I came to Ithaca four or five years ago with my family, long before I came to Cornell. We came to see the gorges, the lakes, the wineries, and the Farmers’ Market. Cornell was just a subtext, but I think my parents were using the trip as some sort of subtle motivation early in high school. We did take a tour of the school but the entire time I was adamant that I did not want to come here. Born and raised in England but displaced to the United States, I wanted to return to a British university because I thought that is what would make me happy. And so, for the years leading up to me coming here, the Farmers’ Market was my fondest memory of Ithaca.
Naturally, over time the Farmers’ Market has begun to occupy a special place within Ithaca. It has become a reminder of my family and for that time before college when I wasn’t certain of what direction I was going. Cornell and Ithaca at once seemed like such an unachievable goal, but now I’m here, every time I go to the Farmers’ Market I realize how far I’ve come.
This trip to the Farmers’ Market was the first one I got to do with people I knew. I had been several times for programs last year with people I didn’t know very well. This time, I could share what I tasted and saw with a group of other Rose Scholars. I was surrounded by people that I had become friends with and I understood at that point I was where I was meant to be.