Sharmin I. Pala

Continuing on from the previous journal entry (#2), besides just stating that community service is something worthwhile to do, it is better to actually participate in some form of service. To find an organization that coincides with my own beliefs was pretty easy due to the help of Professor Francoeur. He provided us with a website – idealist.org – that was very helpful during one of the Freshman Seminar class sessions.

Other than being involved in the Community Service Project, I am a member of the Eco Club here at Baruch. The two projects’ (community service for Freshman Seminar and Eco Club) aims blend together very well. For example, while the community service aims to help other human beings by providing them with excess medical supplies, Eco Club aims to improve and sustain the environment. Both projects complement each other because while the environment can survive without the help from human beings, human beings cannot survive without the help from the environment. So, it is very meaningful for me to give back to the environment and to others who are less fortunate than myself.

Besides these two service groups, I am also a contributing writer for The Ticker and soon hope to become more involved in the inner workings of running an issue.

As a Baruch Scholar, I believe that there are three ways to be successful. Of course, academics are important. But, being able to take advantage of the many opportunities given to us and giving back to the community are also significant. Even though it may seem like it at times, grades are not the most important thing in the world. At the end of day, it is the experiences that have allowed us to grow into a better person (cliché, but true).

Academics and other opportunities are for personal gain. One does well in these areas to be better prepared for what lies in the future. But, giving back to the community is not only a personal gain, but also is a way to help those who are less fortunate than oneself. An important aspect of being a Baruch Scholar is that we are debt free when we graduate. I have been given an opportunity that many others do not have. Therefore, it only seems fitting that I should give back to not only my community, but the broader community as well.

Baruch’s Honors Program also believes that as students who are given numerous opportunities to succeed, we should also give back. We are required to do a number of community service hours before we graduate and Freshman Seminar is way to help us get started. Through Freshman Seminar, we are to volunteer with an organization that tries to benefit the larger community. I believe that this is a helpful way for us to begin our services to give back to others.

Where have you been and where are you going? Where I have been is the easy part of the question. But where I am going is not as simple.  At least not at the moment. Before, I was completely sure as to where I was heading. I knew I wanted to be a doctor. Preferably, a cardiologist.  I myself don’t know why exactly. Maybe the desire to become one began the summer when I found out my dad needed double bypass surgery. Maybe it was before that. But to state the truth, I don’t really remember.

However, I know exactly what caused me to change my mind about my future aspirations – fourth period American Government during my first semester senior year and one Frontline documentary. The universal healthcare legislation was in the midst of being passed and my teacher decided to show us a documentary comparing the different healthcare systems around the world. Healthcare has nothing to do with treating the actual patients (well in some sense). It is all about the money. The rich can afford it, the government helps the poor, and the average American (middle class) is left stranded. I decided that going about the problem in a different way would help speed the overall process to receive better medical treatment. Instead of becoming a doctor (who has no say in a patient’s financial needs), I decided that maybe I can change the system if I worked on the other side of the issue – economics and government.  Well, this is where I think I am heading for now. Maybe another class or situation will change my mind again.

My current plans led me to Baruch. My expectations for my first semester aren’t much. I just want to learn more about what the college has to offer and how I can utilize all of them to my advantage. I plan on observing all that I can and hopefully an opportunity will not pass me by.