The Rose Cafe led by Ruth Magreta was eye-opening because it highlighted all of the privileges and conveniences we have living in the US and attending university, let alone one like Cornell. As she drew comparisons with her home country of Malawi, there were several comparisons that I found most striking.

-In the US we treat education as an expectation and something we are entitled to receive. In other countries such as Malawi, education is a privilege, and is necessary for any upward mobility and a better quality of life.

-One of the strongest comments Ruth made was that in America we discuss global warming and climate change as as theoretical concept. In Malawi, where most of the economy relies upon agricultural production, the people literally see the effects of climate change and for them it is a matter of life or death. This observation really helped ground the importance of the conversations we have about climate change, and that it’s more than just a hot topic or a thought game.