Gabriella Barnes

Senior Portfolio

November 27, 2013

            As a Manhattanville Valiant, I have learned that a firm commitment to my goals and graduation, comes with the willingness to do the work in order to succeed in the future. I am proud I have changed into a well-rounded individual, well prepared for a career and an ethically and socially responsible leader. My journey at Manhattanville College has taught me a lot about myself. I learned I can be a positive influence in my community. Whether it is as small as Manhattanville College, or as big as Westchester County or even globally, I have taken on a bigger leadership role to change the world for the better. Even though, I have only attended Manhattanville College for about three years now, I have made huge progress towards my academic and personal goals. The diverse academics at Manhattanville College have challenged me and the extra-circular activities I have participated in have given me more responsibility in our community and the global world. The Association of American Colleges and Universities defines a “liberal education as a philosophy of education that empowers individuals with broad knowledge and transferable skills, and a strong sense of value, ethics, and civic engagement,” at Manhattanville College I have taken courses in every category you can think of, from global awareness to science and humanities. My knowledge of the world has been broadened through Manhattanville College’s core curriculum and the college’s devotion to the student body. As a part of Manhattanville College’s own mission statement, the college goes further to “educate students to be ethical and socially-responsible leaders in a global community.” From these experiences, I have gained insightful skills with strong values and ethics that were reinforced through Manhattanville College’s goal to educate leaders through their mission statement for the global community. As a soon to be graduate, I am equipped with a mature knowledge of and empathy for my peers and my environment.

            During the past two years, my successful completion of my academic courses have given me valuable skills that will allow me to advance along my career path. I have grown into a confident young professional by navigating the complexities of my many internships. My teachers have given me the intellectual skill set and analytic insight to guide me to the right career. Throughout my academic career, my classes in finance and art have helped me to secure meaningful internships in the financial services industry and the art world. Following my internship in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, I worked as a summer analyst intern for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in Menlo Park, California. I was able to use classroom articles and discussions to prove to job interviewers that I had market insight and was able to articulate my own personal analysis on these topics. Therefore I was chosen for these prestigious internships. I have taken on more responsibility as a leader in the Manhattanville College community. I was elected the Vice President of Finance for the Student Government Association (SGA). It is my responsibly to allocate club budgets for the academic year as well as to keep track of the SGA budget. I am frequently meeting with staff and faculty to improve Manhattanville College and the student life on and off campus. I have also been involved with the Duchesne center as part of my Duchesne Scholarship, where I am a reliable leader and enthusiastic volunteer.

            The majority of my understanding of social justice and civic engagement comes from the Duchesne Center. As a former Girl Scout and Co-President of the Mary Brennan INN in Hempstead, NY (local soup kitchen), I was thrilled that Manhattanville College had a strong program, the Duchesne Center, dedicated to numerous opportunities to better the community. I have been an active part of the Duchesne center since my freshman year. Last year I stepped up to become a student coordinator, for Creative Expression Through Art. This Duchesne Program, helps to educate underprivileged kids from the WESTHab community in Westchester. As a student coordinator I planned weekly activities and organized necessary supplies for each activity. Each semester my ideas have evolved and the program has grown tremendously. This Fall 2013, I decided to sign up for the 4th credit option with Creative Expression Through Art and my art class, Museums as Studios to incorporate education behind their expressionism. I spent thirty hours with the kids, during which I taught classroom activities and educational lessons. I also planned several gallery visits with Professor Williams and turned the west room of Reid Castle into their own private museum gallery for the evening of the Express Me Jam. I spent another ten hours researching educational lessons and gallery visits with Professor Williams. Throughout our many classes, I learned that this was the first time the kids were exposed to any art education or appreciation. I also learned that some of our classes were the first time the kids ever tie dyed anything or painted with watercolors. In our gallery visits, Professor Williams and I worked on simple art terms to describe the various pieces in the gallery. This semester alone we visited over three galleries including the senior gallery, the exhibit “Breaking Borders” and other work by students. In this case, I learned that social justice was giving these kids an opportunity for a higher art education and appreciation of art through gallery visits and the establishment of their own personal gallery. As for civic engagement, I was able to use the students of Manhattanville College to interact with these kids from the local housing program. I was also involved with the Breast Cancer Walk, Midnight Run and many more programs. In these ways I have connected to the global community and made a difference in he world.

            As a former Model U.N. debater for my high school, I have been researching and following global events since the eight grade. I have even attended conferences at Rutgers’s University to debate on national security litigation representing the nation of Kenya. My deep passion for helping others on a local or global scale has really developed during my time here at Manhattanville College. In high school, I could only write down solutions but at Manhattanville College, I could take my ideas and help others. As previously stated, my strong passion to help others was instilled in me since I was a young girl scout and that passion has evolved into a desire and need to help others. Whether I am feeding the homeless of New York City on a cold Tuesday night or helping to organize the 7th annual Human Rights Awareness Day, I am making stronger and lasting impressions in my community. Through the Duchesne Center, I always wanted to participate in the United Nation trips they have on Thursday morning, and next semester I will make sure I achieve this goal. As my own way of being involved and interest in global events, I signed up to be the public coordinator for the 7th annual Human Rights Awareness Day. As a public coordinator, I organized meetings for the group, researched our guest speaker and created the Human Rights Awareness Day program. Participating in the event was an amazing experience; to see the hard work of the students come together was magical. By helping to organize and participating in this event, I really feel that I helped to educate the students of Manhattanville College and improve the global world by doing so. The time I spent helping to promote and make this event successful was a great opportunity. I always planned to volunteer, I planned to possibly volunteer in a kid’s museum or work in a local soup kitchen. I now know that I will always be welcome to help out the community by donating to the Duchesne Center or getting involved with the Duchesne programs later on in life. The Duchesne Center even offers opportunities for alumni to get involved and I think this is a fantastic idea to keep Manhattanville students continuously involved in bettering the community. As a future mother, I have plans to teach my kids the value of volunteering and helping others and Manhattanville College helped to reinforce and build on my early beliefs and values.

            In the not too distant future, I plan to be employed in a job that will incorporate the strong financial skills I have learned here with a devotion for bettering the community through volunteering. I am currently interviewing with big financial firms such as Morgan Stanley. Hopefully, my past internship with Morgan Stanley and the connections I made will enable me to get a high paying job after graduation. As a future mother, Morgan Stanley has a great family first approach with a desire to help their local and global communities. Depending on where I work, I also plan to volunteer in any form I can, and the Duchesne Center has prepared me with a wide range of volunteering skills. Overall, Manhattanville College has given me priceless opportunities and meaningful connections to alumni in my field. I really feel that my diverse set of skills and unique analytical skills will benefit me in the near future.