Coming from an immigrant background, I have personal experiences with immigration and biases. However, I only have insight on what my family personally experienced, and I was curious as to how other immigrants had experienced their immigration. This was the reason why I attended the talk. After attending Asad’s talk, I gained more insight on immigration policy and what the reality like is for real immigrants around the country. His statement about immigrants’ stance on a new presidential era really resonated with me because I had always thought similarly. All in all, I think it was one of the most insightful and thought-provoking talks I had gone to during my time as a Rose Scholar.
Author Archives: yo82
Breaking Biases
Jason Hungerford’s talk about with journey with cancer was perspective-breaking. He discussed the judgements that come with certain types of cancer and how they can prevent patients from feeling comfortable with sharing their stories. Coming in, I had no previous knowledge of cancer biases or any personal experiences with cancer. Therefore, it was even more eye-opening. He discussed how there were people he met that felt embarrassed sharing their stories due to words and biases associated with their type of cancer. I thought that this was terrible because people should be able to share their struggles and stories without pre-determined bias. Therefore, I think it is important for us to take a step back and observe the stereotypes we have in place.
Drum Culture
On Saturday April 20, I trekked up to Bailey Hall to see the annual Yamatai: Pulse concert. I had originally planned to go anyways because I have a friend in Yamatai and I wanted to support her. The drumming that they do is really cool and unlike standard types, which makes it intriguing. I didn’t expect there to be so many different ways to integrate the same drums into different songs. The piano and other instruments were also very cool.
Questioning Your Decisions
After attending the cafe talk by Cheryl Einhorn, I rethought my decision making process and how I could apply the AREA method to my own decisions. I had not previously realized how rash and flawed my decisions were before attending the talk. As humans, we are fundamentally biased towards our perceptions and ideas, making us flawed decision makers. However, through intense research and objective-based stances, we can start to make up for those flaws. This semester, I have been struggling to make a big decision and I believe that this new method can help me approach the problem in a smart and effective way.
The Future
After attending the Rose Cafe talk from Lisa Nishii, I realized that it is 100 percent okay to not know what you want to do in the future. Often people are certain that the path they take will lead to certain outcomes but that is not always the case. Many people in their current professions often got there through twisted roads. Although there is pressure to decide what career path to take and what to study, people should take their time to really think about what they enjoy and what they want to do with their lives. The talk gave me the opportunity to self-reflect on my current academic path at Cornell and if it really is the path that I want to take.
Glow Sticks
After attending the sexual violence cafe talk, I learned that there are many non-confrontational ways to tackle the issue of sexual violence. One really interesting method that Yale implemented was handing out glow sticks to party-goers. This would help people identify other people in the dark and see if anyone was stumbling or being taken away. To me, this seemed like the most effective method because it is fun and doesn’t imply any negative connotations. I hadn’t realized that there were separate organizations who were tasked to create such creative solutions to sexual violence. I also learned that Cornell had implemented a creative solution on West Campus. They created what is called “slow-down” zones to help people coming back from parties take a moment to reassess their night and make better choices.
History and Prevalence of Antibiotics
I attended the Rose Cafe talk about antibiotics because I was not well-informed about their effects and prevalence. Through the cafe talk, I learned the history of antibiotics and how they were used in the past. We also had a discussion about whether the use of antibiotics is necessary. In my opinion, the use of too many antibiotics by many people leads to an adaptation of the human species that is ultimately detrimental. We are stopping our natural antibodies from fighting the issues themselves, which can make our bodies weaker in turn. Although people with weaker systems such as babies and the elderly might need them when sick, healthy people should refrain from over-using antibiotics and trust their bodies to protect them.
Free Lunch
On February 3, I ventured out to Kennedy Hall to hear a discussion/forum about free lunch and global hunger. There were speakers who spoke about the work that they do to help end global hunger. They manufacture packaged meals that contain the nutrients needed for people to survive. A Cornell professor also spoke about the economics of free lunch and global hunger. Apparently, access is a big issue in tackling global hunger. Global hunger exists because people don’t have access to nutrient-rich food or because they don’t have access to people who can provide food to them. I thought the issue was very interesting as it is a prevalent issue that I am also learning about in one of my courses.
T-shirt Toys
On Saturday January 26th, I took part in the dog and cat toy-making session. I brought in some old t-shirts in order to make the toys. The dog toys were harder to make than the cat toys as they required more steps and effort. This is probably because dogs are more aggressive than cats when playing. The cat toys were simple t-shirt balls. I took part in this service even though I personally don’t have any pets because I love both cats and dogs and the idea of them playing with the toys I made put a smile on my face. There are many animals out there that need love and shelter that unfortunately do not, which is tragic. I hope with the toys I made, some owner plays happily with their dog/cat.