As Freshman Seminar comes to a close, it is time to reflect on this past semester at Baruch College. Overall, I had a great experience at Baruch. Everyone is very helpful and is always looking out for my best interests. In fact, when I was struggling academically this semester, my professors, academic adviser, and fellow students were there to quickly help me get back on my feet. It was moving to see how much everyone cares about each individual’s well-being. I would like to especially thank Mr. Medina, my academic adviser. He is an amazing resource in this college and it is great that he is always there when I need guidance or advice. In general, the faculty is awesome. Baruch College has truly amassed a group of the intellectual elite to instruct it’s students. I am always fascinated by the material in each of my classes, especially my business classes. Professor Gagliardi and Professor O’Malley are truly geniuses in their field. Their real life experiences in the business world really show through in their lessons. I always find that I leave their classrooms with some very useful real world knowledge. It definitely adds validity to what we are learning in class. Finally, I want to touch on the awesome friends I have made during my first semester here at Baruch. Everyone in my learning community has become very close in the past months. We have made some everlasting relationships that we will probably carry with us throughout the rest of our lives. We have learned to seek each other for advice and use our learning community as an intellectual springboard to reach great new academic heights.

Through out the planning of my group’s Community Service Project, I’ve not only learned about the non-profit organization, City Harvest, but also learned a lot about myself as well. Yes, there are many people in need and it is highly important and even necessary to lend a helping hand, but what I have come to realize is that it is also very important to remember yourself and that it is not selfish to focus on ones own goals and use the resources given to them. Here at Baruch College, and everywhere, involvement in student activities and engaging with peers and teachers is extremely vital to maximize your learning experience and overall college experience to enjoy it at its fullest. From my team work with FUAM, I’ve realized that instead of putting myself second and even being stubborn to get help, I should utilize the many services Baruch has to offer. For example, The Writing Center and SACC have both been a tremendous help to me helping me with every problem a long the way, whether a rough draft or help with a challenging webwork. I’ve now come over my stigma or fear and know that it is now foolish to seak for outside help especially when it is right there for you to use. I also feel very fortunate to be apart of a Learning Community especially the one that I am in, LC28H, because I can honestly say I enjoy every single one of my peers’ company and look forward to seeing them daily. I am surely going to be upset next semester, when I do not have that privelege. We have been able to really connect sharing similar experiences and know we have eachother whenever we need a helping hand. From this group project and other group projects in my other courses and now know my strenghts and weaknesses towards working as a team and know the importance of being a team player. That skill will not only help me in my furtherance at Baruch, but hopefully after college in my future job.

Working on my community service project with my group has been a wonderful experience. Preparing for this project not only forced me to sit down and work with people that I didn’t know, but it also forced me to seek out resources that I hadn’t been accustomed to using. I’m grateful for having been placed in the group that I’m in. In essence, we’re all different people who come from different backgrounds, but we managed to come together to work cohesively towards choosing an organization that we all shared a common interest in.

Some times we spend so much time planning and striving for things to be perfect, that we create this illusion that nothing can go wrong. When the unthinkable happens, and something actually does end up going wrong, we usually find ourselves in disarray. Though my group and I were accepted to intern for the NYC Audubon, we weren’t provided with specific detailed information as to what our roles would be as their interns. This served as a problem because we needed specific information for our Community Service Project presentation. Words cannot explain how helpful John has been in helping us get over this hurdle. John has been a very important resource. He was in our very same shoes just a year ago. It’s nice to have someone who we can relate with, and who can tell us directly what is expected from us.

After John, the library is perhaps the biggest resource that I’ve personally used to work on this Community Service Project, and also to do work for other classes. So far, in the three months that I’ve been at Baruch, I’ve gone and used the library more times than I’ve ever done before. The study rooms are amazing and provide us with a quite environment to get work done. The librarians are extremely helpful, and actually helped jump-start our projects by giving us the search engine, which we used to find the NYC Audub3on not-for-profit organization.

Seeking out a faculty member’s help, and using the library is key for my future success at Baruch. Mr. Medina made it clear that the first step towards gaining clarity or solving a problem in a given class is to talk to the teacher about it. I’ve met every single one of my professors’, and expressed concerns to every one of them, and I can honestly say that their feedback has helped me achieve success in their classes. When I went into the Newman Library for the first time, I figured it going play a huge role in my success at Baruch. The environment, and all the information in the library have thus far proven to be beneficial to me.

Community service was something that I used to do because I was told that all well-rounded students did it. Though I never was opposed to serving my community, it was something that I did systematically. Having had the autonomy to practically develop this project on my own allowed me to develop a certain appreciation and understanding for why it is that we serve our community. I feel that it is our duty to give back to the community in ways that affect it in a positive manner.

Successful college students take the initiative to seek out resources they need including faculty, peers, staff, support centers, the library, and student clubs among others. How has your participation in the Community Service Project encouraged you to draw upon the expertise of faculty and staff? Which support centers have you utilized? Have you joined a student club? Describe how using these resources for your team project has given you an edge in your other courses and your future success at Baruch. How has your understanding of community service evolved as a result of your participation in the Project?

At first this Community Service Project seems like a tedious chore. It didn’t seem like something worth my time. But as the term goes on, I realize that this project has its worth. Aside from the fact that it gives me a chance to give back to the community, it also taught me to reach out of my comfort zone to seek help when needed. A community is a closely linked system; members within the community have two identities. They are both givers and receivers. That is how a community function. As a member, I received scholarship hence; it’s my responsibility to give back. Also, when I have a problem, my community will also have resources that can answer my questions. That is the most important lesson I have learned throughout this project. I have learned to seek help from librarians, peers or simply ask questions to people who are directly in charge. I saw that there is no humiliation in seeking for help. In fact, it helped me get through the project. By asking for other’s opinion and help I was able to put together the project with my group members.

Aside from this project, the skills I learned also aid me as a student in Baruch. I learned that I am part of the Baruch community. I realize that there are a lot of resources out there that will aid me in my studies and future careers. Places like: the library, Starr Career Center, Writing Center, etc. are amazing places that offer great help. There I can get information of anything I want. And with these resources, I will be able to develop an individual view of the world. All these resources can help me with my classes as well. Because I am able to do such in depth research, I will be able to elaborate more on my findings. Aside from simply placing reciting facts, I will be able to use these facts and develop my own stance. Also, I believe that research shouldn’t be superficial. For an example, in my BUS recitation class, I learned to examine my resources and look at the validity. I learned not to simply accept facts but to look at whether or not the fact presented to me subjectively.

Lastly, in combination of the freshmen seminar classes and I realized that I have a responsibility to give back to my community. And by giving back, it’s not simply “doing something.” Although I have participated in various community service programs before, I felt like I was simply doing a deed. I never went out to investigate how my deed will aid the community. It’s obvious that participating in CPC (Chinese American Planning Council) and BCA (Brooklyn Chinese Association) would help the people. How? Before attending Freshmen Seminar and participating in this Community Service Project, I would have never question the validity of my service. By having to research about the organization, I learned that volunteer work isn’t simply “punching in the hours.” It requires a lot more knowledge and research. I have to find out whether not my work is really helping the community. Hence, volunteer work is not simply about the quantity but of the quality of work.

Baruch has a plethora of resources that are available for students to use. Some of them include, but are not limited to, the honors lounge the writing center, the Starr Career Development Center, and the Newman Library.

The library is probably the most important resource at Baruch. The study rooms can be used to study as a group for upcoming exams. They can also be utilized as meeting rooms for groups to congregate and work on projects. Recently, my community service project group met in a study room to discuss what to do for the project and what each member will contribute. This project allows for teamwork, which is an important component of our futures. It is through teamwork that we learn to listen to others and to state our opinions in a respectful manner.

My group’s community service project is to help tutor elementary school students and to aid in a college workshop at Adelphi Academy. I have appreciated the help I received when I needed help in those same situations. Community service is about giving back. The opportunities I had when I was younger should also be experienced by others. Doing this community service project is my way of giving back.

The community service project is not the only thing I am busy with at Baruch. I have also tried to take advantage of the large number of clubs and organizations at Baruch. The first and only club that I have consistently went to is Archery Club. Because archery practice is on the weekend, I am able to participate without being too busy during the week. It is my first time handling a bow and it’s something new that I learned at Baruch. I’m enjoying my time at the Archery Club, especially when I get a bullseye. It makes feel like I’ve accomplished something. Week after week, I have improved in my accuracy and precision. I began with the short-range targets and have since advanced onto the mid-range targets. I’m not up to the level of the long-range targets yet, but I’m slowly working my way up. As I reflect back on my experience in the club, I realize the progress I’ve made and I start to feel giddy with happiness.

Since the street fair after an orientation at Baruch, I was determined to join a club as soon as possible.  After all the advices given from my mentor and advisor, I certainly did not want to be the “commuter student who goes home directly after school.”  Although Baruch does not have a dorm, that doesn’t mean students cannot be passionate about their school and feel a bond to it.  I wanted to be active and explore Baruch beyond the four walls of a classroom.  I joined the Sigma Alpha Delta honors society, which is a student organization that coordinates events in the school and do volunteer work.  I have attended many of their volunteer events such as Wine and Food Festival, which raised money for the Food Bank of NY and the Starlight Sports Auction, which gave to disabled and underprivileged children.  These events may be entirely different from what my group is doing for the Community Service project, but like mentioned; they all provide us with an opportunity to serve our community.  Whether it be homeless, hungry, disabled, poor people or uncared for animals, I feel like it is really the effort we put into helping them that counts.  It is not entirely about meeting the induction requirements for the Sigma club or satisfying the Baruch Honors Scholars program requirements.  People exist to help others.  The club will help me in my future in Baruch because it teaches me about teamwork, community service, professional advices, and networking.  Understanding how important it is to give service to the community makes me excited to start volunteering for the Bideawee organization that my group is doing.  Through the club I learned that it is essential to work as a group.  Therefore, I know that my group working closely together will make the volunteer work more effective and lead to great results.

We as Baruch Scholars are blessed with nearly unlimited resources including faculty, peers, staff, support centers, libraries, and student clubs among others. Although some of us have not used these resources, I have used a vast majority of the resources available to me.

For me and hopefully many other scholars, the library is my most used resource. Baruch’s library is the best library I have been in. Although the comfortable couches are not a big factor of why I consider it the best it certainly is a plus. But what separates this library from other mediocre libraries is the atmosphere. There is this barrier between the first floor and the second floor that seems to welcome those that want to achieve academic success. Everyone in the library is there to do what they have to do to succeed. I find this attribute of the library the most appealing because I have a similar mentality.

Within the library as Baruch students we are allowed to obtain a study room. For the community service project this service has proved to be useful. We were able to get things organized and our ideas to be put on paper. There is no other place probably in the world where our group could meet together without the distraction of the surroundings. The study room isolates the outside environment so we can have the perfect working environment to get things done properly. For our team the study room was what gave our project our edge. I plan to use this service till I graduate because I believe it will benefit me in my future courses and success.

I have yet to join a club but I have joined a team. The tennis team is something I really have a passion for if it wasn’t obvious before. Tennis is something I plan to continue for the rest of my life. Being on the team has actually taught me something that is essential in life; you can’t achieve something great on your own. What I mean by this is that you need to utilize everything you have access to in order to achieve your dreams. In order to get better in tennis you need your team to push you to do so. This applies especially to us as Baruch scholars.

I have always understood community service as something mostly beneficiary to the recipients but I have recently learned that community service can benefit the person performing the action as well. Aside from making the person feel good, community service also helps develop leadership skills, communication skills, and time management skills. In a way, the community service project benefits us, Baruch scholars, more than the community.

Participating in the Community Service Project is an interesting experience to me. Unlike other projects, this one allows us to choose the organization we like to work for and we would stick with it for a considerably long time. As fun as it sounds, we were just equally clueless at the beginning. Us group members rarely discussed about it, but in fact, we didn’t even know each other well when this group was formed. However, we all had the passion helping the community and we knew we would devote as much as possible to get this done.

Choosing the right organization was a rather easier step. It didn’t take long for us to agree on choosing one that is close to Baruch. After we were introduced to www.idealist.org in one of the FRO sessions, NYC Audubon caught our eyes. Not only is it near Baruch campus but it also meets the area we are interested – animal protection – in this case, birds specifically.

When researching about this organization, Internet became the primary source of what we were looking for. Their website provided lots of information regarding what they had achieved and what they seek to gain in the future. After seeing the beautiful pictures of birds on their site, we were more committed to NYC Audubon.

At the same time we had developed good friendship among the group. Sometimes we would chat online to check on each other’s progress and give advices.  As time went by we obtained more and more information and divided the tasks. As we were instructed, we should look in depth into the organization and tried to examine how it operated. This was when their website couldn’t fulfill our need anymore. The information we found seemed vague without detailed addressing

So we turned to the library database, intending to verify its reputation. Also we looked into the funds and acts they mentioned in their annual report to see if they really exist, and if yes, what exactly are they. For times we also contacted the members of the organization, trying to make our task concrete and find out what we are going to do next term. Sadly, we were told that we wouldn’t be directly working with birds as we expected but to work on a publication for educational purpose.

Throughout the process I feel that communication is the most important “resource” ever found. What is written down is dead and reading will become boring. However, once we started to exchange ideas and asked each other opinions, the whole thing just came to life and everything seemed to work right again. And isn’t it true that college is not about what we learn but how we learn? “How” certainly includes communication, which I think is the most precious resource in Baruch, because Baruch has so many bright, innovative students. Working with them, success comes with no doubt.

The beginning of the sentence, “successful college students take the initiative to seek out resources they need,” encompass part of the responsibility belonging to a Baruch Scholar.  Of course, we’re expected to do well in school and help out others but even as we do those things, we must also be humble enough to ask for help from the resources available to us, whether at school, our community, or our job.  We must understand the importance of taking advantage of the resources the library has to offer us, from the study rooms to the plethora of computers, as well as the opportunities in the various student clubs.  By completing this community service project, I’ve realized no matter how independent college may make you feel, the expertise of adults are needed (some of the time).  For example, I needed to call the food pantry where my group and I are going to volunteer in the spring to ask an adult some questions regarding the program they run involving the food pantry.  If there was no adult, where would I get the information from?  Now, yes … you may think this is a trivial thing to need an adult’s help for but let’s say a group was volunteering at a hospital, playing and entertaining terminally ill children.  These volunteers would definitely need the assistance of staff and the Baruch Scholars would be able to realize this because of their ability to be humble and ask for help when needed.

Speaking of asking for help, I just, well not just, but earlier today, had a math test in my Calculus 2610 class.  Now, I had been going to tutoring for the past two weeks for about 90 minutes to two hours, starting at 8:00 PM.  This type of dedication required me to stay in school for more than 12 hours (when I told my teacher after tutoring, he was flabbergasted!).  This a prime example of when I made the extra effort to seek the expertise of my teacher.  As a Baruch Scholar, I don’t know if we’re expected to know everything but I am certainly not afraid to ask for help when I need it, especially when my grades are on the line.  I think this is the mark of a true scholar: the ability to ask for help, even when others expect you not to.  The ability to stray from the norm and do what you know is right: in this case, asking for assistance.

Touching on the topic of assistance, I just wanted to express how this community service project opened my eyes even wider and bigger to the need to provide assistance to those who desire it.  It creates a parallel between my teachers and me and me and those who are less fortunate than I.  The same way my teachers help me, I take the same kindness and patience and help those less fortunate.

I remember during the first few weeks of the semester, I felt surprised and almost in awe of all the resources and support centers at Baruch. I was thinking about all these resources that were introduced to us after almost every freshman seminar. The SACC center, library resources, the incredibly easy access to help at any time through either, my peer mentor, or my advisor … really? There wasn’t nearly this many resources in high school!
My group and I are planning on volunteering for Bideawee, which is an animal shelter that focuses on helping animals that have been abandoned, or abused by healing physical wounds, as well as emotional wounds in animals. Our group wouldn’t have been able to find this organization if it weren’t for the library seminar, which gave us several suggestions on search engines for non-profit and charity organizations. Also, if it weren’t for the help of my peer mentor, I wouldn’t have known what direction to take in the community service project.
Adjusting to college life, for me, is hard, and I’m still in the process of adjusting, especially academically. I’ve gone to the SACC center for help with math, and it’s helped me understand concepts that weren’t clear to me before. I’m still struggling with math, but hopefully, with more practice and patience, I’ll improve.
I’ve wanted to join a lot of clubs this semester, but of course, I can’t be active in all of them. I’ve joined American Humanics, and I plan on staying committed to this club simply because it focuses on serving, and helping people, and it’s what I enjoy doing. I’ve wanted to join many others like Model U.N. and Solutions Without Borders, but with all the schoolwork we get, I haven’t been able to commit.
With all the people, and resources that are available to help make our adjustment to college a little easier, it’s made me feel not only less fearful, but very thankful that we have all these resources, and wonderful people more than willing to help us. I honestly don’t know how I would be faring if it weren’t for the help and support of the college resources, my peer mentor, and my advisor. I mean it when I say that I am utterly thankful, especially for John, and Mr. Medina for going out of their way to help us adjust, and make our college transition much easier than others. (I mean it! Thank you so much!)