The documentary was disappointing but not surprising. The courts and prosecutors have targeted people of color, this can be observed through the disproportionate incarceration rates. Earlier in my law class, we discussed how the criminal justice system has failed people of color by continuing to manifest oppression. It is amazing to me that people can argue that racism doesn’t exist in America because America is based on institutionalized racism, so everything is impacted by race. This film along with the current killings of innocent black people should be a wake-up call that the law system needs to be reformed.
Author Archives: wao8
Making the Most Out of Your Time In College
The podcast was really informative for me on how to get the best experience out of my college experience, so it doesn’t go to waste. I really enjoyed it when the guest lectures talked about their pathways to Cornell and how they determined what field they wanted to go to. It reminded me about how different people go through different paths to achieve greatness, no one’s story is ever the same. Also, Chris Alabi mentioned how participating in research transformed his college experience. This inspires me to participate in research because I was initially on the fence about it, but his research experiment was so impactful on him. Some good advice I will take away from Nilay Yapaci is to learn how to manage your time so you are not stressing yourself out and studying last minute for exams.
My Neighbor Totoro
I really enjoyed the animation and child-like innocence portrayed in the film; it was different from the serious films that I usually watch during Rose Scholars events. The plot of the movie surrounded family and the children’s mom returning home and meeting new friends and spirit animals. This event was a great reminder to cherish your family and friends since Thanksgiving break is coming up and many of us are about to be reunited with our families. The relationship the two young girls had reminded me of the relationship I have with my sister.
Relaxing Conversation with Ryan Lombardi
I initially thought this was going to be a formal conversation where Vice President Lombardi was just going to give us information about the plans for the Spring semester. But it was the complete opposite. He allowed everybody to introduce themselves and genuinely seemed to want to get to know everybody. He was open to possible suggestions to improve next semester and made sure to answer everybody’s questions to the best of his ability. He even promised to get back to people who asked questions he couldn’t answer during the talk. The energy he brought to the talk gives me confidence that the Spring semester will run smoother than the Fall semester. The conservation was really helpful for me because people asked questions about topics that I wasn’t initially thinking about, but will also affect me as well.
Chernobyl: Open Wide, O Earth
When I’m watching tv-series I usually stray away from shows like Chernobyl because the plot is heavily surrounded by loss and I always grow an attachment to certain characters during the show. In the episode, a plan was created to halt the spread of radiation to the Soviet Union’s water supply. It was very frustrating to see Vasily unknowingly poison Lyudmilla. But the storyline highlighted that it’s bigger than them because there are so many lives that are heavily impacted and destroyed by the disaster. The movie highlights how people’s selfishness can lead to a detrimental effect on an entire community and this is closely related to what the world is currently going through.
Neil Armstrong: First Man on the Moon
It was a bit saddening watching the movie because of all the struggles that Neil Armstrong had to overcome before reaching his level of success. Before watching the movie, I never really thought about all he had to do before he accomplished greatness. After watching the movie I have even more respect for what he has done. In a way, his story is also motivating because it reminds me that even the most successful people experience some type of hurdles. So while the movie was in a way sad it was also reassuring for my own personal experiences.
Pumpking Painting
I haven’t really celebrated Halloween in the past few years that I have been in college, so this was a nice activity to make me feel festive. It was also a new experience for me because I have never decorated a pumpkin before. I have always seen pictures of people craving and decorating pumpkins and I have always wanted to do the same. I’ve been really into cow print so I decided to make a pumpkin with black and white cow print and I liked the way it came out. I also enjoyed the trivia because I never really thought that Americans spend that much money on candy every Halloween.
Abstract Coloring
The Cornell-themed coloring session was completely different from what I expected. I really enjoyed recreating a photo of Cornell’s campus. I really enjoyed the excel part of coloring because I didn’t even know you could do this on excel. My group and I also had a great conversation surrounding the election and future careers. The entire experience was very relaxing and I enjoyed meeting new people. At the end, we all presented our coloring and it was interesting to see what the other groups came up with since we went for a more abstract route.