So many people I know have told me how great Zootopia is so when I saw that it was being shown as one of the Friday films, I knew I had to go. I am so glad I did because Zootopia is probably the best animated film I have ever seen.Each character’s story in the film is crafted in such a thoughtful way, from Assistant Mayor Bellwether’s kind demeanor and secret drive for power to Nick Wilde’s past as a victim of bullying and his newfound goal to create positive change as a detective. The message is so simple yet so relevant for our society. What really stood out to me is the film’s emphasis that you can have the best intentions yet still act in an ignorant way so we need to be more mindful of our behavior. The film made me draw parallels between the animals’ world and the politics of our world long after I finished watching it. Lastly, I also thought it was quite clever and humorous how the creators of the film balanced jokes for both kids and adults – such as by incorporating the sloths / DMV into the film.
Author Archives: vzl2
A History Lesson
In this week’s table talk, I had the chance to listen to how the United States has changed over the past few centuries. Seema gave us a snapshot of the large-scale developments that were occurring in each century in the country beginning in the 1400s and how transportation has evolved tremendously so that we could have all the roads and automobiles that we have today. It was really interesting to think about how we are able to make inventions so quickly when we see a problem in our current way of living. For instance, we used to use horse and carriages to be able to move from place to place but Seema explained that because of sanitary reasons (i.e. horse dung all over the streets), cars were invented to fix this issue. I haven’t taken a history class in over two years although history has always been one of my favorites subjects. After this quick and fun history lesson over dinner, I was reminded of how much I enjoyed this subject and that I would definitely want to take some history classes here before I graduate!
Defining a Successful Class
In the Table Talks this past week, we discussed whether training programs or classes are successful if the change in behavior that the program/class is aiming for does not occur. For instance, the example that was brought up at dinner by Beverly was whether a class where a person learned about the negative consequences of sexist behavior but still continued to exhibit sexist behavior afterwards is a successful class. In my personal opinion, I think that if the class makes you think about whether or not the behavior you are doing is sexist (regardless of whether or not you continue to exhibit this sexist behavior), then the class was successful. While it would be ideal if everyone attending the class is able to identify whether or not their behavior is sexist and then is able to fix their behavior if it is sexist, I think that if the person is able to recognize the sexism in their behavior, then that is all that the class can really do. After all, the instructor cannot follow the person around and encourage the person to change their behavior every time they do something sexist – the class can only provide the person with the tools and knowledge and hope that the person will utilize these to stop acting in a sexist manner. All in all, I thought this was a really interesting talk to attend and I enjoyed hearing other people’s thoughts on sexism in the workplace!
Making My Own Creation
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to the Johnson Museum to attend a clay sculpting workshop. The instructor made making the clay mug look very easy – it took her less than five minutes to create one. When I sat down to create my own, I thought I would be able to finish quickly and spend most of the time decorating but it took me almost half an hour just to get the pieces together! One of the fascinating techniques I learned while I was there is that you can smooth out the cracks in your clay by taking some sponge and water and just dabbing it on the cracks. This technique served as an “eraser” for all the cracks and bumps I somehow managed to create on my mug!
In college, I never really get the opportunity to do arts and crafts anymore so being able to get my hands dirty with the clay and being able to make my own creation was super fun. Overall, clay sculpting was such a nice break from work and I felt refreshed after the two hour session. I’d love to attend this event again!
Who Are You?
In the seminar on Personal Branding, it was very helpful to learn about how we should present ourselves online. For instance, one of the things we discussed was how we should speak during Career Fairs and information sessions. I have only gone to one Career Fair and I did not really have the opportunity to speak to many employers. Thus, it was useful to learn that the next time I go, I should list out 10 employers that I definitely want to go to so that I am not just walking around and deciding on the spot which company’s booth I will visit. In addition, Beverly suggested that we google ourselves to find out what comes up when our names are typed in. When I did this, I expected to see my LinkedIn profile come up but it turns out that there are several people who graduated from Cornell (or who are still at Cornell) who have my first and last name. I was surprised to learn that employers would actually search up employees just because there are typically many candidates vying for a single position. All in all, this seminar reminded me to be cautious about what kinds of information I put on the internet and to fully prepare myself before professional events.
Writing Professional Emails
In the email etiquette seminar, I was able to refresh what I had already known about email etiquette as well as learn new methods of connecting with people online. For instance, with regards to the former, I always have trouble knowing when to send a follow-up email because some professors just take longer than others to reply. However, during the seminar, I learned that it is perfectly fine to send a follow-up email after one week. I also learned that you can not only use LinkedIn as a source to find information about people’s work but that you can also use sources like ResearchGate and Twitter! I definitely did not think about using these sources but people definitely do share their work on these platforms. I think it is fascinating to think about how much we can learn about other people’s work just through the internet and I wonder what it was like to apply for jobs and research positions when these sites did not exist. While email etiquette may seem like something minor, since there are usually so many people applying for a single role, email etiquette can really help a candidate stand out. I found this seminar to be super helpful since classes do not really teach this but this is also something that is expected for you to know in the professional world.
Drawing the Line
After attending the genetic engineering talk, I was thoroughly surprised by the kinds of topics that are currently being worked on! Going into the talk, I did not know much about genetic engineering besides genetically modified foods. However, at the talk, we discussed using animals to grow baby organs and the three parent baby (using mitochondrial DNA). I think it is definitely interesting to think about the ethical implications of these topics and how people would react if, for instance, baby organs were actually frequently grown in animals and what it would be like if this was the norm. It’s hard to wrap my head around how much science has advanced in what seems like such a short period of time! I certainly don’t know how I feel about a three parent baby – on one hand, it is crazy that the baby has DNA from three different people and this is a huge advancement in science. On the other hand, does this have negative effects, whether it be biological, social, etc., on the baby as s/he grows up (or does it have an impact at all)? Ultimately, this talk really made me think about where I draw the line for when genetic engineering has gone too far. In some people’s minds, this line may not exist whereas in other people’s minds, we may have already crossed it. I’m not too sure where I stand.
Professionalism 101
Today, I had the opportunity to attend the Professional Headshot seminar where I learned about how to use LinkedIn, how to dress for interviews, and what to say at networking events. I have had a LinkedIn for a while now but I am still learning how to make full use out of it. While some internship applications ask for a link to your LinkedIn profile, this is the extent to what I have been using LinkedIn for (besides connecting with others). I often wonder how important of a role LinkedIn actually plays in your job search process. How much of a difference does it in terms of getting a job for someone who does have a LinkedIn and someone who doesn’t have a LinkedIn?
During our session, Sabrina talked about how to create your own “brand” and how to make yourself stand out among other people. This is something that I struggle with because I always have a hard time coming up with an attention-grabbing blurb about myself that shows off my skills, interests, and also a bit of my personality. It was definitely interesting to hear about other people’s concerns regarding how to act in a professional setting. I almost feel like professionalism could be a course at Cornell because there are so many components to it (from resume writing to how to converse during an interview)!