Last week, I attended the Immigration Policy panel discussing President Trump’s executive order. I have to say, this was one of the most eye opening lectures/talks i have ever been in attendance for. As Atticus Finch once said (paraphrasing), “you have to walk a mile in another person’s shoes in order to truly understand what they have to go through in life”. I went to this panel just as a casual learner trying to get a better grasp on what the executive order would entail. I had seen it on the news, but I did not have a strong understanding of what the outcomes of the order would be. While I was casual, others were attentive. For a majority of the people in the room, this executive order would have a direct impact on their lives. Before the discussion started, a sheet of paper was distributed to everyone in the audience. On this sheet was a list of personal rights and various questions in which officers are/ are not allowed to ask when travelling. It blew my mind, all of the things that people from outside the country would have to deal with when travelling or even just at their house. On set of bullet points listed what to do if some officer comes to your house. When Trump won the election, there were the various “cry-ins” and the beginning of an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear and I never really understood why. After the panel discussion, I found out why. I am very fortunate to not have to worry about many of the things listed on the hand-out. While I have not yet exactly walked in another person’s shoes, I have at least put the shoes on and got a feeling for what some of the international members of the Cornell community are going through and experiencing.