Maria Lorenzo

Where do you see yourself in three years? Wow, it isn’t “four” anymore… first semester of college is basically over.

Well, after completing the community service project with my group, Meir and Sharon, I’ve realized (even more so than before) that it is our responsibility to help less fortunate people, especially being that we are so lucky to be living in good homes and going to a great school with amazing perks and opportunities. As a whole, we learned that community service projects generally stem from very large issues, and people attempt to fix them in some way. We look forward to reading to young children at “The Pajama Program” in order to fuel their curiosity and encourage them to work hard, and have fun, in school. We want to be role models, and hopefully we succeed in doing so.

Now that I have a good idea of what college is like and how terrible I was with time managing school, work, and a social life – I think next semester is a great time to get involved in a club or two, as well as focusing on choosing a major. I really want to start interning soon and networking in order to have a successful career search, so the STARR Career Development Center will be my go-to this Spring. The last three months I spent doing a lot of work and meeting some incredible people, so with this I know I can move forward in building my future, as well as improving on my study habits. Having an adviser like Mr. Medina is very comforting in that he is a very understanding person, and works hard to encourage us to time-manage and really focus on why we are Scholars and how we will maintain that title.

So back to that question that is lingering on the top of the post. Right now, my hopes are to still be a Scholar here at Baruch, and narrow down my possible paths to a career. I feel there are too many uncertainties to predict anything too soon, but I have confidence that my hard work will pay off.

I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me and my fellow Scholars, and I am so grateful that my first semester of college was spent with them.

Obviously, my role at Baruch is to be a student. In the past, I just saw that as showing up to class, doing my homework, and taking tests. As I got to high school, I realized it’s a lot more than that.

I am lucky to say I grew up with a close family and a father who worked his entire life to support us and give us as much as possible. Sure, I don’t live in a mansion or go to exotic places or wear fancy clothes, but I am more than fortunate. I can accept that there will always be people with more than me, but personally, knowing there are people with a whole lot less is just not something I want to live with.

Throughout high school, I was involved in many community service projects through The National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta (a math honor society). Personally, I believe the most rewarding work I did was peer tutoring. One on one time with younger students who couldn’t afford a professional was really incredible. To be able to help and inspire them in math was really great. They came in hating math, and then after a few sessions they were curious to learn more. I am sure teachers can relate to this feeling of pride and accomplishment. I loved hearing back that my peers were passing and I contributed to their success.

I believe, being in the Honors Program, that my role here at Baruch requires more responsibility. The program really reinforces the idea that we can, and should, all help our community. I am going to school for free and I have a lot of resources at hand. Being in the city not only exposed me to its greatness, but shed light on the less fortunate people that are out there. I feel an obligation to do anything I can to serve my community, be it remain a tutor, volunteer at a soup kitchen/animal shelter/hospital/etc, or even just donate some money to a cause. It is extremely rewarding to pay it forward, and I really hope I can make some sort of difference during my time here at Baruch and beyond.

My name is Maria Domenique Margaret Mary Lorenzo (oh yeah, it’s a mouth full) and I was born in Brooklyn, NY. I moved to Levittown on Long Island when I was a toddler, so I am not really a city girl just yet. I grew up in a very close, Italian-American, family. My mother is a very strong influence in my life. She taught me to love myself no matter what and to never lose faith. She never expected me to be the perfect student, athlete, or person, and I believe the laid back attitude is what actually allowed me to succeed… on my own terms. I was captain of my varisity lacrosse team two years in a row, I have been working for two years now, and graduated 3rd in my class all because I wanted to; no one else was putting pressure on me. With the support of my family, friends, and boyfriend I really found myself in high school. I learned to be independent, yet accepting of others into my world.

I expect college to be rewarding in a lot of aspects. I will gain an even greater education than prior, I will make new friends who share their own unique stories and backgrounds, and I will further develop myself as a person. I hope to maintain a high GPA and decide on my major, as well as explore the beautiful city I can now call my second home.  I’m still getting accustomed to the new routine, but I am staying optimistic. 🙂

Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes,you can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know, and you are the guy who’ll decide where to go. – Dr. Seuss