The Key to Being a Good Rose Cafe Speaker: Don’t Speak

This Rose café was different from the others. For once, I heard my fellow residents speak more than the guest speaker. Sam Beck is a cultural anthropologist who works with the Cornell urban semester program in NYC. During this talk he barely spoke; instead, he asked us questions and made his viewers the stars of the show. He is passionate about students. Specifically, he is passionate about helping them find their dream jobs. And what better place to find a dream job than in NYC, where possibilities seem to be limitless! Sam asked us to go around the room and introduce ourselves, say what we are studying and what we planned to do in the future. Clearly this was a contentious subject for students. One guy even said: “I’m on a one-way street to unemployment!”. However, Sam helped us lighten our spirits by inquiring into our interests and giving advice (most of which involved persuading us to go to new york). When it was my turn, I told him that I am psychology major that likes to travel. After thinking for a moment, he blurted out: “how about the psychology of tourism!” I chuckled. His responses were always genuine and creative. All in all, it was a pleasure getting to know Sam and my fellow Rose residents during this talk. I am curious to find out who they will become. As for me, who knows. You could be reading the blog post that inspired one girl to forever change the tourism industry.

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