As a fitness monitor at Cornell Fitness Centers, I actually had the pleasure of spotting Professor Schwarz almost every week at the Teagle gym, and I can honestly say I’ve never seen a gentleman as old as himself (74, as he often reminded me) bench press as much weight as he regularly did (175 pounds–his own body weight!) Because of our weekly interaction in the weight room, I grew fond of Professor Schwarz and all the new bits of random, but interesting information, he would bring in with him every Tuesday. So as you can imagine, it pleased me a lot to hear that he was going to be the speaker in the Rose/Becker Cafe this past Wednesday.

The talk that he gave about succeeding while in college came at a really good time–for me, at least. He gave the audience several tips that he knew would help us, as college students, make our post-secondary education experience the best one possible. One thing in particular that he mentioned, that I’d actually been trying to figure out whether or not I wanted to pursue, was studying abroad. “Do it,” I remember him saying. “Just do it; it will be one of the best experiences of your life, and you won’t regret it.” Though not many pre-med students actually do study abroad, I’ve had an interest in it since I was still in high school, and hearing Professor Schwarz explain what a good time he had during his time abroad more or less solidified my desire to do so, as well.

Another thing that really stood out to me was his “three R’s: resilience, resourcefulness and resolve.” I felt that there was no other way to list three of the major themes necessary to succeed in school, especially at one like ours. And even though the semester has only just begun, I’ve already felt myself burning out–falling into the “sophomore slump,” I guess–and this particular piece of advice didn’t fall onto deaf ears; in fact, I felt it was just what I needed to remind myself that no, school isn’t easy, but if I put forth the work, give in the time and set my mind to it, it won’t be half as bad as I think.

Additionally, near the end of his talk, Professor Schwarz gave five quick bullet points for us to remember: do something fun everyday, stay physical, take care of yourself emotionally, keep a journal, and laugh a lot. I won’t lie, I thought these points were fairly cliche, but nevertheless, they still encouraged me the way I’m sure he meant them to do. Then, as he was preparing to take questions, he reminded us that “everyone finds a place, and everyone makes a space,” a friendly phrase meaning that all students at Cornell will eventually find where they belong and have a positive influence somewhere in our school. Overall, hearing Professor Schwarz speak was definitely inspirational, and I’m especially glad he recognized me as his “favorite Teagle spotter.”