What does it mean to serve your community?

As a Baruch Scholar, I receive a scholarship that pays for the classes that I take at Baruch. I am essentially going to college for free. Because of this, I feel that I have a responsibility to make use of what I am given and then give back to my community. As a Scholar, I want to do well in my classes and maintain a high GPA so that I can continue to be a part of the program. My responsibilities to Baruch go beyond just getting good grades- I also want to be active in student organizations that interest me- maybe even start one myself.

“Pay it forward.” If you’ve ever heard of that expression, then you’ll understand what I mean when I say that I have a responsibility to give back to the community. The Scholars have been given a great opportunity that allows us to go to college. Just as the Scholars Program has helped us, we need to help others in less fortunate situations.

Most of us already have community service experience coming into the Scholars Program. We are encouraged to expand on that experience then focus on an aspect that we are passionate about. Scholars must participate in a group community service project so that we can help our community while building friendships with our peers. In my opinion, this helps us get off to a good start at Baruch because we are guided by our councilors and have help from our friends in a structured environment.