Sungho (Brian) Jang

It feels like the first day of the class was yesterday, but it is already November, and soon I will be taking my first final exams. Beginning of the first semester was hectic. We had to study, and at the same time get use to this college experience. However, as the semester comes to an end, I feel somewhat more comfortable now. Through out my hectic first semester, I have learned that it is critical for myself to find right resources and seek help when I need to. Furthermore, I also learned that as a privileged honors student, I have many resources around us unlike other students.

Among many resources, currently, I was only able to try a few of them such as: student clubs, peers, and my peer-mentor. My section’s Baruch scholars are diligent workers. They prepare their assignments ahead of time, and well manage their time to study for the test. Their diligent working habits worked as a good motivation for me to work hard.

Next, my peer-mentor, John, helped me a lot to adjust to the new experience. Because I have same class, PHI 1600, with John, I was able to ask a lot of questions. Without John, I would probably had to find the solutions harder way. John’s advices from his experiences really helped me out to get use to college life. Furthermore, I was able to join Model United Nation. I recently attended first meetings, and plan to devote my time to get to know everyone and be active.

This friendly environment that Baruch created for me has really helped me to realize how fortunate I am. I am looking forward to the volunteer activity because it will create opportunities for me to give back to the community. Additionally, I want to find more of the resources that will help me through out my college year to become more prepared individual, who can give fully back to the community.

Scholarships, and high academic honors classes are privileges that I will be receiving as a Baruch scholar through out my college years. Scholarships have ease the burden of financial difficulty that my family was concerned for, and academic enriched classes have and will continue to help me to strive for higher education. I believe that as a Baruch scholar in the Honors Program, I need to give back to the community what I gained or will gain from experiences through out my four years of college.

Privileges that Baruch scholars will receive should not be taken as advantages but as appreciation and respect. My role in Baruch and broader community as a Baruch Scholar in the honors program is to realize the efforts that others put in to help and develop the Scholar program, and follow the path of those who helped. With a little bit of more knowledge, opportunities, and requirement volunteer works, my role will be to help out those in needs, and serve the community in order to show appreciation of the privileges that I have. Furthermore, through the required volunteers works, my role will be to feel sense of responsibility and obligation toward helping others, and pay back the services that I was able to access through the Baruch Scholar Program.

Starting next semester I will be participating in the required volunteer work. From the required volunteer work, I am hoping to make more connections and realize the current community’s needs in order to fulfill my role of giving back to the community.

Sungho, this is my official Korean name. However, I introduce myself to others with my American name, Brian, in order to make sure that people who I introduce myself to remember me. I am an immigrant from South Korea. I have been living in New York for about five years, and this long span of time unfortunately is removing my justification or excuses toward lack of language skill.

Ever since I moved to the United States, New York, I met other immigrant friends through school, especially through ESL program. Many of my friends are not here anymore, and those who stayed often-made wrong friend, doing what they are not suppose to do. I believe that one of the main reasons for hardships that they experienced was lack of support from the family. Most of my immigrant friends came by themselves without their families, and pursued to study in a strange foreign country. Therefore, they did not have some one to fall back on when they made mistakes. Furthermore, no one restricted my friends from hanging around with bad friends. With this experience that I went through, I would like to say that my support from my family members shaped who I am, and helped me to strive.

With supports from my family I stayed focus and studied hard through out my high school and here I am attending Baruch honors program. For now, my expectation is not so specific. Therefore, my expectation as a college student will be to create a specific expectations and goals through out the college experiences. My hope for my first semester is to be able to well assimilate into the environment of Baruch College, and be able to create close relationships with fellow students and professors.

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