Author Archives: gd369

Reflecting Upon Valuable Advice

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I have learned a lot from Dr. Julia Felippe and Dr. Andre Kessler’s life stories. These past couple of months have been very eventful for everyone. Reflecting upon my life, I have had some surprises similar to Dr. Felippe and Dr. Kessler, both of whom had no idea where their life would take them. As a transfer student, I had no idea that I would ever attend Cornell and move during the midst of a pandemic. Despite enduring all of these challenges, it is great to be reminded to lead with your passion. Sometimes I forget that following your heart will lead to personal success, especially with the pressures that come with attending Cornell. This event was a great reminder.

I learned a couple more lessons from this podcast. For instance, Dr. Kessler mentioned that it is essential to figure out your career passion because once someone does, they will always be able to make money. A person’s love and expertise for their passion will give them opportunities to live their life. Instead of working to make money, a person is making money to continue working and following their passion. I find that a beautiful reminder that I plan to pursue. Sometimes I get worried about future concerns without dealing with my initial hurdles. This made me realize that I have time and should focus on one problem at a time. Dr. Kessler also mentioned that what he learned outside of school was more beneficial than what he learned in the classroom setting. These summer learning experiences stuck with him and impacted his life path and aspirations. I am incredibly grateful for this event. Dr. Felippe and Dr. Kessler’s stories were not only interesting, but a great way to be reminded of important lessons that will aid me in my overall career path.

Appreciating Our Planet

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Although I was really excited to watch Boys State, I’m grateful for the change in events. I was not having a good week and was worried about world and personal events. I was constantly nervous to the point of exhaustion. This experience reminded me to take things one step at a time. We worked together to create a solution. Acting and implementing change is better than worrying about the past or future. Despite this not being an intentional session, it really helped me manage my anxieties during the rest of the weekend.

Our Planet was truly phenomenal as well. I really appreciated hearing David Attenborough discuss the complexities and diversity of life. These are all important discoveries to preserve. For instance, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, commonly known as the Zombie Fungi, is really important to the ecological stability of insect populations in rainforests. Without these mechanisms, life will drastically change in these areas.

I also enjoyed how he incorporated the importance of biodiversity into the film. Facts such as Borneo losing half of their jungle in the past 50 years is important to communicate. 15 million hectares a year of rainforest are destroyed and used for agriculture. These can never truly be replaced. Hopefully we can understand and take action to save these magnificent areas.

Fun Fall Craft!

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I enjoyed working on this craft with everyone! I was not having a good week, and this was a great calming distraction. The process of cutting out the outlines and randomly placing the tissue paper squares was satisfying. It was a great hands-on activity. Afterward, I did some studying, and I feel as though the event improved my concentration. I’m hoping to incorporate more relaxing activities similar to this into my schedule. The leaf catcher craft helped me feel so refreshed and thankful for the fall!

Hearing everyone’s favorite fall activities was great as well. I loved talking to Karina and everyone else that joined the event. It was a great way to meet others in Rose. I can’t wait for more events like this in the future!

P.S. Here are some photos of the final product. They came out much better than I anticipated 🙂

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Chernobyl and the Director’s Agenda

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This week’s episode was super, super stressful! By the end of the second episode, I could tell that the following episodes would display a lot of information; however, I wasn’t expecting this. I was so upset and frustrated by the plot and the quality of the show. My heart snapped, seeing the firefighter’s wife stay with her husband throughout his death. Hearing that she was pregnant made the situation even more problematic. I have grown to feel for her throughout the film. Knowing that she had to decide between her and her child’s safety or comforting her husband to the grave was tragic.

What made it even worse was learning the myths behind the show Chernobyl. Yes, radiation is hazardous and deadly; however, some details have been portrayed all wrong. For instance, the shot with the man completely covered in blood was more of an art form than anything else. Radiation would not cause symptoms like that. Also, individuals cannot spread radiation after being washed of radioactive particles! Therefore, the wife and baby would not be affected by the husband. This made me upset since the directors have an agenda to make the film as dramatic as possible. Making the film this suspenseful somewhat spreads false information to the viewer. Overall, I would love to talk to the directors to see their take on this play with emotions.

Energization from Yoga!

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This Sunday was very relaxing. Lewis Freedman was very helpful in discussing relaxation techniques. Since this is my first semester here, I just experienced my first prelims week ever. I felt tired and achy and tight within my whole body due to stress. I have trouble regulating my emotions when it comes to exams. This activity really taught me how to breathe and relax. I never knew how much yoga could help me feel like an entirely new person. When the session ended I felt more energized than when I woke up. I’m hoping to take care of myself by practicing yoga more often! I’m really thankful for this event, definitely one of my favorites so far!

The Collapse of the Secret

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I really enjoyed watching Episode 2. The story was fascinating and grew in complexity. So much had to lead up to that point, and the first episode gave a good background. The social component of the Russians finally listening was something I expected. However, the last-minute approach put me on the edge of my seat…

Why was it that the academics had such trouble getting to the governments head? I think this shows the narrow mindedness of the government. They wanted to have control over the situation and therefore believed nothing was wrong, despite the possibly of mass destruction. They should have listened to the experts but instead followed their inner monologue. If many people’s lives were not at risk, I believed they would have done very little far too late.

Seeing the characters progression in the film gave me varying levels of excitement. Yes, I am still very frustrated with some of them, but hopefully that will change as the series continues. The mysterious and anexity-producing cliffhanger at the end of the film drew me in; I cannot wait for the next episode!

Better Informed About the Future

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I did not realize how involved graduate school applications are until attending this session. I am an environment and sustainability major aiming to go into research and education as a profession, and because of this, going to graduate school has always been my goal. There is no other way you can go into higher education without a doctorate in your specialized field. As a STEM student, I have not been exposed to writing criticism the same amount as humanities majors. Although I consider myself a decent writer, I can be very analytical and straight to the point. It takes me some time to focus on more significant themes and ideas.
Regarding applying, I have come to realize that I need to get my materials ready early. I am mainly concerned about the personal statement, although the subject tests and GRE are concerns. Hearing Zach Grobe speaks about his process was very informative. Since I am a junior, I plan on starting my applications in the upcoming months. Hopefully, this session will make the process easier!

Card Making is So Much Fun!

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Have you ever purposely taken the time out of your hectic week just to relax? Or do you forget to put your own needs first like many of us do? The Explore! Series: Card Making Workshop reminded me how important self-care is. Doing a creative activity helped decrease my stress and allow me to focus better afterward. Here are some of the cards that I made! I did not have any scissors and used all the materials given to me. My favorite card is the pink one. During the workshop, I wrote my 8 year-old sister a message since we both miss each other so much. I plan on mailing it to her and hopefully make her smile! But even if she doesn’t (which she will), at least I took time to destress. I plan on making that more of a priority this semester, now more than ever. I can’t wait to join everyone for another activity next week!