Last week I went to a talk with researcher Ruth Magreta. Before delving into her field of study. Ruth made sure to give ample context from both her life and Malawi’s past. Building on her experiences back home, Ruth hopes to help improve certain infrastructure to help prevent things such as environmental devastation and lack of food from natural disasters like drought. Ruth also made it clear that while some people in the US may be able to ignore global warming, in her country, there is no question that the environment is changing.

My favorite part of her talk was learning about her past. As a young girl, she grew up with very little money in a big family. But what was most admirable was her positive outlook on life. Because she had never experienced anything else, she enjoyed the long walks to the market and running around on her farm with her siblings. She liked feeding the dogs and cooking for her brothers. Life was life to her, regardless of what she did not have. And it is this attachment that fuels her passion for change.

As time goes on, more droughts occur because of the changing planet. And when there is now ater, maize production halts. This drop in maize, Malawi’s largest export and main food staple, affects all aspects of life: health, economics, education, and so on. I think it is amazing how fondly Ruth looks on her past, making me almost feel nostalgic for my own childhood, regardless of how different we are.

If I took anything from this talk, it is that we should use our experiences and those we love to push us to make a brighter future; we all come from somewhere, and whether you like that past or not, there is always room for improvement. So dedicate yourself and work towards providing for the future, not just yourself.

Last week I attended the Rose Cafe with Ruth Magreta, a visiting fellow from the STAARS program. Ruth is from a village in Malawi, and is currently a doctoral student studying agriculture and resource economics. I found her talk to be very inspiring, and when she spoke of how she got where she is, I was struck by Ruth’s strength, resilience, and determination. She mentioned many times that, while she did endure struggles during her childhood, she did not realize the magnitude of them until after she had more exposure to the rest of the world. Hearing her speak about her early experiences, it was impossible not to notice her love for her village and country. Ruth was never negative about her upbringing. Instead, she spoke about how her background has motivated her to study maize farmers effected by climate change. The personal connection she brings to her work is so evident, and I could not help but to be inspired by her dedication to improving the lives of others.

I am so glad that I was able to hear Ruth’s talk. She is an amazing woman who is clearly capable of effecting significant change. From what I’ve heard, it seems that she is a force to be reckoned with.

Ruth’s story is so attractive to me, because her life choice and academic path are strongly related to her childhood experience. I am so impressed by her determination, her devotion to protecting the nature (dedicated to agriculture development), and her humor and optimism. I am also impressed by the way his father educated her when she was a child: Respect the nature and do not over-exploit the resources (such as woods). I also love her interesting way of being educated: listen to lecture under the tree, go to the market for entertainment, ect.

I hope and believe that in future, she will have other opportunities to come to US, continue her research and share more interesting stories with us.

When I made plans to attend Ruth Magreta’s presentation in the Rose Cafe talks, I had thought it was going to be a lecture style presentation of her research, data,  and work in the field of agriculture in Africa. But what I experienced in listening to her give her life story was much more profound than what I had expected to feel upon signing up for the event. Ruth Magreta touched on so many aspects of her life from the simple farm life of her childhood, to the importance of education, to the need to protect the environment. She took us through the journey of her life in Malawi and through the many milestones of her life that formed her passion of sustainable practices in agriculture. It was an extremely emotionally engaging presentation that, forgive the cliché, showed that education and perseverance truly do allow you do follow your dreams.

I was particularly struck by Ruth Magreta’s form of stewardship for her environment. She mentioned that this stewardship she felt was one she developed early on as a child through her family farm where she learned that if trees were to stay green and grow for us, we would have to take care of them. This concept of stewardship is essential because it places the responsibility of caring for the environment on us, as animals that benefit from the abundance of the earth. Dr. Kutela interestingly pointed out that the farmers of Malawi do know that something has changed in the environment and have noticed, without any empirical data, that the global climate has changed such that farming is not as easy as in previous decades. I feel that with respect to many other climate change issues sustainable agriculture is at the forefront of the debate. Without proper agricultural practices, people will starve in seasons of drought in Malawi, for example. Addressing this issue head on, therefore, is a first step towards combatting the adverse effects of climate change and ensuring our well-being on a global scale.

…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!

This past week’s Rose Café was incredibly fascinating and provided a snapshot into Ruth Magreta’s life in Malawi. She spoke about her childhood and all the subtle adversities she had to face, yet never considered them adversities until much later on in her life. It was truly amazing to me, as someone who grew up around such plentiful amenities, that so many people often have to live without these things and I am truly impressed and appreciative of not only what I have, but also of all the people who are able to live happily without it. I am almost envious of their ability to not center their life around technology and trivial matters, but focusing on family and more important matters.

I also think her research is very important for Malawi and it is incredible of her to pursue research that would ultimately benefit her home and improve lives of those there right now. It is admirable of her to focus on a pressing issue that addresses the matters of climate change and how its affect is taking a grave toll on Malawi. When she mentioned how people back home do not know what the term climate change really is or about, but they all know something has changed. I think that is such a simple, yet groundbreaking truth. Climate change has affected so many third world countries, and the farmers who must cope with all of these natural changes are the ones who are genuinely very aware of the extensive environmental changes.

Ruth Magreta is truly a remarkable woman, I hope to hear about more of her success that I know she will achieve in the future.

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.

At last week’s Rose Cafe, Ruth Magreta shared with us her incredible life story. Growing up in a small village in Malawi, she had no reason to believe other places in the world were vastly different from her surroundings. She lived a happy life with her family and her town, making the most of her situation by attending school and eventually going off to university. It was then that she truly began to realize how different other parts of the world were, and how she could use her education and her passion for agriculture to make a difference and help her country.

Ruth was very insistent that she did not regret her childhood and that she was happy, and I believe her. It is difficult for me to imagine what her life must have been like, as I grew up in completely different circumstances. Listening to her talk about her early life and her reaction to coming to the United States helped me realize that I may have been just as unaware of other people’s lives in my childhood as Ruth was in hers. Despite the instant access to information we have thanks to the Internet, I realized that I have never seriously considered what it must be like for people to live outside of the United States. I am much more locked into my local surroundings than I had known, and listening to Ruth’s story made me take a moment to broaden my perspective. And after seeing how she has striven to make the most of her education, I am further motivated to use what I learn at Cornell for social, rather than just personal, good.

Oftentimes when examining an impoverished area, we allow our own experiences and perspectives to seep into the analysis. While running water and electricity may seem normal and expected to us, privileged individuals, those living in poverty have never experienced such luxuries. Ruth Magreta’s experience and presentation helped actualize my privilege and what I take for granted. Beyond that, Ruth’s lightbulb moment helped put in perspective the reality of diminishing resources and the effort necessary on our part to keep alive what we seem as a norm. I really appreciate the scholars taking time out of their busy schedules to speak with us and share their experiences.