Welcome, Cole Johnston ’20!

To start off, tell us a little about yourself and how you ended up here at Cornell.

I am a 23-year-old who graduated from Cornell in 2020. I grew up in a town of 9,000 people called Eagle Point in Southern Oregon. My childhood was a classic rural experience—I grew up with hundreds of cousins in a very agriculture-oriented family. I took out a small loan in 7^th grade and used that money to start purchasing my own livestock. By my senior year of high school, I had made enough money to pay for my first-year college expenses by raising and selling sheep and swine. Attending a university isn’t common in my hometown and my family and I didn’t even realize Cornell existed until my college counselor suggested applying my senior year of high school. I became a first-generation college student shortly thereafter and was taken for a life-changing ride by this incredible institution we call our Alma Mater.

What skills and experiences are you bringing to Alumni Affairs?

As an undergraduate, I worked as a Senior Information Specialist for Cornell’s Department of Visitor Relations and as a Facilitator for Cornell’s Intergroup Dialogue Project. I’ve had the opportunity to connect one-on-one with many thousands of current and prospective students, alumni, parents, staff, administration and faculty members about everything from their future aspirations to their Cornell identities and their backgrounds. I also have extensive international experience, having travelled with Cornell to Israel-Palestine and India, and having interned in Uganda for a rural development nonprofit. These professional experiences have equipped me with the skills to communicate Cornell’s brand to our alumni constituencies through a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens. This is especially important as our university continues to cultivate a multidimensionally diverse student body.

What things are you looking forward to in your new role?

The summer after my sophomore year I attended my first Reunion as a campus tour guide. After giving a bus tour to my all-time favorite group (I believe they were the class of ’52), an alumnus from the tour approached me about the Pride band I was wearing. He asked me about what it was like being an LGBT+ student at Cornell in 2018 and shared with me that he had helped to found the first gay rights organization on our campus. We cried together over the people we had lost and rights we had gained since those early days. This was an incredible moment for me; I will never forget it. This position in Diversity and Regional Programs is an opportunity for me to continue doing what I love—connecting with many different types of people as I learn about their lived experiences and support them on behalf of the university. Cornell alumni have this incredible drive and passion for both the University and the world at large. From philanthropic events like Giving Day to fostering connections through Cornell Global Mixers, we are a part of something exceptionally special as alumni of the first American university.

Let’s finish up on a lighthearted tone. If you were a building on the Ithaca campus, which one would you be and why?

I would be the Jennie McGraw Clocktower. I am very tall, boisterously loud, love to be the center of attention, and have a bad habit of disturbing my friends when they’re studying in Olin. All jokes aside, I also admire Jennie McGraw immensely—her story is a sad one, but her commitment to education for all and her desire to share all her wealth with those in need is something very commendable.