The Hidden Treasures of Desiree's Blog :^D

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.

As a Baruch Scholar it is the responsibility of all scholars, not only myself, to make a great and fantastic first and lasting impression on those in both our community and the Baruch community.  In our community, I’m sure if not all then at least 99.9% of us volunteered or did some community service.  There, we made a great first and lasting impression on those we helped whether it was mowing someone’s lawn or tutoring a neighbor.  We were seen as young adults who would rather help someone else in need than spend all out time on ourselves.  Not only were we seen as selfless but we were seen as more responsible because we were able to make time in our busy BUSY schedules to help others.  We all probably hear that we were super people for all that we were able to accomplish.  (One of my great Great GREAT guy friends once asked me how I was able to juggle school, track, hanging out, volunteer work, clubs, and sleep.  I answered that sometimes I asked myself the same thing; that it was something that came naturally I guess since it was important that I do each and every one of those things on a regular basis.)  Like in our community, I believe it is the responsibility of Baruch Scholars to bring the same zeal they display in their community to their new community here at Baruch College so they can be examples for the other students at our fine institution of higher learning.

The Honors Program rewards well-rounded students with a valuable education without the worries and burden of having to pay for college.  Also rewarding us with a laptop and a stipend to study abroad, the Honors program rewards us for our hard work and of course still expect us to continue with the positive impact with have on those we meet and help.  By helping in our community to make it a better environment for all, we as scholars, continue to uphold the culture of service that is expected of us.

Where have I been?  Where am I going?  These two questions encompass what I have achieved up until this point and what I hope to achieve both during my college career and my professional career.

Before I began my college career at Baruch College, I was an avid volunteer both in school and in my community.  Whether I was helping with a bake sale or bringing in an item for a solider relief package, I was always lending a helping hand.  I was a member of both honor societies in my school, Brooklyn Technical HS, which made it incredibly easy to volunteer all around New York City.  I have volunteered all over, from soup kitchens to parks and I have enjoyed every moment of it, even if I did clean the park in the rain.  I have always been ready to help those in need and basically if I was not on the track or in the gym, I was lending a helping hand.  So where have I been?  I’ve been all over the city whether I was helping other people or competing in track meets.

Now that I have begun my career at Baruch College, I plan on helping other people both around campus and in this new community that surrounds the campus.  I am currently in two clubs, an honor society and Baruch’s Women in Business, and I plan on participating in numerous community service activities both on and off campus.

Helping other people has positively shaped my beliefs because it makes me feel wonderful inside to know that I actually made a difference in a person’s life.

I expect to enjoy my entire college experience, whether it be for 4 yrs or 8 yrs, and I definitely plan to make the most of it.  I also plan to make many new friends and have new experiences that I would laugh about 10 yrs from now.  As far as the academics aspect of my college life goes, I plan on learning a plethora of valuable knowledge from my professors that I would be able to use both inside and outside the classroom.  (This has already been the case with one of my classes where my awesome professor encourages us to think outside the box that our high school teachers put us in.)  Overall, I plan on having an amazing time in college as I balance my academics, my athletics, and my social activities to make the most of this experience.

I have few concerns for college because my high school definitely prepared me for the amount of work I am responsible for in college.  As far as my hopes go, I would love for my college experience to be the best it can be and that I am able to help others while enjoying COLLEGE!!!!!!!!!

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