Last week, Rose Cafe was different from previous Cafe events. Usually, the Cafe sessions start with the speaker giving a presentation in their area of expertise and then opens up the floor for questions. However, last week, Sam Beck focused his talk on us, asking each of us to describe our career aspirations and interests. It was very interesting to learn more about the other students there, and definitely fostered a real sense of community within the Scholar program and Rose House in general.

Beck really emphasized that learning is more than memorizing facts and being able to recite them. He also emphasized that college is more than getting grades and a degree, but we must exploit the resources that Cornell offers us. One of these resources, if we are lucky enough to find one, is a mentor here at Cornell. A mentor is more than an advisor, they show a genuine interest in the development as an individual and as a student. This can be hard, especially at a large school. It can be hard to establish relationships with some professors, especially if the class is a large lecture with 400 other students who also may want to establish a relationship and get to know a professor. Beck’s talk was reassuring though, because his genuine interest in getting to know our aspirations and interests showed that professors are more invested in the lives of their students than most people would think. They want us to develop as people as well as learn the material they provide to us. This has changed my view of how to approach establishing relationships with professors or anyone else of authority. Establishing a relationship with a complete stranger can be somewhat intimidating, but Beck’s genuine interest in my aspirations within 5 minutes of simply being in the same room was comforting, as many professors here are genuinely invested in their students as Beck is.