soringrigore

Having set in place the final plans for our community service project, I can safely say that this has been quite a learning opportunity. Cindy, Ewelyna, and I all had to really come together to make this work. We were able to work together and establish a good relationship with our contact at I Challenge Myself to work out a great plan. The project led us to look for help in unexpected places and to utilize all of the resources available. We were able to find this great organization by doing a lot of research. I noticed that a lot of what we learned at Freshman Seminar helped me to form a connection. Communicating with someone in a professional manner was extremely important and the great tips offered to us by Professor Medina and the other speakers really helped out. We were also able to really get a good feel of the organization by doing research using the library website. I have also found that the various advisement centers were extremely helpful. This project has taught me a new meaning of community service. Mainly, that community service is not a chore, rather a great moral duty. Taking a single step backwards and thinking about where we are, made me realize how lucky we have become. We have this amazing place of learning, where people are eager to help and where we are given so much to thrive with. Community service become more than an assignment, it became a responsibility to give back to the community that has given so much to us.

What is your role in the Baruch and broader community as a Baruch Scholar in the Honors Program and what do you think it should be? How is this related to the culture of service the Honors program promotes?

Having just started at Baruch College this year, I have yet to find my place in this community. I do know however, that as an Honors student I am very privileged and this means that I need to put in as much effort as possible in succeeding and eventually giving back to the community. It is always important to thank the people around you that make the opportunities that you are given possible. Our first community service project will allow us to give back to people that are not as fortunate as us. It will allow us to grow as individuals and get some real world experience. I hope that once I am adjusted to the school a bit better I will be able to find a way to give back to the community in my own way. I think that later on at Baruch, I will set up a guitar lesson service that would teach young kids how to express themselves with music. Music has always been one of my favorite ways to relieve stress and to express my thoughts.

I think it is amazing that Baruch is able to create such an amazing culture of community participation. I think a lot of what we are learning at Baruch has to do with how big the world really is and finding a way to benefit the community that has served us. Community service is not a chore or a requirement. It is a duty that all of us must perform so that we can improve the world were are living, not just live in it.

Journal #1 – Where Have You Been and Where Are You Going?
Help us get to know you. Describe experiences that have shaped who you are. How have they defined your values and your beliefs? What are your expectations as a college student? What are your hopes and concerns for your first semester? [250 words]

Hi Everyone, My name is Sorin Grigore and I am a freshman at Baruch College in the Honors Program. I was born in Moldova which is a small Eastern European country formerly part of the U.S.S.R. I grew up in Moldova which is a completely different world from America. In such a country there is a still a lot of chaos. Moldova is currently in the process of moving towards Democracy, however there is much turmoil. About a year ago, elections were held to vote a new president into office. Unfortunately, the government of that time was re-elected and thousands of young people came to the center of the city to protest. Violence broke out and the Parliament was burned down to the ground. It was very crazy time for my family and I. Growing up in Moldova has taught me some very important values. Because in Moldova, even the most basic of rights are sometimes not granted, I was always taught to work hard and respect my family so that I could potentially better the world for the future generation. In many ways, this is the reason I came to Baruch College. I think that I can really succeed here, seeing as how I have all of the tools I could ever want and need to accomplish great things. I have a few concerns for the first semester like figuring out how I will manage to work and go to school at the same time without compromising either one of my responsibilities. However, I very hopeful for the future and I know that the people at Baruch will help me do whatever I need to do in order to achieve my dreams. I have come here to learn from the brilliant professors. I have come here to learn about my place in the world.

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