It was nice getting to talk with Vice President Ryan Lombardi tonight. I appreciated how open he was with talking about Cornell’s plans for the spring. He said that he estimates around 90% of the student body to be back on campus next semester, compared to 73% this semester. I am studying remotely this semester, so hopefully I will be able to be part of the 90% that returns next semester. He talked a little bit about what classes might look like in the future; he expects that there will be more in-person classes next semester, but it will still be up to the professors as to whether or not they want to teach in person. He shared that there will probably be a virtual rush for Greek organizations, as well. It meant a lot to me that he asked for our input on breaks. I personally have been feeling somewhat overwhelmed due to the lack of a substantial break, so having more days off would be great for the spring, especially since it will be a longer semester. However, I understand that it would be hard to have a longer break since the majority of COVID cases have been as a result of travel. It was nice to hear the thoughts of other students with varying perspectives, from transfer students to international students and student athletes. It was also nice to know more about Dr. Lombardi as a person. He mentioned that he went to college in Pennsylvania, his daughter plays ice hockey, and that New York is the eighth state he’s lived in so far. Cornell’s administration can feel very distant, so I enjoyed getting to hear from an administrator in this setting.
Author Archives: lam376
Relaxing Friday Film
This week, we weren’t able to watch “Boys State,” so we watched the jungle episode of “Our Planet.” I had no idea that the jungle was home to so many interesting and unique animals. I enjoyed learning about animals of all shapes and sizes, from gorillas and pitcher plants to eagles and leafcutter ants. I thought the segments about the treeshrew and the black sicklebill were especially cool. It amazes me that the treeshrew can hop from plant to plant with such grace. For some reason, it seems like the treeshrew shouldn’t be able to jump as high or as far it actually can because of its small size, but it does so with ease. Watching the mating dance of the black sicklebill was entertaining. I didn’t know animals could change eye color like that at all. The narration also made everything easier to understand. I’m Filipino, so it was interesting hearing about the Philippines in this film. It saddened me to know that over 90% of the rainforest has vanished. It was interesting learning about the Philippines eagle; normally, when I think of eagles, I think of the United States, not the Philippines. Watching this film motivates me to support conversation and preservation causes to stop deforestation. I believe these amazing creatures should not go extinct because of human activity.
Fellow Interview with Julia Felippe and Andre Kessler
I enjoyed getting to know Dr. Julia Felippe and Dr. Andre Kessler this week! Like in previous weeks, a lot of what they said resonated with me, from how they found their academic passions to their personal interests. For example, Dr. Felippe said that she developed a passion for working with animals early on in life and that this passion was kind of inexplicable. Dr. Kessler knew he wanted to be a biologist in fourth grade and noted that this determination saved him from making mistakes later on in life. I knew I wanted to study math from a young age, so it was nice to hear about their academic experiences growing up. It was also nice to hear about the fellows’ lives outside of the United States. For example, Dr. Felippe was born in San Paolo, Brazil, and Dr. Kessler grew up in Germany. I was born in the Philippines, so I found that I was able to connect with the fellows because we are all immigrants. I learned a lot about the countries they came from, too. I had no idea that in Brazil, it is commonplace to go to professional school right after school or that in Germany, students were recruited to join the military in tenth grade. I appreciated the career advice they gave, as well. Dr. Felippe said that your career is something you make throughout your life, not the result of one decision you make in college. I will definitely keep this advice in mind so that I don’t limit myself in what I can do in the future.
Social Justice on America’s Campuses
The panel with Dr. Ajay Nair, President of Arcadia University, and Steven Bradley, Professor of African American Studies at Loyola Marymount University, was very compelling. I learned a lot about the steps students, faculty, and university administrators can take to unpack and overcome institutional racism, despite the fact that many of these universities were not founded with the intent of educating a diverse student body. Dr. Nair brought up a great point about how colleges should leverage their resources for social justice and as much as they leverage their resources for research and other academic initiatives. Universities cannot afford to not do the right thing, financially and morally. I agreed with how the onus should be put on university administrators to uphold social justice in equitable ways instead of distancing the university from racial injustices that occur outside of campus. Professor Bradley also brought up a great point about how administrators cannot put all of the responsibility on the students’ backs to create change within their institutions. Furthermore, students should be listened to instead of silenced; it is hypocritical to claim to want to create the future leaders of the world but then get uptight about how students are protesting. College should be students’ home away from home and university leaders should be held accountable for upholding these values. Dr. Nair said that as a leader, we don’t see success until we advance our goals, and I want to take what I learned in this event to create meaningful change in the spaces I inhabit on campus. As a leader in a few organizations at Cornell, I want to develop frameworks to advance diversity and inclusion in my own way, with the hope of creating more just and equitable spaces for my peers.
Great Conversation with Chris Alabi and Nilay Yapici
It was great getting to know Professors Nilay Yapici and Chris Alabi this week. I found that I identify a lot with them on a personal and intellectual level. For example, Professor Yapici came to the United States from Turkey, and Professor Alabi is from Nigeria. I immigrated to the United States from the Philippines when I was young, so hearing about some of the challenges of adjusting to a new country resonated with me. I also enjoyed hearing about Professor Yapici’s love of neuroscience. I thought it was really interesting how she was partially inspired to study the brain after watching “The Matrix.” I loved her quote about how the more we learn about the brain, the more we realize we don’t know. Her passion for neuroscience inspires me to want to take a course in neuroscience sometime before I graduate. I also liked hearing about Professor Alabi’s love of engineering and learning. I was also really passionate about math growing up, so I appreciated his energy regarding the subject. What he said about research inspires me to think about doing research for math in the future or going to graduate school.
Learning ASL for the First Time
I had always wanted to learn more about sign language, so this event was a great opportunity for me. I had fun learning how to say the alphabet, introductions, majors, and other random words. It was really interesting to learn little bits of information like how facial expressions are part of the grammar of ASL or how Harvard, Yale, and Princeton based their signs off of the signs for “king,” “queen,” and “prince.” I liked how some of the signs are based on real-world actions, like how the sign for science looks like pouring chemicals out of two beakers. I also think it’s cool how sign language takes advantage of spatial relations. For example, I would gesture to you, then to me, if I wanted to ask “Can you help me?” Learning ASL made me admire the language more. For example, we talked about how some people have their own sign to represent their name versus spelling their name out letter by letter. However, in order to get this sign, it has to be given to you by a member of the deaf community; you can’t just make it up yourself. This helped solidify American Sign Language in my mind as not just a language, but part of a whole culture. In general, learning ASL made me appreciate the deaf community more.
Discovering My Superpower
I was very glad to have attended the Table Talk this week on how I can leverage my individual strengths to further my career and find my purpose in life. This event allowed me to do some much-needed self-reflection regarding what I am looking for in a job and how I can achieve the goals I have set for myself for the next year. I realize I have a strong desire to help others, which manifests itself by wanting to establish connections between people. Two ways I can do this are by bringing people together to form a community around a common interest or by fostering individual connections with others through education. If I am able to establish connections between people like this, I will be able to leverage my strengths of diligence, determination, and organization. One of my goals this year is to find an internship for the summer and because of this workshop, I feel like I have taken a big step toward that goal. It was also really nice getting to know more about the other people in the call, such as what their passions, strengths, and goals are. I still have a lot more self-reflection to do, but I feel much more confident in my ability to communicate and identify my strengths in a professional setting now.
Our Social Dilemma
The documentary, “The Social Dilemma,” was eye-opening. I knew that our data was being mined on social media, but I had no idea how intrusive these platforms could be. After watching the documentary, I definitely am going to spend less time on social media so that I can prevent myself from being manipulated in subtle ways. It will be difficult to avoid using all the platforms the movie mentioned when everything is online right now, but I am going to try my best to minimize the impact they may have on me. During the pandemic, I have become increasingly reliant on social media in order to stay connected to my friends, but now I know that this comes at a cost.
I found it really interesting that even the creators of some of these apps fall victim to them, despite the fact that they know what’s going on behind the scenes. That shows me the power behind these social media algorithms. Furthermore, some of the creators of the design features said that they had no idea that these platforms could have such a negative impact on people. I’m studying computer science, so maybe, in the future, I could help work to stop this negative impact.
Interesting Conversation with Fellows Mike Fontaine and Scott Miller
This week, I was fortunate to be able to attend a talk with Rose House Fellows Mike Fontaine and Scott Miller. It was very interesting getting to know more about their professions, their personal lives, and what led them to their current careers. Professor Fontaine studies classics and is also the Associate Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education. I really enjoyed hearing about how he found his passion through classics through various courses and study abroad programs. Listening to him talk motivates me to take more classes in random subjects in the future because I never know what might fascinate me. I also wasn’t thinking about studying abroad before this talk, but Professor Fontaine’s experiences are making me more seriously consider studying abroad post-pandemic. Judge Miller is a Tompkins County Court judge who did his undergraduate and law degrees at Cornell. I was inspired by his story of why he chose to study law and eventually become a family court judge. Being one of only three judges to serve 120,000 residents is no small feat, and I hope to emulate his diligence in my life. He also talked about how the justice system has changed during the pandemic and how he needed to develop more patience during this time. Hearing him say that also makes me want to develop more patience so that I can better deal with the challenges of the pandemic. Professor Fontaine’s book tour was canceled due to COVID, as well, which was disappointing for him. I admire the tenacity of both fellows during these times.