joanna barragan

My participation the community service project will encourage me to draw upon the expertise of faculty and staff in the sense that I will never hesitate to ask any one of my professors for clarification of things.    I will also try my best to create a bond with some of my professors, because that may help me out in the long run.    They may be able to offer me guidance, and advice that can greatly affect my future.  I have not used a support center as of yet.  I wanted to use the writing center, but getting an appointment was an issue.  However, if I happened to be unsure of what was going on, or just needed to double check on an assignment or a certain topic, I was sure to ask a classmate.  I have not yet joined a student club, as I would rather focus on my schoolwork for the first semester.  I would definitely like to join a club, and a sorority as well.  I want to be involved in the Baruch community, but I feel that first my grades and school work must be stable.  In talking to peers, I was able to better decide what classes I should take first, as well as the workload I should be prepared for.  I also look forward for doing the same thing for incoming freshman.  I want to help them in any way possible, especially in making the right class choices.   My understanding of community service has definitely deepened.  I have realized how truly vital it is in one’s life, and I am looking forward to completing my community service next semester, and after that as well.

My role in the Baruch and broader community as a Baruch scholar in the honors program is to represent Baruch in the best way possible.  It is too be a good student; to succeed in academics as well as Baruch’s community, including clubs and in school activities.  It is to make my college experience the best it can be, both academically and socially.  My role is to always put academics first, but to socialize and network as well.  It is to keep up my GPA, but also have fun and enjoy my life, again, making my college experience the best it can possibly be.    It is to make a good name for myself, as well as for Baruch itself.  For me, my role is also to make my family, especially my mother, proud.    My role should be to keep up Baruch’s reputation, and to reflect upon my experience at Baruch in the most positive way possible.  It should be to appreciate Baruch, as the years progress and even after I have graduated. It should be to give back to Baruch in any way that I possible can, whether it’s volunteering around campus, or simply just saying good things about it.  All of this is related to the culture of service the honors program promotes because it helps us to be more well rounded people.  Almost everyone has had at least one paid job in their life, but not everyone has volunteered their time and efforts solely for the good feeling they get after they have helped people out.

When  I try to think about specific experiences that have shaped who I am, none really jump out at me.  I guess it is because the one experience that has shaped who I am today or at least contributed to it is one that is still hard for me to deal with.  My dad left when i was 6.  I still remember that night to this day.  After he left he barely stayed in touch, and his side of the family basically cut me off completely.  I still don’t really understand why they did this, but I learned to accept it.  I guess this experience made me stronger, and probably a little more defensive than I should be. I believe it also prevents me from being able to trust anyone 100%.  It also made me almost expect people to let  me down, or to be let down in general.  This experience has made me value my mom that much more because of how strong she was.  She is the epitome of strength.

My expectations as a college student, besides keeping my scholarship, are to be focused and get good grades.  I do not want to let anything distract me from school. I do not want any family issues or friend issues to interfere with my schoolwork.  It is extremely important to me that I keep my grades up, not only because i want to and know that I can, but also because i want to make my mother proud.  These are my hopes for the first semester and my whole time at Baruch.  My only concerns are losing focus, keeping up with the work, and manging my time correctly.

OK I’m done.

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