During the Rose Café, Stephan Schmidt came in to have a discussion with us about city planning. During the discussion, he had everyone in the room talk about where they were from and classify their hometowns as being rural, suburban, or urban. It was interesting to hear about the different places that everyone was from and how they saw their hometowns. I never really thought too much about where I was from and how I would describe it. I grew up twenty minutes right outside of Seattle. I thought that where I grew up was in between urban and suburban. My hometown is different from the Seattle downtown area. Even within a small radius, there are many different neighborhoods. Also, my hometown is very different from Ithaca. It was interesting to hear about where other people grew up and how they may be similar or different from where I grew up. It was also interesting to hear why people classified their hometowns as urban, suburban, or rural because it seemed like many people talked about transportation as a reason. City planning is very important because every town, city, and neighborhood have different needs, and it is important to address their specific needs. We are in some way affected by our surroundings. My hometown did shape me as a person. I want to learn more about city planning, and specifically how city planners go about addressing issues within a community.
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Cornell’s Collegetown Construction
During the Wednesday Café, John Schroeder came in to talk to us about the construction going on around Cornell. He brought in large maps of what Cornell looked like in 1882 for everyone to look at while he discussed housing at Cornell. He talked about how Cornell students at that time did not live in dorms. I learned that the reason the Cornell campus gates are located at the end of Eddy Street is because students used to walk behind Cascadilla to get to classes. He also talked about why the apartments in college town are so expensive. He also touched on when approving the construction of new buildings in college town, they would like the new buildings to match the look of some of the older ones. It was interesting to learn about Cornell’s history and how the apartment prices in college town got to the point at which they are now. Whenever I go to college town, I see the new buildings, which are beautiful and seem like very nice places to live. After attending this Rose Café, I have a better understanding of the construction that is happening in college town and the process behind these new constructions.
Tips on Hair Care and More
During the Rose Café on Wednesday, Nicholas Carbonaro came to talk to us about how to look our best. He talked about when you are confident in an interview, it will show. He also talked about how everything is connected like when you are stressed, it will show. He also gave individualized tips on what to do with certain hair concerns to people who also attended the café. In the future, I will definitely make sure that I take better care of myself because it is easy to get carried away with prelims and problem sets and forget to take good of myself. I will also try to make sure that I am getting enough sleep and that I am drinking enough water. The next time that I need a hair cut or need tips on how to look good in an interview, I will go to the Julie Stone Salon to see him.
Rose Dining Hall Food
During the Rose Café on Wednesday, Chef Hans came and talked about the food that he makes in the Rose Dining Hall. He discussed how he uses fresh ingredients in the food in Rose. Also, instead of using pre-cut vegetables, the vegetables are cut in house. The fresh ingredients used make each meal really good. He talked about how he changes the menu depending on if people are liking certain things or not and if the person making the food is too stressed. He also touched on experimenting with foods during house dinner, which is always delicious. I never really thought about how much work goes into cooking each meal, and the amount of thought and preparation there is to them. I really appreciate everyone who works in the dining halls. I will make sure that every time I go to any one of them I will say thank you to the people who work there.
Stereotypes are also Fake News
During the Wednesday Rose Café, Professor Schwarz had a discussion with the group about fake news. He discussed fake news in media outlets and as well as in our daily lives. The topic that he discussed that really stood out to me was that fake news extends beyond the newspapers and that stereotypes are also a form of fake news. Before the café, I usually associated fake news with the news, and I never thought about fake news as stereotypes. But after the conversation, it makes sense that stereotypes are fake news because when people stereotype, they spread false information about a group. This is something that I will become more aware of in the future and will do what I can to stop it. We may not be able to change the fake news that are written in the newspapers, but we can change the fake news that we say in our everyday lives and start to make a change there.
The Power of Education
During the Wednesday Rose Café, Ruth Magreta gave a presentation about Malawi and her research on maize. The part of the presentation that had a lasting impact on me was when she talked about education. She talked about her experience going to primary school, secondary school, and university in Malawi. The part when she talked about believing in education and her conversation with her friend stuck with me. Through her presentation, it was clear that she cares about her country and wants to help it through her research. It inspired me to believe more in education myself and to take more advantage of the opportunities that are given to me at Cornell. The knowledge that I will gain from my classes will help me immensely in the future. I should focus more on enjoying what I am learning rather than what my grade in the class will be because in the future I am going to remember what I learned and not necessarily the grade I got in the class. Her presentation also inspired me to embrace learning more not just in the classroom, but also outside of it. I want to join more clubs and be more involved in the Cornell community because I can learn valuable life skills through all my experiences at Cornell. Lastly, I hope to find what I am truly passionate about at Cornell and to have the courage to pursue it fearlessly in the future.
Learning about the Gardens
On Saturday, I had the opportunity to tour the Cornell Botanic Gardens, specifically the area around the Nevin Welcome Center. Since being at Cornell, I have not gone to any parts of the gardens, so I was excited to go. When we arrived, I was amazed by the beauty and serenity of the gardens. I felt calm being there. I enjoyed being surrounded by the plants, trees, and flowers. On the tour, I learned about the history of the gardens and the plants growing in them. One of the most interesting things that I learned about was the Flower Garden and the language of flowers. Being on the tour reminded me how much fun learning can be and that it does not have to be sitting in a lecture hall. It also reminded me how large the Cornell campus is and how much of it I have not seen yet. The tour sparked my interest in getting outside more and seeing other parts of Cornell and the Cornell Botanic Gardens. In the future, I will definitely visit the gardens more often to destress and spend more time learning about the plants, trees, and flowers there.
Understanding the Gothics
I attended the Rose Café last Wednesday. It was nice to know that people within Rose House really want us to have a good experience while living here. They are open to feedback and constantly trying to improve everyone’s experience in the Rose Scholar Program and in the House.
One of the concerns that was mentioned during the conversation was the bathrooms in the Gothics. It lead to a conversation about the Gothics as a whole. It was interesting to learn about the Gothics and the reasons behind why they are in the state they are now. I did not know that Founders Hall is over a hundred years old or that the Gothics are protected and cannot be torn down. I also did not know that there were plans to renovate them that did not happen. These reasons are not well known among the residents. Once I knew the reasons why, I had a better understanding and more open mind about living in the Gothics. I understand that the community does care about the residents and their experience.