I was very glad that I attended the panel about Climate Injustice and the call for equity in a changing climate. Going into this discussion, I already knew a lot about climate change and the way it affects how I plan to live and work. One particularly important topic that I think was addressed very well in this talk was the idea that climate change is not just an environmental issue, but a social one as well. When you think about how the environment is exponentially decaying it does not really sink in that climate change is not just a physical but social problem. There has been a lot of displacement in areas where we are already starting to see a rapid decline in livable conditions, yet many corporations and countries turn a blind eye to what is happening to our planet. This talk was a refresher for me to be more aware of this growing issue despite it not physically affecting me yet.
Careful Strokes
After attending the first Calligraphy Workshop session, I was very intrigued when I found out about the second event happening. Prior to taking the sessions, I had never taking a calligraphy class, instead I grew up practicing script. During the first class, I spent most of the time trying to relate the same rules and visual shapes to script and adapting these rules to a different type of pen. While attending the second one I thought more about the feeling of the letters and worked with the pen instead of forcing the pen to do what I wanted it to do. Overall it was a very relaxing experience and allowed me to take a break from this stressful semester.
Myths and Misconceptions
This documentary on Pruitt-Igoe was a very good portrayal of how poorly executed public housing is in the United States. This film brought me back to a discussion that I had in my History of Architecture class about whether housing should be a basic human right. During the discussion many of us highlighted that shelter is a necessity but the infrastructure for affordable housing is very complex when there is no profit being made. Sadly, many of the projects similar to Pruitt-Igoe do not have the funding and government backing to grow as a community. When you think of affordable housing you also have to look at the wealth gap between many of these neighborhoods and how the decline of the St. Louis economy specifically affected the successfulness of Pruitt-Igoe.
What is a Good Joke?
I attended one of the Thursday seminars on How to Tell a Joke: Timeless Strategies for Winning the Room and Getting Ahead. Initially I went into this seminar thinking that it would consist of funny jokes and explanations as to why they were funny; however, to my surprise the seminar was more about joke formatting than the jokes themselves. I did not understand some of the reasoning behind why certain jokes were considered funny, but it did allow me to understand more about the craft of telling a good joke.
Art Through A Different Lens
Attending the event on How to Understand Modern Art, specifically looking at the artworks found at the Johnson Museum was very interesting. Having gone to the Johnson Museum for presentations and reviews in architecture, I never took the time to actually browse through the artwork on display. While attending this event and actually being able to develop an understanding about some of the artwork that has been at the Johnson, it made me realize how much about art we do not understand. Usually when we view artwork we do so from a surface level with minimal context on what the painting, sculpture or other media form represents. For instance, “The Crossing Man” sculpture depicts one element that is not necessarily highlighted but is shown to us through a different lens. I appreciate hidden contexts within artwork a lot because it allows you to rediscover a specific piece each time you view it.
Treme – Black New Orleans
The Faubourg Treme – Untold Story of Black New Orleans documentary was very interesting and insightful. In our initial discussion about why we chose to attend the film session, many of us explained that we did not know much about the history of New Orleans, especially the segregation aspect and the diverse cultural environment presenting in this area of Louisiana. Looking back into the historic lens of New Orleans there is a lot of truth and history that we do not generally learn in school. Looking at Treme for instance, there is a direct link to how community infrastructure is directly affected by the government and devastating natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. The end of reconstruction in Treme highlighted the inequality that black communities faced and are still facing due to systemic racism. Despite the injustice we see the resilience the people of Treme had through expressing their pain through jazz and the arts. This was very special to me because it portrayed how people can take their situations and create something beautiful regardless of what is thrown at them.
Ryan Lombardi Q&A
While attending the Fellow interview conversation between Ryan Lombardi and Ken Roberts, I was able to gain more insight on the two’s history and perspective on education and the Cornell community. It is evident that faculty on campus are very committed to Cornell and the people that come out of Cornell instead of just a ranking. Being a transfer student in the Fall 2020 semester, I was not able to become accustomed to the Cornell campus and community as much as previous years, so this talk allowed me to get to know our faculty a bit more as opposed to just mass emails about campus safety. Listening to Lombardi’s commitment to Cornell and its community made me feel more apart of the community and provided me hope to being more involved next semester when things begin to shift back to some form of normalcy.
Diversity in The Arts: Taking a Closer Look
I had the opportunity to listen to Hassan Mahamdallie’s discussion on Diversity and the Arts and was. very fascinated by his perspective on performing arts and inclusion. Hassan’s talk about the focus on Western art forms and how important diversity is in the arts really resonated with me as an African-American woman. After listening to his discussion I thought back to Misty Copeland’s debut as the American Ballet’s first Black principle ballet dancer in 2017. It was very exciting but also sad that within a 75 year span of the American Ballet that Misty Copeland was named the first Black principle dancer so late in its history. Nonetheless, I agree with Hassan Mahamdallie on his perspective on how making the arts more inclusive is not only imperative but beneficial.
Script Perfection
While attending the calligraphy workshop with Seema Singh, I thought it was very therapeutic to sit down and practice penmanship. Doing this exercise reminded me of when I was younger and I had to learn script for the first time. My favorite part of this session was the continued practice that we had to have when copying the letters from the sheet. This allowed me to have more patience for myself when I messed up and allowed me to take my time when writing out the letters. I think it is very beneficial for people to learn cursive in school because it is a great skill to have and looks very professional. After this workshop, I kept my pen for the remainder of the semester as a token for completing the class 🙂
Queen’s Gambit Ep5
This episode disproportionately portray Beth through her relationships and makes us wonder what the intention is. What was lacking between her and Beltik that neither of them, nor the audience ever felt at ease with? There was a stiffness and hesitation to it seemingly from two fundamentally different hearts and minds that circled each other but never could meet. In contrast, her reunion with Benny appeared effortless, authentic and only ever tense in the form of chemistry. What does this say about the nature of relationships? Even these sharp chess minds have nothing to guide them by besides intuition in something much greater than a game.
Are Chick flicks feminist?
Media shapes culture as much as how we think and act inform what we produce. Chick flicks fall into a light-hearted, romcom category where viewers are often looking for a feel-good time with a little bit of sentiments and lots of laughs. Therefore any cultural movement or agenda pushed through which can be received in ways entirely up to the viewer— a conscious interpretation or a convenient context, breaking the fourth wall or much ado about nothing. This makes me think chick flicks are feminist only as much as the audience is feminist.
Studio Ghibli
I’ve been fond of Ghibli productions since I was a kid. It was so easy to lose myself in delicate strokes of events where I relate infinitely to their naturalistic portrayal of character emotions and relationships. Living in Japan, I came to learn the studio’s steep stance in anti-war movement against the actions and remnants of World War II ideology that led to the most harrowing human catastrophes in and outside of their country. This made me view Ghibli’s productions in a new light, searching for symbolism and messaging in Kiki’s delivery service. I notice that all is done very subdued, in classical Japanese manner, to impart and inspire empathy via soothing aesthetics and gentle narration.
Queen’s Gambit Ep4
In this episode the show’s pendulum makes a full swing to darkness, defeat, and death. In their commitment to fleshing out an honest character, they must allow light into the other side of genius that is crippling insecurity and where being outdone is an identity assault, as well as the resurfacing of childhood trauma in destructive forms when its been bottled up for too long and pacified by past success. Beth’s overwhelming chain of mistakes and devastation, some of her own doing, render this episode the most humanizing of all as we witness a relatable tug-of-war with addiction and cognitive work-in-progress for dealing with failure. Psychological hardships don’t discriminate and intelligence is no replacement for mental fortitude; these experiences serve to set up a path forward where she won’t rely solely on her chess brilliance anymore.
Queen’s Gambit Ep3
In this episode, chess is depicted as Beth’s currency in an unforgiving society that she has no illusions about. As her excellence is recognized on increasingly larger stages, her own elevation is reflected through growing stylishness in her fashion— a new bounce in her skirt, a pop of color here and there, a lightness of fabric we hadn’t seen before. Meanwhile she remains protective of her femininity, as with anything in her life, when she notices the difference between hers and that expressed by many girls at school; she is quite content staying in her own grid, which can be viewed as a trace of remnant defensiveness and social qualm from childhood trauma, or perhaps signs of a newfound courage and attitude towards the future which she is headstrong about chartering in her own way.
Interpreting art
I really love art museums and art history. It was very interesting to analyze these works of art that were also very unique and unusual; I hadn’t seen any of them before. Historicizing art not only makes me appreciate the art and the artist more, it’s also just really fun. It’s like a mystery where all of the clues are right in front of us. It’s really interesting to think that meaning encoded in a piece of art by its artist might be forgotten or lost forever, or never fully understood. This is why I like movies like the Da Vinci Code!
Gift of Nature
Mr. Bittner talks about the significance of land and the natural world. I found it interesting to learn about his childhood and the lack of natural land. Since I live in the suburbs next to a small lake surrounded by trees, I have never really felt the long absence of nature. Nature has always been a part of my life, so I have definitely neglected its importance. After this talk, I reflecting and am planning on scheduling more time to spend outside whether to do work or take a walk. It was interesting to learn that the pandemic increased visitation and support for natural land. I hope that this increase remains constant as the people become vaccinated. In addition, it was interesting to learn more about the botanic gardens. I have always heard about botanic gardens, but I never did further research into them and visited it. I was surprised to learn about all the activities that the botamic gardens offer. Next semester, I am definitely making it a goal to visit the botanic garden and maybe even participate in the lecture series that they offer. As a whole, the podcast provided a lot of helpful information on how to interact more ith nature in Ithaca and reemphasized the importance of spending some time outside.
light but impactful
I only started watching studio ghibli movies as an adult, but I still find them really enjoyable and impactful. I can relate to how everything seems to be going wrong for Kiki. Although the film is geared towards children, I thought the movie did a great job showing depression and the real emotions that people feel when they fail at something. I recently declared my major and am now looking at specializations, so I can really relate to how Kiki is struggling to find her purpose. I find it amazing that the film covered really deep topics but remained interesting and light. By the end of the film, I felt really encouraged and have decided to watch more studio ghibli movies over the summer.
A serendipitous career journey
During this meeting, we had in depth Conversations with Cornell College of Human Ecology Professor Sean Nicholson and Rose House fellow Jason Hungerford who have had impactful involvement with Cornell University and Ithaca.
Professor Nicholson weaved a story of his career trajectory which opened my eyes to new mindset. He cautioned against trying to plan everything out. He encouraged students to find one job that they’ll love- try it for a while and see what develops. Furthermore, he emphasized not to be afraid to make mistakes, prepare well, but learn from mistakes, take risks but above all, have empathy for your spouse / partner. This advice is perfect for a student today. Many Students like to plan, and are starting to feel anxiety about future jobs, career paths and advanced degrees in academia. Once I heard of his serendipitous career journey, I realized some of the best opportunities are not planned. I am encouraged about his love of teaching, at the core, he is a Professor because he is excited about teaching college students. I am encouraged by his journey in taking risks, and being unashamed of setbacks. He was able to pivot his career and try something different. Lastly, his connection to Research, Policy, and the impact of his work was informative and important to students considering Research careers.
Jsson has had multiple major roles in the Cancer Resource Center in Ithaca. Jason took us through a very intricate discussion on Cancer Resource Center advocacy, support groups, and self care. His work seemed to benefit so many lives and was inspirational. In addition, he touched upon mental illness and his work in support groups for Mental Illness. He spoke about his groundbreaking work in the LGBTQ community and the huge gains along the way. Jason’s example encourages one to get involved and volunteer- there are ample opportunities and he highlighted a few along with the benefits to the community. He also is an advocate for self care, taking time off to reset and avoid burnout.
My biggest take away is to get involved, volunteer, and do something you love – hopefully all at the same time. Worry less about your path and work towards doing something impactful that will benefit others while gleaning excitement every day.
Facets of Teaching
I found this Career and Teaching conversation with two Professors appealing because it was really directed to us undergraduate students and very personal. The professors wove their journey from college to academia in an insightful way and offer a perspective about their undergraduate experience.
I am always interested in what drew the professors to their career today. Both have so many similarities that it was uncanny. Curiosity, love of teaching, love of working with students, love of art and literature were among some similarities. The biggest takeaway from this conversation was the never-ending life-long learning experiences that they prioritize. This discussion allowed me a glimpse into the lives of these professors and their amazing trajectory into teaching at Cornell. I am now more appreciative of our access to these renowned professors, authors, publishers, willing to spend time talking about their career and offering us their advice and perspective. As an engineering student, I do not have much in depth interaction with such Professors of art, literature and history. After this podcast- I have a renewed interest in trying to fit in a liberal arts class in possibly Literature or American Studies. This was stirred by Professor Schwarz mention of his Ulysses class.
Another note that I will remember is their travel overseas sparked their interests and opened opportunities in their careers. I understand that the immersion in different cultures was key to their future groundbreaking work in research or publications.
‘Zoom Teaching is Teaching, no excuses’. It is refreshing to hear this point of view. We can still learn in this different medium over Zoom, all of us have a stake in its success and ‘we try to make hope and history rhyme’. I fervently agree with Professor Scwartz ‘no excuses’ position.
Insitutional Change
Ryan Lombardi and Prof Ken Roberts are both house fellows and fascinating.
Ryan described the heart and soul of Cornell very eloquently. He really is here for us, rather than a signature at the end of a logistical or academic email. He is a leader who understands the student experience and connection. Leading during pandemic times- has given us unprecedented challenges. I think this conversation made me realize how difficult it is to lead a dynamic diverse institution like Cornell.
Prof Ken Roberts seems like a catalyst for continued engagement in social movements for students. He has a great perspective on the changing society and working within institutions to align with current social movements. This conversation highlights the intricacies of institutional change and management. In government and politics, Ken has the tough job of making sure the classroom remains a safe place for different political views. Especially now, there exists a wide range of political thought and all have to be treated with dignity. I am excited about the professors’ work and forthcoming book on democratic resiliency and Ryan Lombardi’s support of students at Cornell. I feel lucky to be a part of Cornell and a part of the larger social improvements done here at Cornell.
Work and Dignity
This conversation between the VP of Human Resources at Cornell and Labor Relations Professor solidified the work beliefs I have. “Work is a part of our core”, as said by Mary Opperman, I believe it is part of human dignity and agree with Professor Cornell in this manner. This conversation opened my eyes to the many facets of human resources and human dynamics. The pandemic opened our eyes to many inequities that need to be addressed along with the social justice opportunities that we can act upon. For me, this conversation made me aware of the need for essential workers and the manner of our treatment of these workers. In particular, professor Cornell’s Labor Law Clinic stories are eye opening and sometimes shocking. The need for this clinic is obvious and necessary. I am grateful to be made aware of these fantastic undertakings at Cornell.
Finally, the best advice was choose a meaningful career, choose a rewarding career – for happiness. Do not be solely motivated by the income. Focus on the positive in your journey rather than the negative. This is important in looking for opportunities. I also enjoyed thinking about leadership in your career. I also thought about the expert advice. Best advice- you don’t have to be an expert to lead something- just realize you are not the expert- and hire the best people who are the experts. The key is humility and leadership with human dignity in mind.
Romance and Gender
I loved watching Birgerton, so it was definitely enjoyable to talk all bout it. Besides talking about all the aspects that we loved, we also talked about the messages that Brigerton presented. I definitely did not think about Birgerton’s implications on race and gender when I was watching it, so it was really interesting to look at the series in a different light than a romance tv-series. The discussion brought up really interesting views on Daphne and Simeon’s relationship. When I watched the series, I viewed their relationship and actions in rose-colored glasses.
Dependenc(Queen’s Gambit ep 2)
I really enjoyed episode 2 of the Queen’s gambit because Beth is taking an active role in her life and working towards achieving what she wants. One of my favorite characteristics of Beth is her confidence in her skills and intelligence. During the tournament, she does not let other people and their reputations intimidate her. Hence, it was really heartbreaking when Beth resorts to pills so that she can win her final tournament. It felt like all the work and effort she spent to enter this match was undermined. At the end of the episode, Beth is obviously happy and satisfied that she won, but I definitely think resorting to the pills ultimately diminishes her win and other wins henceforth.
Light Humor (Queen’s Gambit Ep1)
This was the first time that I have ever watched the series. I thought the series used lighting in a really captivating way. The lighting always felt somehow dull and gloomy, which I think reflected the nature of the institution and how they demoralized the girls. The episode presented dark aspects of the institution in a manner that was impactful but not forceful. I think the comedic relief that they added throughout the episode was really important for keeping the audience’s engagement and to prevent the episodes from becoming too heaving. However, the ending of the episode where Beth overdoses prevented the light humor from taking away from the serious issues of the institution.
Fear of failure
Shirley mentioned that when she went to college, she was able to go very young and work her way through with inexpensive fees. I was very impressed by how it made her more confident about going to grad school, because she didn’t have to worry so much about success: if she didn’t make it in academia, she knew how to find other work. This is something that I worry about quite a bit. At the moment I want to go to grad school, but looking around at what my peers are doing and what other grad students seem to have accomplished I’m very worried that I won’t make it in that world. The prospect of spending so much time only to fall short is very scary to me. Maybe I should try to follow Shirley’s path to some extent and start working a part-time job that’s completely unrelated to my academic interests, just so that I get that experience and lose some of my fear of failure.
Humanities lab
The law clinic that Angela talked about seemed like a really powerful experience to me. I’ve never studied law but I can say that in physics, tangible experiments makes the material much more and comprehensible and accessible. It seems like an adaptation of the labs that exist in STEM classes to humanities and social science. For me, this was one of the difficulties in political classes: unlike literature it wasn’t creative and unlike physics it was very intangible to me. I might look for classes like this in later semesters when fulfilling my distribution requirements. I also was intrigued by the fact that these clinics work on real cases. I can imagine how impactful that clinic would be to not only get first-hand experience but to really make a difference in someone’s life, even as an undergrad.
The Cornell landscape
Todd and Andy talked about the importance of natural areas at Cornell and connecting with the land around them. This was something that I never really appreciated until I got here. I grew up in New Jersey, but since my brother lives in Manhattan, I spent a lot of time in the city. I guess being there a while you get used to the cityscape more than the trees. When I came to Cornell, things were kind of a shock. I’d never been in such a vast nature landscape. I guess that should’ve been expected, but in just one year I’ve really connected with the land around me. The landscape of the school feels welcoming, making me feel at home even during the most stressful parts of the semester.
College is a new place
Laura and Christa talked a bit about how they enjoy working with college-aged young adults who are developing independence and starting to explore themselves and their interests for the first time. I have been experiencing this first hand. When I came to college I didn’t really expect just how much I would learn, how hard I would work, or how my interests would diverge. My parents gave me a lot of independence when I was in high school and I didn’t really expect there to be much of a transition. But when I got to college I was surprised by being on my own. My parents had given be independence in terms of not placing a lot of restrictions on me, but this was the first time that I was really acting as my own person and looking at my own interests. Just being in a new environment where I wasn’t talking to them as frequently made me realize that I might not be the same person that I had imagined myself to be in high school.
Career or a side-project
I was interested in the slight difference between the career advice from Jason and Sean. Sean talked about taking jobs one at a time, picking things that seemed fun and just seeing where they go. He mentioned his “biggest failure” was not getting tenure at Penn, but he ended up finding a good home at Cornell. In essence: make your work what you like doing. Jason didn’t say that he disliked his job, but he did say that he found his volunteer work more rewarding and more important to him. To me it seemed like these were opposites and I’ve often wondered which of these paths I should aim to take: make my passion a personal project or a career. One of the reasons I’ve enjoyed Cornell is that I can make some of my side passions into something that I can spend time on academically. For example, this semester I was able to take a course in digital fashion design alongside my major physics and math courses. In college I can do these both, but I’m worried that after I graduate I’ll be forced to choose between these two options.
The right place for me
I connected with the discussion at the beginning about finding a path in college and looking for a career. Ryan and Ken both came to their jobs in indirect ways and I think its inspiring to see someone else taking a roundabout path. When I was younger I was interested in going into literature or creative writing, but as I got older I felt this pressure to do something more industrial and STEM-related. I decided to do engineering and went to college for one year in an engineering school but once I got there I realized that I was more interested in math and science over the practical parts of a degree. I ended up transferring to Cornell to study physics. In some sense I think I came back to my creative roots. The academic side of physics feels more free and creative than the engineering that I would’ve done. That being said I still worry about changing plans so much that I won’t have time to follow a path to a meaningful in depth, but hearing Ken and Ryan talk about how they ended up in a successful place makes me realize that I don’t have to worry about a final career path so early. For now I’ll just float around taking the classes I’m interested in and eventually I’ll end up in the right place for me.
Keynote: Full Circle
This talk had several speakers, but one in particular who stood out to me was Santee Smith, who was also billed as Tekaronhiáhkhwa, or Picking Up The Sky. Smith is a member of the Kahnyen’kehàka Nation, which is located several hours North from Ithaca. This is what stood out to me, since the Native communities I interact with most are from California, where I’m from and where my family originated from.
I don’t know much about Native history outside of California, so when Smith spoke, I was eager to hear about the histories. She touched on the abusive schooling practices geared toward tribal children, which I’d mostly heard about from teachers or online. The part I enjoyed most was her art film: this was rooted in her own experience, and the experiences of her community. Her work was beautiful, and I was glad that she showed it to us as a Keynote speaker.
Queen’s Gambit Ep2
In this second episode there is a very clear intention on the showrunner’s part to flaunt the intensity and magnetism of a chess game like a dance, in the melodic rhythm of clocks punched and chess pieces propped. As if the camera too is fascinated with Beth, it glides around her in lively manner from every angle and distance to undress this enigmatic prodigy who only ever reveals and asserts herself, undoubtedly and unreservedly, when deep in a chess tournament. The real game happens in the moments between play – the pauses where lie suspense and possibility – as players dive and soar in their own minds in real time for the whole world to see, yet across an intellectual chasm the outsiders will never bridge. Ultimately, it becomes that Beth and the game itself are the only insiders as she flourishes in what looks like wizardry to onlookers in and outside of the screen— playing on the trope that genius is forever shown, not told, but with a refreshing touch that so is chess, the heart of the show, never explained. Beth is no longer a one-woman show; Chess has grown into its own character.
Full Circle
After a year of attending LWYL webinars and listening to a variety of panelists discuss their work and impact on society, I have learned a lot about various types of injustice and how people are actively addressing these issues through different means. In this last webinar, the panelists discussed their art and how they hope to address societal issues through their work. While we have seen many artists who work with more physical mediums, such as printing, painting, and mixed media, one of the panelists this time is a dancer. It was really cool to see how she is able to express the story of the mush hole through dance. In addition, she added more visual elements to the performance in order to more clearly convey her story, which was really interesting to watch. Another panelist that really stood out to me was Julian Fisher, who is not only a neurologist but also a photojournalist. One point he mentioned is that we are flooded with information and photos from the internet, and scrolling through phones, tablets, and PCs only exacerbates the short attention span for photos and art. Many people simply glance through images but never really dwell on it for long. This happens not only for digital photos and art but also in museums. I realized that this applies a lot to me; when I visit art museums or other museums, there is always a feeling that I need to see more rather than just seeing a few and understanding those few pieces more deeply. Since Julian is also a neurologist, he mentioned how we could test how the human brain would respond when looking at art and how long people actually look at art. I think this would be interesting to see how the time spent “dwelling” on art could relate to brain activity levels.
Overall, I learned a lot this semester about social inequalities and issues and the people that hope to shed light on these problems and address them. I think it was really valuable to be able to hear from different people and their perspectives on various topics, such as environmental inequality, housing inequality, and much more.
Activism and Social Media
When I think back to the essence of social media, especially platforms like Instagram, they present a foundation for connectivity, entertainment, promotion, and marketing on which we users interact. Without invalidating the good intentions and ripple effect of advocacy through social media, I do worry that the lighthearted if not commercial nature of these outlets dilute the gravity of subjects as political unrest and social debates that we should be approaching with diligent research and reasoning. Do we carry the analytically rigorous mindset demanded in a classroom towards the infographics we browse on social media? Weighty issues like inequity or injustices should concern, not tantalize, while a heightened sensitivity to aesthetics on the Gram colors the lens through which we view them. Similarly, our fixation with soundbites that do well to shock and draw echos tend to drill a stance into people’s minds, effectively reducing issues to black and white. In stripping away the inherent nuance to controversies that made them contentious in the first place, on this platform where presentation is monetized over substance, I think more harm is done to drive apart opinion groups.
Queen’s Gambit Ep1
As many have noticed in this first episode of Queen’s Gambit, the dark lighting and tense cinematography gives rise to an uneasy feeling within the viewer we can’t quite put a finger on. There are abrupt cuts from scene to scene, whereas other times the camera lingers confusingly long on Beth’s unpenetrable facial expression; the quipped exchange between Beth and Jolene is underlaid by dark humor, while drug-use casts a sinister shadow over the orphanage and its pious mission. Beth and Mr Ganz’s interaction can only be described as an angry for no reason, hopelessly stubborn give-and-take with more time spent posturing than an affectionate mentorship. The coloring is dull but weighty, each dialogue piece only leaves more unsaid, and the background music oscillates between classic and horror-esque. These elements of paradox serve to unsettle the audience, and perhaps in its tangled, unexplained ways actually invite us into Beth’s headspace by inducing a visceral experience of intermixed confusion, melancholy suspicion, and dread in us, so we can empathize a little more with young Beth— a brilliant mind in a meager body, a vulnerable soul behind walls and walls of defence.
Rose Buzz with Professors Daniel Schwarz and Shirley Samuels
On February 10th I attended my first ever Rose scholar event, a delightful buzz talk with Professor Samuels (American Studies) and Professor Schwarz (English) that left me much to think about. I was taken by their remark on curiosity as the most guiding force in the shape of their lives: from back in their college days, musing over ideas and works that stirred their minds, to the teaching experience that has since unfurled and been relished through the decades. They described their interactions with students, impressionable young people, as an immense source of learning and stimulation for themselves, that the fruitful and fulfilling nature of which is prime if not plenty enough motivation for making a collegiate bubble their home. This touched me in particular because I glimpsed in them something I wish for myself— a convergence of intellectual and personal desire. When I asked whether there was any part to the college experience they wished to see reimagined, Professor Schwarz spoke on the understated luxury of exploring for exploring’s sake alone that is rare to come by again in life. He reflected on the poignancy of students overlooking and suppressing their inquisitive impulses for a frenzied and fear-driven plunge into pre-professionalism. Curiosity is a commitment that takes as much courage as abandon: it doesn’t construct the most tangible, anticipated path but is surprised-filled and expands our minds in directions unimagined. Thanks to the talk, in times of angst I ask myself to place trust in my curiosity and welcome where it takes me.
Humans and the environment
Friday Film: The Human Element (2018)
Protecting the environment is a very important part of our lives, no matter how small it is. This video helped outline that we need to be more united in stopping global warming and pollution as it will impact others and also animals / climate around us.
Training dogs to do great things
Friday Film: Pick of the Litter
The way people train dogs is amazing — I went into this movie not knowing much about how guide and service dogs were trained, but went out knowing so much more. The people that train the dogs put so much effort into them and will be by their side to work out any issues that they might have.
Relationships
Friday Film: The Queen’s Gambit: Episode 5
This episode really had me thinking about Beth as a whole. Her relationships with her foster mother, her relationships with her friends (which turn out to be very interesting) all seem very complex. It’s not like any one interaction with Bethe was clear cut and boring, it was always interesting.
Delivery gone wrong
Friday Film: Studio Ghibli: Kiki’s Delivery Service
With this movie, I was thrilled by the animation style and story. This girl that goes out to the city to get witch training lives among common humans, and the people we see around her are very interesting. The fact that one woman would even offer her home because the girl was homeless (in exchange for her delivering packages) is great, and I wish more people were like that.
The fact that the girl had to go through storms to get one package delivered was crazy!
Friday Film: The Queen’s Gambit: Episode 3
Episode 3 really showed a period of naiveté in Beth. She was able to get so far in this next tournament but wasn’t able to read the last player’s moves. We saw a much different side of her here, and it really showed how Beth thought of her skill as opposed to how she was actually performing.
Honoring Alma – QG Episode 4
At the end of episode 4, following Alma’s death, Beth orders a Gibson drink on the flight. This was the same drink that Alma routinely ordered throughout this series. While it was a very subtle detail, I think it foreshadows and symbolizes alot. Not only is Beth emotionally affected by the passing of Alma, she seems to want to keep her spirit alive. It also shows us watching Beth continuing on with destructive behavior, especially since Almas drinking habits largely contributed to the decline of her health and passing. It makes me wonder how in future episodes we will see Beth cope with this loss and whether she finds a healthy way to deal with the loss.
How Childhood Shapes Adulthood – QQ Episode 1
This semester I took a course, HD 1170, which explores human development during the adolescent stage. In a lot of ways, I noticed patterns in Beth’s childhood story that may give me clues about what she is like in her adulthood. The series starts with Beth running late and dousing a couple of tranquilizer pills. From this first episode, we start to understand Beth’s dependency on pills in her adulthood. At the orphanage she is given the pills for the first time to control the orphans but Beth realizes its abilities to get her mind focused on chess and away from the pain of losing her mother. One of the main themes in HD 1170 was that every little aspect of our environment during childhood and adolescence have the ability to shape us as adults. I think this look into Beth’s childhood thus did a great job of portraying this idea to watchers.
Tournament
Friday Film: The Queen’s Gambit: Episode 2
This episode had me astounded. The chess tournament that Bethe participated in was amazing, to say the least. The way she was able to get around her ban and get to play against some of the best people in her area was very interesting to see. The cinematography was amazing as well.
Crochet Progress!
At the second crochet workshop, I ended up completing my first row of stitches for the scarf. I was really proud of being able to follow the video and instructions. I did notice some places where I felt like the stitches could look more uniform and consistent. There’s always room to improve and I hope I can spend the summer strengthening my skill. As a pre-dental student I am always looking for fun ways that I can strengthen my manual dexterity. I love that with manual dexterity can be improved in so many ways— not just practicing shaping teeth or suturing. One of the reasons I love dentistry is being able to be creative and productive with your hands so I hope that crocheting can help me practice that before I actually get to dental school!
Trivia
Explore! Series: Saturday Midday Trivia!
I had never gone to a trivia event for the Rose Scholars program before, so I decided to go to one this time. I was really surprised by how much I did not and how much more I could learn. It was really eye-opening, and the people there were all very fun to work with. They created a very relaxing environment for us to play Kahoot.
Chess with the Janitor
Friday Film: The Queen’s Gambit: Episode 1
This was where it all began. The bullied girl that eventually became a chess prodigy started in an orphanage. Playing chess with the janitor is where she got her skill, and this is what surprised me. The fact that one interaction with the janitor could trigger such a story and chain reaction in the girl is astounding to me.
A Blast from the Past
When I was in elementary school, I joined a crochet club that met on weekdays at lunch. It was an old women who worked at the school that first introduced me to the art of crochet and I have been fascinated ever since. As life got more hectic, I found less time to actually work on my skill but have been wanting to get back into crocheting. At this first crochet workshop, I was surprised at how quickly I could recover the muscle memory of chain stitches and slip stitches. It showed me that just because you haven’t done something in a while, it doesn’t mean you’re not capable of picking up the skill or interest again. You’d be surprised at how quickly out brains and bodies can remember your talents and skill.
Changing Times
Listening to Sean Nicholson and Jason Hungerford during this interview was very interesting. There were some really interesting facts that Dr. Nicholson shared in particular that stuck with me. For example, internships were really not a thing in the past but now they possibly determine the trajectory of a student’s career post-graduation and are extremely competitive. In addition, he mentioned how teaching high school is so much more difficult and exhausting than what he does now as a college professor. I found this funny because this logic seems backwards to me. This all really just shows me how much the world and society has changed. Now that internships are a thing and super competitive, I wonder what the thing will be in the future – maybe full-time jobs will be even harder to get? All in all, I really appreciated listening to these great panelists speak and reflect on their lives.
Growth Mindset – QG Episode 3
In the third episode, Beth is faced with her first loss in a chess match. Probably the biggest contrast from pervious episodes that I noticed was how frequent Beth talked in this episode vs earlier episodes. Her speech is passionate and upbeat and confident whereas I felt like in episodes 1 and 2 most of her lines were one or two word answers. I felt like her newfound confidence came with her skills at chess improving. She was now recognized all over the country and had one countless titles. But all good things come to an end and Beth loses her first match, leaving her speechless and extremely upset at herself. This episode showed viewers the importance of having a growth mindset. When you’re really good at something and everyone around you is telling you the same, it can take over your mind and make you feel like you can’t survive the losses. Moreover, when you have a fixed mindset, it can make you feel inferior in other areas and that you aren’t able to succeed at new things. You can see this in Beth’s confidence when it comes to men. While her demeanor during chess games is confident, it seems that her romantic feelings are a weak point.
Beth’s New Chapter – QG Episode 2
In the second episode, Beth gets adopted by a couple who live the apparent suburban dream. However, reality becomes clear first and the couple are completely disconnected and the wife is suffering with her mental health. Beth quickly realizes that this adoption is really a chance at freedom—specifically to play chess. When Beth wind a tournament, her adoptive mother realizes Beth can make them money from winning after they were left by her husband. It almost seems as if the relationship between Beth and her mother is on the basis of exchanging resources. Beth has the ability to play chess and her mother has the chance at sustaining their home and life with prize money. While, it’s too early to tell if this relationship will stay rooted in an exchange of resources, the relationship reminded me a lot of the real world. Whether you’re a student, a celebrity, or a millionaire, it’s often hard to find people who genuinely want to make relationships that don’t guarantee some type of gain like fame, popularity, or money. I’m interested to see if Beth and her mother’s relationship bypass this harsh reality about our world.
Skating with a purpose
When I watched United Skates, I was very thrilled to see how the movie would tackle rollerskating as a theme in today’s world.
I thought it would feature enjoy skating with their friends in such tough conditions, but it turned out to be really sad. The hints of racism in some parts of the movie made me sad and the roller rinks closing so quickly made me disappointed as it really seems like an underappreciated and underrated sport.
Learning About Tremé
The documentary in Tremé was eye-opening to the injustice faced by the black community for so many years. I actually learned that New Orleans was one of the only states to allow slaves to buy freedom, own land, and eventually allowed black citizens to vote and hold office. When the Reconstruction movement was shut down by the Supreme Court, Tremé saw all the historical progress they had made in their neighborhood get taken away from them because of the white supremacy that continues to plague this country. One thing that caught my eye was how jazz became an outlet for black people to keep their culture alive, express their pain, and have artistic freedom. As a former member of jazz band, I can attest to how difficult it is to play jazz music and improvise. The people of Tremé were endless in their musical talent and it shows just how perseverant the these people were even when everything was taken from them.
Timelessness of Jokes
I may be biased here but this was easily one of my favorite events of the semester. I found that the speaker Michael Fontaine had a very captivating presence and I was at the edge of my seat the entire time. His presentation was also very interesting and I learned a lot. Something that particularly stood out to me was that humor is universal. Many jokes from the ancient times are still very applicable today. This is because the principles (exaggerations, irony) are the same, meaning the jokes could likely work even thousands of years later. This was really mind-blowing to me. I will certainly now read Mr. Fontaine’s book as I am excited to learn so much more about jokes!
Breaking Down The Intricacies of Art
In my freshman year, I took a really interesting art history course that gave me the opportunity to visit the Johnson’s Museum frequently and observe some of the amazing art pieces there. This workshop with Daniel Schwarz really took me back to the type of analytical skills we used in this class to digest the true meaning behind art. For instance, with the first sculpture, “The Crossing Man” he pointed out details that you wouldn’t generally notice if you just took a quick glance at the sculpture. For instance, the walking gait was actually not representative of someone who could walk and the sculpture lacked genitalia despite representing a man. He also went into the historical context and discussed how the emaciated body was representative of the global struggles caused by WWII, specially the death of millions of Jews, the hunger faced by those in concentration camps, and the aftermath of the nuclear bombs on the Japanese people. As an artist myself, analyzing other art really helps to inspire me to create more intricate art. I love creating pieces that tell a story and have small details that add up once you start looking closer. Seeing how artist do the same, especially with different motifs, colors, and historical contexts, I hope to try to make my own art more detailed and story-telling.
Mental Health Awareness
I thought this was a very interesting and helpful interview of Laura Weiss and Christa Downey. Something that really stood out to me was their parting advice at the end. One thing Christa spoke of remaining committed to your calendar so you can be at your best. I really liked this comment for it highlighted to me that you need to have self-control to ensure the best success for yourself. I have always really struggled with holding myself accountable, but this does seem like a good way to start. One thing Laura spoke of was separating yourself from your work and not letting it become your main identity. I must agree that this is something I really needed to hear. It becomes easy to assume that all that matters in your life is your work, but there is so much more to live for. All in all, I am really happy to have listened to these two panelists share their backstory and give some really great advice to us.
Climate and Inequality
This was quite a different event than what I have been attending this semester, but it was super informative and very interesting! Many things were said during this keynote, but something that particularly stood out to me was that climate change is not only a threat multiplier, but that it is also a form of additional systemic racism that is ingrained in our society. I never thought of it this way until Dean Ben Houlton shared that in the USA African Americans are 3x more likely than white people to live in inferior housing and have poor access to things like air conditioning which is needed for climate protection. They are also more likely to die from air pollution. I find this all to be very disturbing, and I feel like action must be taken to protect those who are most vulnerable. I think that one way to do this would be prioritizing and supporting these BIPOC communities with the latest technology as this could successfully lead to a new green economy.
Crochet
I had great fun with the first crocheting workshop and had just as much with this one as well. The project that I had started in the first workshop was well underway and now a little bit of time after the fact it is completed. It is rough and has plenty of mistakes in it. But I made it and that is what is important. It is awesome to have something like that which I made. You can so easily buy anything you want from the internet and yet this misshapen cowl is something that I hold very dear exactly for its imperfections.
DIY Old-Time Radio is for Everybody!
I thought this was really an excellent presentation. Nick did a great job talking about how to get set up with a radio podcast and what it means to him. Lately I have been finding myself listening to a lot of podcasts and I have also considered for almost just as long to start my own. I have always felt that there was too high of a barrier to entry though so I never took it seriously. One of the big takeaways for me from this one is that it really is quite easy to get started with your own podcast, and that even if you don’t have any actual listeners, just the act of making the podcast is worth it rom a creative standpoint.
An Intro to Calligraphy
Although this was the second calligraphy workshop as part of the series, this was the first workshop I attended and registered for. I was pleasantly surprised with what calligraphy was. Although I have heard of this art, I have never gone out of my way to watch videos of it online and certainly not practice it for an hour. I quickly learned that my technique was very off and calligraphy is very complicated. I largely practiced writing the alphabet during my time, and even then saw many improvements that could be made. I was happy to be provided equipment for I have been practicing here and there since then to improve my technique. This was a great experience, and has proven to be very relaxing and quite fun for me!
Appreciating Nature
I really enjoyed this fellow interview with Andrew Zepp and Todd Bittner. I was inspired by Professor Bittner’s statement that he himself is inspired by the phenomenal amount of things you can learn about the natural world, and this made me recognize there is much more to nature than I have originally thought. A lot of new students (25%) do not know about hiking and exploring nature so Professor Bittner helped create ithacatrails.org and I have personally used this a few times following the interview! Ultimately, it was very inspiring to hear both speakers talk so passionately about the natural world and I have committed to going out and exploring more!
House Fellow Interview
It was nice getting to know Lombardi on a personal level and I enjoyed meeting Ken Roberts for the first. I wish I took the opportunities given in the past to meet more House fellows because they are such interesting people with unique stories to tell. Lombardi’s background and how he came into his position at Cornell were very inspiring to me. I think his story highlights that your goals might change and be sidetracked but it is important to work at your passion and do what you enjoy. Lombardi knew that he wanted to help kids, and he gave himself the space to explore what he really wanted to do. I want to keep this in mind for my future career goals.
Fork- Queen’s Gambit
I kind of dreaded watching episode 5 and I was very anxious throughout the episode because it’s frustrating seeing Beth always have to face these obstacles and hardships. She goes from being really dependent to being very independent because of the tragedy she experiences. But I guess this is a part of adulting and growing up. This episode also highlights Beth’s character flaw, which a lot of people with big egos also have. She keeps on insisting that she can’t be beaten in chess which actually weakens her ability. This flaw has already been mentioned and I think it will continue to be a major plot in future episodes. I like how Harry gave her a reality check and tried to humble her.
New Orleans- A Drowned Culture
Watching the film was a full-circle experience for me. In eight-grade my school took us to New Orleans and was able to experience first-hand the rich culture of New Orleans, that the film mentions. I was able to volunteer in a variety of ways while also hearing about how Hurricane Katrina affected residents of New Orleans, from a first account experience. I think school curriculums should do a better job at teaching the positive parts of American history. It is very ironic that Faubourg Treme is a historic black neighborhood that plays a large part in the economic, cultural, political, and social development of black America, yet very few Americans know its significance.
Middle Game: Gambit Episode 4
It was refreshing to see Beth come out of her shell more in this episode. It was also relatable to see her try to balance her life because she was struggling with her social life while still trying to be at the top of her game when it comes to chess. The scene humanized Beth and made her more relatable to me because I got to see her anxiety going into the game. I really appreciate how the producers give us a first-hand account of her thoughts while she is actually playing chess. Also, I’m hoping that Beth can experience some more positive things because she seems to be surrounded by tragedies and missed opportunities.
Writing Effectively
Writing is not my favorite activity. It takes me a while to consolidate my ideas. Yes, I am a STEM major, but I think the issue is that I’m overly critical of my writing. I want everything to be said in a particular way. In my opinion, writing effectively means to answer the question as organized and as concisely as possible. Something that I want to start doing more that will help me write more effectively is drafting outlines for my papers. Majority of the time I spend on a paper is answering the question and figuring out what I want to write about. If I spend time in advance creating an outline, I would save so much time writing the actual paper.
Up until this seminar, I never spent much thought on titles for papers. For the most part, titles of my papers are the names of assignments. I realize now that having an engaged title in the beginning already gives the reader an idea of the paper, rather than looking to the thesis to find what the paper is about.
Humans are an element?
During the film “The Human Element” the narrator and individuals in the documentary delved into the different elements that exist in our world and how natural disasters and global warming is influencing their prevalence and activity. For instance, wild fires and increasing sea levels was touched upon. Communities that are in danger of being flooded due to increasing sea levels was also emphasized. This particular discussion struck me because most of the families have no choice but to stay in the region because they do not have the means of simply leaving due to financial reasons. Most of the residents work as fishermen, but most other regions are not in need of fishermen.
Although the varying effects of the typical elements were discussed, I found it interesting how the narrators of the film described humans. It is explained that humans can be considered an element because of the drastic impact that they have had on the rest of the planet. It is because of humans that the rest of the planet is currently suffering, because there is a lack of balance. It is mentioned that a lack of balance in nature can lead to drastic effects and that with humans, that is exactly what is happening. The film does provide hope in saying that with a change in behavior, there can be environmental improvement which reminds me of what was mentioned in another documentary: if we let nature reclaim certain parts of the world, eventually we can restore some of what has been lost.
A Session of Crocheting
Going into the second session of the crochet workshop, I had way more confidence in my abilities this time around. I worked fast through the single crochet and was able to start on double crocheting. Seeing other’s people’s progress from the first workshop motivated me to want to finish the project completely. I also really enjoyed talking to Ferra because she is very patient and understanding. I can’t wait to see what other crocheting projects I complete in the future.
Queen’s Gambit ep 5
This episode is the definition of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Beth finally teams up with with another rival who helps her refine her skills in preparation of facing Borgov. I think that this episode was another step in Beth’s growth because she was able to set aside her differences and work towards her goal. Beth is also a character that tends to refuse help because she believes that being able to overcome her challenges is an indication of her strength and skill in chess. In this episode, Beth has to look past her own pride in order to accept help from an opponent. In doing so, Beth also forms additional friendships and bonds because she opens herself up and puts herself in a vulnerable position. However, Beth also learns the most in opening up because she is able to take advice from others. This episode reminded me of the concept of therapy because it requires the patient or person to be willing to receive help in order to “get better.” In this case, Beth needed to want help in order to be helped.
The film ‘United Skates’ was great. I sat down and watched it with my friend Tolani on her computer. The over policing of the skating rink shows how the bar is on the floor. These communities continue to be over-policed in even the most seemingly innocent of places. This and the closing of the shops breaks my heart and greatly saddens me. Kids and adults deserve places to go and hangout and have fun.
-It has also been crazy to me the large amount of renewed interest in roller skating because of the pandemic, but also the rising popularity of skating due to tik tok and other social media platforms. It makes me want to start skating around.
–After the film, we discussed the film and how we felt about it. I learned that GRF Ferra also is from Atlanta and grew up roller skating. What a small world!! A lot of my birthday parties as a kid were at roller rinks. I love roller skating and feel for those who can no longer experience this.
Queen’s Gambit Finale
The last two episodes of The Queen’s Gambit were probably the most eventful and fast-moving episodes of the entire season. We witness Beth at her worst and at her best. Her worst is after she loses against Borgov, for the second time, and returns home to be by herself. Beth indulges in consuming alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism, but it only seems to make things worse. Beth cuts herself off from society and tries to deal with her problems by herself. It isn’t until her childhood friend makes a visit that she finally pulls herself together. We then see Beth at her best, when she is playing chess against the Germans. It is the first time that she is not relying on drugs to keep a calm and collected manner during her competing. Beth is finally able to beat Borgov with nothing but her natural chess skills. I believe that theses episodes were the most important because we are able to see the capacity at which Beth can evolve in little time. These episodes showed that with the proper motivation and support system, Beth is capable of achieving anything. This also goes in-hand with Cornell students as well. With a good support system, I believe that we are capable of excelling.
Reintroducing Crochet
Going into the workshop I was a bit nervous because I really wasn’t sure what I would remember from the past. Once I started crocheting, I remembered how relaxing it was for me and I kind of regretted letting it go as a hobby when I was younger. The color of the yarn was an ombre of blue and white and it made me more excited about crocheting. The SA was also very accommodating and encouraging which made the experience more enjoyable. She stopped for people who were confused and didn’t mind replaying the tutorial which was so helpful.
Crochet pt 2
This was my first time consistently working on a crochet project. During the workshop we started working on a cowl, which is similar to an infinity scarf. I am proud to say that I successfully completed the cowl after continuing to work on it weeks after the workshop. This is surprising to me because I was initially struggling to successfully complete the most simple and fundamental step of the project, which is making the initial chain. This step took me particularly long and resulted in me having to start over several times in order to get it right. Towards the end of the workshop I was still working on my chain and was feeling very discouraged when I saw other students already working towards beginning to add thickness to their cowl. However, because I saw that other students were able to successfully reach the latter steps of the project, it motivated me to complete the cowl. I think that it was easy for me to find the motivation because the process of crocheting was very de-stressing. It kept my hands and mind occupied during times of stress such as prelim-season. I realized that there are more hobbies that I should try because they can also serve to make me happier.
paint paint paint
My last rose scholars event was great. It was a bit overcast but I was really happy that we were still able to do the event outside. I have not painted in so long. It was nice to just enjoy being outside in the fresh air and paint with others. I painted a small canvas for one of my friends who is leaving Cornell. I am really glad that I got to make something for her to remember me by. I also painted another thing for another friend. Painting is so relaxing and great for mental health. I hope that next semester things are more normal and there are many more painting events. I hope to also paint a lot more next summer.
just joking
This was such an interesting meeting. The presenter talks about the different ways to present things: article, ted talk, poem, movie, ect. We learned about classical learning, and historic events like that Cicero created a movie world. The presenter made a good point that puns are clever but not funny. A pun can outrage people because it can make people feel dumb. I have even struggled with understanding puns and felt unfulfilled afterward.
The presenter spoke on how you have to master delivery. The hardest part is how you hold your face. It also depends on who you are and your place in society. For example, Pollack cant make a joke and then cross her eyes like a clown. Thomas asked about dad jokes lool. I absolutely love dad-joke humor. In-jokes you have to think about your goal. What is the best possible outcome of telling a joke? And then consider: Are you in the spotlight voluntary or are you thrust in the spotlight and trying to get out.
Calligraphy part 2
Despite having attended the first calligraphy workshop and having some prior experience, I found it harder for my to produce calligraphy letters during this workshop. I believe that this is due to the fact that I was using an entirely different pen. During the first part of the workshop, I used the pen that was more firm and did not bend much to pressure (I’m not sure what it is called). During the second part of the workshop, I used the softer pen that is more brush-like. Despite me having previously believing that using a softer pen would serve to my advantage, I found that it was harder to maintain neat penmanship while using a softer pen. As a result, my letters came out looking more messy. Halfway through the workshop I switched to the firmer pen. This made me realize how unappreciative I was during the first part of the workshop because I didn’t think that my pen was the best for me. I do believe that I can master calligraphy with both styles of pen because I was able to do so with at least one. Because of this, this workshop has taught me to be patient with myself.
Interviews
I saw that Ryan Lombardi was doing a fellow interview Rose Buzz and I immediately signed up. Last semester I had an opportunity to speak and get to know Ryan. I learned more about Ryan and some fact that as well that he really wanted to be a band teacher. Ryan seems to really care about students–he even mentioned that his office co-workers can tell when he has just met with a student because it puts him in a better mood. This is what all faculty members should be like.
Ken Roberts was the other fellow and seemed very cool. Ken did international relations and work about political struggles and politics in Latin America. He also helps run the Latin American program. This was super interesting to me because I want to do work in Latin American one day.
Queens Gambit ep 4
During this episode Beth has evolved into not only a more advanced chess player, but into a woman. Not because she is older than she was at the beginning of the series, but because she is conquering bigger and more challenging battles. During this episode, Beth meets someone that is considered unbeatable: Borgov. Borgov is known to be a chess champion that is undefeated, therefore serves as a obstacle that Beth has yet to overcome. Beth seems to gain confidence from the amount of people that she is able to defeat and as a result experiences more character development. Because Borgov is someone that she has not beaten at the game of chess, to her, he serves as a barrier between her and the next stage of life. This reminds me of final exams because they are the last obstacle that a student has to overcome before successfully completing a semester and moving on with life.
The Introduction- Queen’s Gambit
I was surprised watching the first episode of the series. Many of my friends and siblings have suggested the show to me, but I never personally got around to watching it. From the description that my friends gave me, I was expecting something completely different so I was happy I gave the show a try, in order to make my own judgments on the series. The show really wasn’t anything I was expecting. A memorable thing that happened during the episode was learning about Beth’s adjustment to the orphanage. At the end, when Beth takes too many tranquilizers and gets caught by Helen, that was a major cliff-hanger to me. I can’t wait to watch next week’s episode.
Queen’s Gambit ep 2
This episode was very enlightening for me because Beth is finally able to display her talents in chess. During Beth’s encounter with the chess tournament, it was easy to see how the other characters underestimated her because she is a young girl. Most of the other players in the tournament are young and old men. It was interesting to see how Beth found it easier to be comfortable in a competitive environment that is surrounded by chess than a classroom with people that are the same age as herself. Beth seems to be more in-control of her life in chess than her own life. Especially since she has experienced a lot of hardships throughout her life. I think that this episode shows the true effect that hobbies have on a person’s life, in this case it is chess.
Let’s Leave the Term “Chick Flicks” in the 2000s
Although I’m not an avid movie watcher, I enjoyed the discussion surrounding the connection between romantic comedies and feminism. In my opinion, branding romantic comedies as “chick flicks” is anti-feminist. The term “chick flicks” perpetuates a negative stereotype that implies only women can watch these films. Romantic comedies should be for all genders. I think in order to combat this “chick flick” stereotype, film productions needed to introduce new narratives. Maybe film producers are reluctant to change because they think that the traditional rom com tropes sell. Fortunately, movies like “Love, Simon” are changing the idea of what a “typical” rom-com looks like. While this is great progress, this is not enough and more definitely needs to be done. More races, more gender identities, more sexual orientations need to be represented in today’s media.
The Reality Of Housing Segregation
It was really disheartening to hear how some people are still unaware of the issue of housing segregation. Living in Bedstuy, I have seen firsthand the effects of gentrification. From the increase in property value, the pushing out of minority communities to the increase in bodega prices. It’s so crazy to me that people still get upset and make the comment that race doesn’t need to be brought into everything. But this housing issue highlights that race littery affects everything. Professor Collin’s research is inspiring and I hope more people are informed about this important issue.
The Skating Community
Prior to watching this movie, I knew of the significance the skating subculture had in the black community and really enjoyed learning more about the subculture and sense of community that was found within the pastime. The film showcased a history and culture often ignored, and how black-owned roller rinks are being bulldozed and rezoned, and how these communal centers are in danger. Documentaries like this are really vital in highlighting histories that are sadly often not shared.
The Current Effects of Climate Change
Climate change is often perceived as a “distant” or “unreal” problem, but this movie did a great job of illustrating the fact that many communities are already experiencing the devastating effects of climate change today. The film really highlighted a necessary message of how climate change is a persistent problem, that is hurting not only the environment but people as well. I feel like many documentaries centered on climate change focus more on the effects on the ecosystem while this focuses on “the human element” which is necessary for some people to see in order to realize just how much of a problem climate change is. From the families whose children have severe asthma from extreme pollution to the fishing community struggling to make money with rising sea levels, showcasing the human side of climate change effects was a very interesting and new concept this movie delivered well.
Art as a means of expressing change
This seminar was very interesting, and I really enjoyed listening to the artists featured and what their art means to them and to their communities. Art is a powerful tool for expressing emotion, communicating with others, and for advocating for change. It was very inspiring to hear from artists who use their art as a means to advocate for such change. The artists used murals, street art, and gallery art to spark dialogue at protests, online, and in their communities to bring attention to topics they were passionate about. I really enjoyed viewing the beautiful art pieces the artists shared in this webinar and learning about their creative processes when it comes to making thought-provoking pieces designed to spark change.
Gains and Losses – The Queen’s Gambit Ep4
This episode really caught me off guard with how the plot developed. After her loss in Las Vegas, the story skips forward in time to show Beth’s growing frustration with her life and her chess skills. Paired with this frustration and struggle with her current skill level we see Beth rely more on substances, going to parties to drink and smoke and distract herself from her problems. With her ever-growing focus on being the best possible chess player she can, Beth takes up learning Russian to have the upper hand on future tournaments against Russian players. This episode really highlighted the cracks in Beth’s seemingly perfect prodigy image, as her stress and turbulent emotions get the better of her in her chess matches this episode. While in previous matches she would silently be poised and demolish her opponents, in this episode she paces around, doubts herself, and gets very visibly frustrated. It was a good visual cue into how her character and skills are stagnating at this point in the series. However, the real stand-out point in this episode was Beth’s mother’s death towards the end. I’m curious to see how this large change in her life, and the loss of one of the only people she’s really connected with, will affect her character going forward.
Master Crochet
This was my second crochet workshop so I am now a veteran. It was a lot easier for me this time since I did not have to focus on the basics. It was a lot easier to follow along with the tutorial video. I was able to see how to make a slip knot and how to single crochet. I really hope that I can finish a scarf one day and gift it to someone. I think that being able to crochet is such a fun and honestly useful skill to have. I think that it also qualifies as a fun fact. Ferra is super nice and friendly, and I was able to talk with her and other Rose Scholars. Because I was not so focused on the basics, it was nice to feel more confident in my crochet skills and continue to converse and make new connections.
A new skill
I was so excited to do this crochet workshop. I have never crocheted before and have always wanted to try but never had the guts. This was a perfect opportunity for me to try. Going to pick up the materials in my locker I was relieved that I got a green yarn. Green is one of my favorite colors. A lot of the other students in attendance also had never crochet before so it was an inclusive experience and learning environment. We slowly watched the videos and learned a lot altogether. I was having issues even identifying the crochet hooks, and when, where, and how to use the different components that came in my bag. Overall a wonderful experience.
Calligraphy & Handlettering
Practicing calligraphy was a really enjoyable experience for me. I haven’t practiced in a while, but I was happy the skill came back to me after a few practice strokes. The guide that the SA provided was very helpful because it allowed me to practice and focus on whatever specific letter I needed with help. I also enjoyed how it was a new experience for the SA, her excitement and her being open to making mistakes were encouraging. The pen that was given to me made the writing more difficult than usual, so it was a new and challenging experience for me.
Growing from Failure- The Queen’s Gambit Ep3
This episode, like the last two, did a really great job of highlighting Beth’s growth as a character. We continue to see Beth grow in terms of her chess skill, while simultaneously distance herself more from her peers. The scene where the “Apple Pi Club” girls who initially bullied her invite her to a mini party highlights this growing disconnect from “normal teen activities”. They invite her due to her rising fame but don’t actually want to talk to her about chess, only appearing to care about her interests to capitalize off her newfound fame. Beth however quickly realizes how little in common she has with these girls and sneaks out while stealing a bottle of gin from the house. This continued the theme of how Beths evergrowing focus on chess is coupled with reliance on substances. The time continuity in this episode was a little confusing, as I was unsure if Beth was still a highschooler when she went to her Las Vegas match. The main focus of this episode however that really led to new developments in Beth’s character was her losing her match with Benny Watts. Beth had previously been portrayed as very confident in her abilities and reliant on the same habits in order to improve, and having that security in her confidence shaken by a loss is an interesting path for her character to take.
The Queen of Chess
I really enjoyed watching the Queens Gambit episode 4. This is a show that I normally would never graduate to on Netflix. I tend to watch a lot of telenovelas or older shows so this was a fresh choice for me. Beth began to learn Russian in this episode which I thought was very cool. Beth is very talented but she gets frustrated. She needs to continue learning and new techniques. It mirrored some of her earlier matches where she lost her cool. This episode and show feels inherently feminist. Ashley made a great point that she went from housewife and almost a decoration to showing her bad girl side. I feel proud of Beth for standing up to these intimidating men and trying to beat these men in a male-dominated field. I feel this in my own life as a lot of my hobbies and my major are in a male-dominated sector. I do however have absolutely no chess skills or desire to play chess at this point in my life.
Interview Time
I loved this Rose Buzz interview with Andy Zepp and Todd Bittner. I myself am studying agricultural sciences and found this all very compelling. Todd discussed how he manages a lot of lands and knows how many roles there are in the botanic gardens. I loved hearing about the favorite parts of their career. Todd is in awe of nature and recorded an increase in visitation to natural areas because of COVID-19.
Andrew loves seeing people agree and works with a land trust. He discussed how they had to change the way they work with safe processes and cleaning protocols, and how the legal system has closed down, but in general in a good financial state as a nonprofit.
We had a good discussion about how we are all outside more because of the pandemic.
Todd commented on how we get 25% new students every year and they usually don’t notice this resource. Todd also has gotten more freedom in his day-to-day schedule and can bike in the middle of the day because he is remote. I think of how on nice days I took my classes outside, which was never a feasible option before with most classes.
Andrew mentioned reopening in spring and that you can volunteer whenever you want and opportunities for photography that I might take up!
Todd commented on how it was foundational to get kids out in the world as a kid to support social and environmental justice. I agree 100% and hope that in my career I can be a changemaker towards this.
What to do about masculinity
I really enjoyed this event. We were put into breakout rooms to discuss when we first realized that toxic masculinity was a thing. I ended up in a breakout room ith Mikayla who told me about living on a farm and the gender expectations. I talked about my own personal experiences playing kickball and doing sports as a kid, and how in gym there were masculinity and gender norms. Another student talked about the different toys that are given to children. Such as giving little girls toy dolls and giving little boys toy cars.
Sam said, “gender roles are things we are socialized into” which is a quote that really spoke to me. We were asked about what toxic masculinity means and figures that we associate it with. I said that not being able to show emotion, cry–unwilling to show emotion is seen as feminizing.
Sam made a good point that it can also be grouped with homosexuality.
A student shared an experience about how the boys are expected to not cry and do more manual labor starting at a younger age on her family farm. The use of the body for manual labor is a sign of masculinity.
Guys trying to impress other guys creates a toxic culture that can get out of hand. Many guys don’t want to get their nails done and don’t want their friends to make fun of them for being romantic/saying I love you to their partners. We all see this on our fyp and how unnormalized it is. Masculinity differs by race–ex. Black v white masculinity. Nationality is also linked to masculinity. We finally discussed how there is a masculinity and mental health interface that travels into relationships with partners and can move through and cause other victims.
A New Home – The Queen’s Gambit Ep2
I really enjoyed this episode, and Beth’s character development is something that really makes this series shine. After being adopted as a teenager, Beth starts going to high school, yet retains her aloof reserved outlook. One can see that her reliance on chess has evolved to a point where it has become her primary interest in life, as she forgoes bonding with peers or focusing on school to pursue professional chess tournaments. And as her focus on chess continues through this episode, we see that she falls back on her reliance on pills as well to allow her to further focus on this interest. It was also very interesting to see how after Allston, her adoptive father, leaves the family, Beth’s dynamic with her mother changes. Her adoptive mother at first almost seemed to have some disdain for Beth and thought of her as strange, but after hearing how much money chess tournaments could earn, begins to support and bond with her daughter, regardless of her intentions being focused on money.
The history of NOLA is more complex than I thought
NoLA is always something that I’ve been excited to learn more about and visit because of all of the excited things that I have heard from friends and family that have had the opportunity to visit the region. It always seemed like a fun place to visit through all of the snaps and instagram posts that I have seen in my lifetime. However, after watching the film, there are realities that are hidden by the general media. Things that the eyes do not see at the surface level. The film revealed the cultural challenges that black families experienced as a result of racism and slavery. Despite NoLa being known for being the birthplace of Jazz, many white authoritative figures in the past have made it challenging for black people to express their culture freely. There continue to be large instances of gentrification where families, usually of African-American descent, are pushed out of their homes in order to “make space” for higher-income businesses and neighborhoods.Because of this, many may say that NoLA is losing its culture. This movie has only made me want to visit NoLA even more so I can visit the neighborhoods that aren’t pictured on social media and see how life is in all of NoLA.
A New Opening – The Queen’s Gambit Ep1
I had heard a lot of good things about this show, but prior to seeing it through Rose Scholars, I hadn’t got the chance to give it a try. My only prior knowledge of the show’s premise was a female chess prodigy main character, and the first episode alone really piqued my interest and surpassed my expectations. This episode was a great opener to Beth’s character, showcasing her childhood hardships and leading up to how she sought to escape from these troubles through chess. It was interesting to see how her growing dependency on the pills given to her at her orphanage combined with her growing fascination with chess both hindered and helped her leave the orphanage. She became caught in a cycle of wanting to improve at chess, using the pills to help her visualize the chessboard, and then gaining a reliance on both as a means of escapism. The cinematography of the episode as well was very interesting, and the climax of the episode with her collapsing from taking too many pills helped signify to the audience just how unsustainable this coping mechanism was and revealed a hidden impulsive nature to her seemingly serious character.
The importance of teaching
Teaching manifests itself in many different ways. Whether formally or informally, we always need someone to learn from. This theme was especially evident during the Fellow Interview with Professor Schwarz and Professor Samuels. Both professors talked fondly about their teaching experiences, not only from the perspective of conveying knowledge, but from the sense of creating a community. We talked at length about the uniqueness of the Cornell community, and this is definitely true. It is so special to be able to learn in an environment of such smart, talented, diverse minds. Beyond the traditional knowledge sharing that happens during teaching, they emphasized the fact that even in a zoom classroom, teaching and learning can be rewarding. After all, it is about the connections that you make with other students and the teacher in understanding the information. Professor Schwarz’s mention of how he used to take walks with his graduate students really embodies this philosophy. I appreciate Professor Schwarz and Professor Samuels taking the time to teach us about their views and perspectives.
Two Perspectives On Housing
I never before realized how housing has such profound social effects. In the Learning Where You Live conversation, I learned about the impacts that housing can have on how our society operates. Professor Susanne Collins shared her research into segregated housing and how institutions can invest in different housing forms. She mentioned that this shift occurred after the financial crisis of 2008, which I just learned about in one of my other classes. In my class, we learned about the psychology of fear and how this contributed to the panic and crash of the stock market. We also considered how stimulus packages helped ease the country out of this downturn. However, Professor Collins’ perspective offered a new view on the aftermath of the crisis, and how it might have been different if the government had bought houses in suburbia, and was therefore able to regulate housing more closely. I enjoyed hearing this perspective, and learning how availability of housing has such a large impact on our society.
Understanding Our Climate And Our Society
The impact of climate change not only changes the physical world, but also has impacts on our society and culture. After listening to the LWYL cafe, I gained a new perspective on these effects. Professor Shi specifically mentioned adaptation in the context of climate change. She brought a new view that I had not considered before, specifically the idea that climate change can affect the way cities and populations are structured. As a professor in the school of city and regional planning, she studies how people move and adapt to the way the climate is changing. From deforestation to the depletion of coral reefs, these can have profound impacts on the human population, and these can play into the inequalities already present in the society. She mentioned the fact that she views the problem as connecting all the way back to Colonialism, which I had never considered before. In all, this was an interesting conversation that explored beyond the typical causes and effects of our changing climate.
Calligraphy Part 1
I now understand why calligraphy is something that people spend a large portion of their time practicing. It is challenging! My first round of letters took more than ten minutes because I was trying to find the right way to fluctuate the pressure that I was applying to the pen. My pen was also different from the one that was used in the video tutorial. Mine had a firm tip while the one used in the video was soft like a brush. I found myself getting frustrated because I could not replicate what was being done in the video, even with letters for my to trace. After trying the same letters multiple times, I was finally able to replicate what was both on the printed paper and the video. This particular experience was very humbling because I am someone that has never had trouble with penmanship. My natural handwriting is what many people have considered “neat,” so I was surprised to have been struggling for so long trying to get my calligraphy to look neat. Overall, I am happy that I was able to learn the logistics of calligraphy because it is something that I have always been curious to learn, but never had the courage to actually start learning.
“We can fly with our spirit” – Kiki’s Delivery Service
I’ve been a fan of Studio Ghibli films for a while and was very excited that one of the Friday films would be showcasing one. Kiki’s Delivery Service has gorgeous animation and the same whimsical spirit that makes Ghibli films so timeless. I had watched this movie before several years ago, and when watching again for this event, Kiki’s overzealous enthusiasm to begin her new independent life as a witch really reminded me of the college experience, and the feeling of burnout when it comes to pushing yourself too hard in your work in search of that independence. Throughout the movie, Kiki is desperate to prove herself and not be a failure when it comes to helping others with her magic. She takes on continuously hard jobs in order to prove her worth, thus over-extending herself in the process, and finding herself getting sick, losing interest in her hobbies, and even beginning to lose her magic itself. Her magic, in my eyes, represents her drive and spirit – which is what allows her to fly and reach her ambitions. But refusing to rest and set reasonable goals to reach those ambitions leads to her losing that spirit. This reminded me of a common experience when it comes to college and work itself, where outside pressures lead to people over-exerting themselves in pursuit of their goals and losing the drive that got them there, to begin with. Kiki’s Delivery Service reminded me that not pushing yourself too hard and taking the time to get the necessary rest, will allow one’s spirit to truly soar.
Local Music
I enjoyed learning about the local music in Ithaca during the LWYL cafe on Sounding Out Ithaca. I never before realized how many musical organizations are present in this area, especially Ithaca Underground. Hearing the musicians talk about their work and what it means to them really inspired me, as I find it so powerful to see a group of individuals come together to do something that they love. I especially enjoyed listening to Sammus speak, and she described her life growing up in Ithaca. She is now a post doctoral fellow, and I find it inspiring how she has been able to specialize in studying something that she is so passionate about. In the end, it is so important to enjoy what you do for a profession, and this talk serves as a reminder of the importance of finding a community to share that passion with.
Man’s True Best Friend
Before watching this movie, I didn’t know much about how the process of training and matching people with service dogs worked, except that it probably took a long time to teach dogs all of the skills they use. Watching this documentary was eye-opening. I enjoyed watching the group of guide-puppies and their journey through training to be paired with the people they would assist. It’s so impressive how much dogs are capable of learning and how many people are passionate about training them for such a good cause. I didn’t realize how rigorous the program was to train guide dogs was and how only a very select few would make the cut to be matched with a person. The dogs knew how to navigate through traffic, recognize several dangerous situations and help their owners go to a safe place, and even notice how far along to stand on a train platform. The time and effort put into training dogs for Guiding Eyes for the Blind were very inspiring. It was also very heartwarming to see how these dogs have impacted their people’s lives and how excited the trainers, foster families, and everyone involved in the process were to see the dogs succeed in assisting others.
Queens Gambit Episode 5
This was a difficult episode for Beth. Coming back from her loss against Borgov and the death of her adoptive mother, Beth reaches a low in this episode, letting go of important things in her life and turning to alcohol. I was happy to see Harry come to help her with chess and help her work through this time emotionally and be someone to support her. Ultimately though, Harry couldn’t give Beth all that she needed for support or for chess. Beth needed to be able to work through her issues by focusing on herself, but also by taking on new challenges that push her to be better and accept that defeat is part of the road to success. She finds that in Benny, who whoops her butt repeated in speed chess and is one of the only people who has ever actually challenged Beth in chess. Ultimately, this seemed to help as she was able to beat Benny in the tournament. She also made a new friend to help her on the road to beating Borgov.
I liked this episode and watching Beth learn to let people help her and being forced out of her comfort zone in many different ways. I hope that in the end, she is able to use these hardships, experiences, and friends to achieve her final goal of beating Borgov.
Learning from Nature
This past year, I think nature has taught us a lot. Even though screens and technology has increased in prevalence during the pandemic, the prominence of nature has as well. This view was echoed by house fellows Todd Bittner and Andy Zepp. The conversation revealed the importance that nature has for all of us, and how it has been an incredible resource during the pandemic. It was impressive to hear about all the behind-the-scenes work that goes on to keep the parks in the Ithaca area and on the Cornell campus up and running. As we talked about during the interview, one of the benefits of the pandemic was that many people rediscovered their love for the outdoors. The Ithaca area has so much natural beauty, and I was happy that I was able to experience it so much this past year. I now realize that people tend to take things for granted – and the pandemic has reinforced the importance and beauty of our outside. To this end, I truly hope that people remember their new-found love for nature and continue to spend time outdoors, even when we resume our “new normal” activities.
Fun Painting
I wouldn’t really consider myself a good artist so I don’t do things like painting or drawing often but I had a lot of fun with this event. It was good to actually get to attend a scholar event in person and get to meet some of the other people in living in Rose. I was also happy to be outside and take some time to destress at the end of a a very stressful semester. I think that my tree kind of ended up looking like a monster so I can’t say that I’m totally satisfied with what I made during this session, but I enjoyed talking with people and there were some very talented artists here and I’m glad I got to see their work.
Examining the Role Health Plays in Our Society
At the table talk discussion about OneHealth and zoonotic diseases, I learned a lot about how different aspects of health play out in our world. In a society where the word “health” has now taken on a completely new importance, it is fascinating to learn about there is more to what is considered healthy than one may typically realize. I didn’t realize, for instance, that OneHealth takes into account the state of animals as well as humans, and measures how the environment is doing in these relationships as well. Before, I had thought about diseases and their impact on humans, but I did not consider how environmental impacts can impact this spread of disease. I also did not realize the frequency of which diseases can jump between animals and humans. It was interesting to consider case studies such as salmonella outbreaks, and the impact that this can have on all aspects of our society. In an ever more interconnected world, this talk made me realize the importance of considering all possible causes and effects that an action can have.
Royal Life
I enjoyed attending the table talk discussion about Meghan and Harry. We had a fun conversation, talking about the recent interview of Meghan and Harry by Oprah. Many new perspectives that I had not considered before were brought up, such as the impact of the interview on the royal family, and whether Meghan and Harry had talked about this at all with the family beforehand. It was also interesting to learn more about British Royal life and its complex history. Often, the Royal family is seen as an organization, however, it is important to remember that its members are people just like everyone else. Do they have a responsibility to uphold moral standards and portray themselves to the public? How much privacy do they have and should they have? These are interesting questions that we discussed, and it really shined a new light on the complications of being an individual in the spotlight.
Friday Film: The Human Element
This film was very interesting to me as it showed how environmental changes are affecting the lives of everyday people. As a STEM major, I have taken a lot of classes on greenhouse gasses and how humans are destroying the ozone layer. It was really cool and terrifying to see that the climate is changing so rapidly and how it will eventually affect every part of our lives in the near future if we don’t change our relationship with the envireonment.
Career Advice
I appreciated the career and life advice that was shared during the Fellow Interview with Professor Nicholson and Jason Hungerford. Both shared stories of their past experiences, and offered advice about our future. I really enjoyed hearing about Professor Nicholson’s path, and the fact that he also didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do. It was inspiring to hear him talk about being a high school teacher for a few years, and how hard of a job it was. He is someone who has been able to follow his passion, and is now doing research and teaching at an academic institution. This resonated with me, as I am trying to decide what I want to do after graduation. Hearing his path gave me a new perspective on figuring out what direction I would like to go in. The work that Jason does with the cancer resource center was also inspiring to hear about. Both of them have had very different paths in their career, but they both are doing something they are passionate about!
Kiki’s Delivery Service
I always will enjoy a Ghibli film. They have such great stories filled with enchanting character, interesting concepts, and themes of adventure, imagination, and growing up. Kiki’s Delivery Service was the first Studio Ghibli film I saw as a kid so I definitely have fond memories of it. Revisiting it now as an adult, the movie still help up to my memory of it. This film was so great and I love Kiki’s story as she tries to grow up and find her place in a new city and find her purpose and role as a witch. Ultimately, Kiki is a person who wants to help people and will go to extremes to do so. She will ride through the rain to deliver a birthday gift, she’ll search through the woods to find a toy she dropped, she’ll even fly through the air with a borrowed broom and damaged powers to save her friend in a pinch. One of the most distressing parts of the film is when Kiki can’t talk to her cat anymore and realizes that her powers are fading. This worried me so much because it seemed like she was losing her purpose and what made her herself. It was also hard to see her struggle through this. In the end though, it was inspiring to see her overcome this and truly discover herself and find her purpose as a witch and as a friend.
Explore! Series: The Queen’s Gambit: Episode 6 and 7
I loved the finale of Queen’s gambit. It was very cathartic to see the main character become the world champion after working so hard with all of her peers and training so hard. I find the story to be extremely inspiring although had as she had to go through so many tragedies in her life such as the loss of her mom and her birth parents.
The Power of Perspective
Getting to talk with Professor Roberts and Ryan Lombardi in a more casual setting was very inspiring! I love learning about people’s backgrounds and understanding the path that got them to where they are today. For instance, it was great to hear about Ryan Lombardi’s background. He shared his past experiences before coming to Cornell, and it is apparent that he has a deep passion for helping students and for Cornell as a school. After originally considering becoming a high school music teacher, VP Lombardi decided to go into education. It is clear that he really enjoys helping others, and really cares about the students that he works with. I believe it is important to understand where people come from, and this rose house interview was a great way to get to know Ryan Lombardi in a more causal setting. Talking with VP Lombardi and Professor Roberts made me realize that it is people just like them that are making decisions for Cornell as an institution, and it is comforting to know how caring and kind individuals they are!
Friday Film: The Pruitt-lgoe Myth
I really enjoyed this film as U never knew that there were so many factors to consider when developing housing. It’s sad that the city would create these poorly constructed housing projects for people with lower incomes. This film definitely put into perspective how people with lower incomes have to deal with so much more oppression even when it comes to their property.
Faubourg Treme
I have visited New Orleans in the past, so I knew that there was a rich history in the area with a lot of different people and cultural influences, but still, I did not know the history that was taught in this film. When we are taught about history through textbooks or guided tours, we often get a very polished, simplistic telling of the history of a place. Things are segmented, simplified, and told usually from one perspective. We don’t learn about the dynamic, and ever evolving nature of a neighborhood like Faubourg Treme. In most history books, black history is brushed over and seen as a side story to European history, like the French settlers of New Orleans. I was glad to watch this film and learn more deeply about the local history of New Orleans and how a black neighborhood has developed into such a unique community and culture with a history that is dynamic and ongoing even today.
Explore! Series: Cornell Botanic Gardens Hike
I loved going on the walk in the botanic garden! It was a great way to take a break from studying and enjoy some fresh air. I have never gone before and it was a great experience.
Explore! Series: Chess Meet
I loved playing chess with my peers. It was interesting to see other peoples strategies and how we had to adjust them in order to compensate for the time constraints that we put under.
Friday Film: The Queen’s Gambit: Episode 3
This episode of the queen’s gambit was interesting as it displayed how the male ego is challenged by female intelligence. When the main character enters the chess tournament and beats all the contestants many of her components underestimated her because of her sex. Also, it was sad to see her mother take advantage of her talents in order to get money. The mom clearly has her own problems with addiction and interpersonal relationships as well, which will probably lead to furhter issues in future episodes.
Reflecting on the Past, Predicting the Future
I really enjoyed attending the Table Talk discussion with Ryan Lombardi. Our conversation really opened my eyes to all the logistics that Cornell had to consider when deciding whether to open for the fall semester. These are truly unprecedented times, and it is remarkable to reflect back on all the decisions that had to be made, and all the logistics that had to be worked out, in order for Cornell to open for an in-person semester. Our discussion really made me realize that if there is one thing that we learned during the pandemic, it is that we cannot predict the future, and must be open and willing to adapt along the way. This guidance will serve us well as we look ahead to the fall semester.
Friday Film: The Queen’s Gambit: Episode 2 3/5/2021
I really enjoyed this episode of Queen’s gambit. I think that the main characters’ struggle with addiction is a huge problem when it comes to prescription drugs especially when they are prescribed so young in a person’s life. It’s easy to develop a mental dependence on drugs and I feel that back in the 1900s they were given out too freely causing a lot of addiction problems. ITs also interesting to see the sexism when it comes to an academic sport such as chess.