…would smell as sweet.

That was the greatest lesson I learned from Ruth Magreta’s Rose Cafe presentation, “Never a Rose Without Thorns.” She described a childhood that we would hardly call glamorous nowadays, but one  she viewed – and still views – as a highly positive experience. “It was fine,” she repeated throughout the evening, not in the way that we say “fine” when we’re asked how we’re doing, but in a way that made clear she had never expected or wanted more from her childhood. Life was simple: children went to school; everyone looked forward to market days on Saturday; and family life revolved around chores, farmwork, and the simple act of living. There were tragedies – floods, for instance – but for the most part, “It was fine.”

But things would not stay fine, as Ruth discussed. The trees and bushes are disappearing in her village, the population is rising, and people are starving to death. Ruth acknowledged the importance of her education, as it allowed her to not only see these devastating changes in her hometown, but also gave her the means by which she could try to counter them. She didn’t have to stand by helplessly as people suffered; she could take action through her research and repay the village – and the country – which had gifted her the defining experiences of her childhood. She didn’t go to a big, fancy research university like Cornell, and she didn’t have to. Education is an accomplishment and a benefit at any stage of the process.

One thing Ruth mentioned in her presentation was the fact that many girls as young as 13, 14 years of age drop out of school due to pregnancy or marriage, and there seemed to be an implication that too many of these marriages fail, in the disfavor of the women, who then become solely responsible for the needs of the children. One of the most discouraging moments was when Ruth described a conversation with her close friend, in which her friend asked, “Ruth, why didn’t you tell me there was this other life out there?”

Ruth Magreta is inspiring not only because of her drive to help other human beings, and her contributions to the fields of agricultural science, environmental science, and economics; to me, she is inspiring also because she is one of the many women who has put her name out there in academia as a force to be reckoned with, and in a traditionally patriarchal society no less. She pushed through, completed her education, and still refused to leave her village in the dust. Hearing her speak was incredibly humbling, and I’m so excited to see where her work will lead, for the sakes of her people and the entire world.

P.S. To anyone who has the opportunity to attend her dinner conversation this Thursday (9/28), I am insanely jealous that you don’t have a prelim at the same time, and hope one of you can use one of your comments for this semester to tell me how it goes!