I plan on choosing one of these opportunities to use for the community service project I will complete with my group members next semester.

Hi! My name’s Gabriele and I’m from Rockaway, Queens. I’ve lived in Rockaway all my life, and I think it’s a pretty nice place, but I don’t think I like it as much as I like the city. When I was younger, I used to take any chance I could get to travel to Manhattan. In elementary and middle school, I used to always ask my mother to take me with her to her work on my days off, even though I would usually end up just sitting in an office all day. I don’t really know what exactly it was that I found so appealing about Manhattan at such a young age, but I do know that the excitement I felt when walking through the streets is something I still feel today. This is a reason why I was so eager to start my studies at Baruch.

I’ve only been a student here for a little over a month and I’ve been stunned by its size and all it has to offer. Baruch has over 14,000 undergrads and almost 200 clubs, which is incredible. I’ve already met a lot of amazing people, and I can’t wait to meet even more. I’ve also gotten a lot of free food for going to different club interest meetings, which is nice.

So far, my college experience has been great and I hope to make it even better by making new friends and continuing to adapt to this new environment.