Monthly Archives: November 2011

Wow! Time just goes by so fast. It seems like it was only yesterday when I, a small girls with big dreams, was entering Bruch for the first time. As I walked through the doors, the first thing that came to me was, ‘I can never get used to this.’ Yet, I have gotten used to it! I remember how I would constantly complain about the commute in the first 2-3 months. Now, I am grateful for it, to do my English readings for the day, or sleep, or just have time to enjoy my music. Life has been very hectic since I entered Baruch, with exams, papers, blog posts, reading, and other homework. Yet, I have managed to manage. I still have to work on improving my sleeping schedule and stop sleeping at 5 in the morning, only to awake at 7:30 later, but I guess that’s what caffeine is for. Being a caffeine addict already, I think it has only gotten worse since coming to Baruch, but I am working on improving it.

At first, I really didn’t like Baruch. I felt bombarded with work and at the same time, still felt so bored. Now, I have begun to enjoy my college experience. It is not only a very different environment, but also is filled with many opportunities, and I want to take advantage of them. My participation in the Community Service Project has made me realize that there is a ton of help available to anyone seeking it. All we have to do is ask, and we will get the help we need. The faculty in this school are very helpful and really do aid to foster a sense of learning, encouraging us to push forward and achieve all that we want. Without the support of my advisor, Mr. Medina and my peer mentor, Sam, I don’t know what I’d do. They offer so much support and are always there to help. Because of this project, I have realized the importance of teamwork and how we all have to work together to reach a common goal that we can all work towards. With a bit of disagreement and with our varied interests, it was hard to decide a place to volunteer at. In the end, we decided to volunteer at the New York Public Library, because it the option we could all actually agree on. It definitely was a great decision, because by volunteering our time there, we are giving back to the very institution that really means a lot to our society. As New Yorkers, we are dependent on the New York Public Library System, as it provides us with unlimited amounts of free knowledge and free access to many resources, including the internet. It has been our friend while we were growing up, and continues to aid us today. We feel that by volunteering there, we are not only helping the library serve our society, but also will be able to better ourselves.

I have come to appreciate the many resources available and the many different clubs that the college has to offer. I am definitely planning to use the Starr Career Development Center, in order to find internships in the future, build my resume, and attend other workshops that will aid me in my college career. I am planning to volunteer at an organization I found in the volunteer fair, New York Needs You, during the winter break and into next semester. I also want to join a club next semester. I am still exploring all the options. I definitely do want to try to get into an honor society as well. In the next three years I see myself to be a very involved, motivated, and ambitious person, who has better time management skills.

Amidst this cold, self- oriented, fast- paced society, where do we as humans stand? Have we together created such a self- concerned world, or have we merely been born into it? Should we simply go with the flow, or should we attempt to redefine it through our actions? Should we live a life, ignorant of the people and world around us, or should we broaden our horizons enough to acknowledge all that we have been granted with and attempt to show our gratitude?

Attempting to count all of my blessings, I have indeed failed to find a number, for the list keeps stretching far and wide. There is so much I been endowed with as a result of my birth, including food, clothing, and shelter, the three basic needs of life. However, without asking I have been blessed with much more than that. Most of us, including me, get even more than that, with necessities taken for granted, and pleasures being deemed as necessities. Having a wonderful family and friends, I have been showered with love all around me. Having more than just shelter, I have been blessed with a place that I can call home. Having responsible, employed parents, I am able to get much more than the minimum amount of food needed to survive. Having been born in America, I have been given the privilege of attending public schools and receiving a free education. Residing in NYC, I have been given access to experience the many rich cultures of the world, in the ‘melting pot.’ As I said before, the list can keep on going. As of now, the most important blessing in my life is that of receiving the opportunity and ultimately a part of Baruch’s honors program.

With much of the world living in ignorance and without the means to receiving a proper education today, I feel extremely blessed to be able to receive an amazing education and even more blessed, if possible, to be receiving a full scholarship and a mac! The honors program greatly relieved the financial strain I would otherwise have to carry around with me. I am truly grateful for having received this and acknowledge how lucky I am in comparison to the rest of the world. There are many hard- working, smart people out there, but a lack of opportunities hinders them from receiving such amazing support. With this in mind I consider it of utmost importance to give back to this world, in which I was so lucky to be blessed with so much. Because the world has given so much to me, I feel as if I have to give back to this world as well.

Still attempting to find a place for myself in Baruch and indeed in the larger realm of the world as well, and trying to carve out a path, on which to walk, I am still trying to immerse myself in the ‘community’, be it the smaller or the larger. With the speed at which the world is advancing today and at the rate at which the emphasis on one- self and materialistic goods is increasing, it becomes far to easy to lose yourself to that selfish part of society, and ignore all that you are blessed with. In this, it becomes even more important to foster a sense of belonging to your community, to reinforce the idea the idea that you were essentially given all that you have, and should give back to those who were not so lucky as you. Being a Baruch Scholar, I am grateful for all the extra privileges I am entitled to, and feel as if it is my responsibility to attempt to do all that I can to add to Baruch’s life and use my knowledge and skills to aid others, becoming an example for people to follow. Nothing is perfect in this world, and always can be improved upon, be it my community, or Baruch itself. To help improve Baruch and make it an even better place would just be the first step; it would be the stepping-stone in the long path needed to improve the world. I will begin by trying to be a better person, help others, and trying to ‘spread the love.’ I hope one day I will be able to take a larger role in Baruch, getting students to ‘spread the love’ outside of Baruch’s doors, thus carving out a path for a happier world.