It was really interesting to learn about the romance genre as one that stems from medieval literature and focuses more on disruption of authority and pursuit of adventure and fantasy. Students shared their favorite past-time adventure books and readings, and it was interesting to notice that a lot of them experience nostalgia when thinking about them. Perhaps we all have some continuous desire for adventure, creative thinking, and fantasy that never truly leaves even when we are adults. I also really appreciated that the speaker shared her personal life experience about taking an untraditional pathway from a career in finance and then taking an opportunity to become a graduate student in Literature at Cornell. That takes a lot of willpower and dedication, but most importantly a strong commitment towards the things that you truly care about and feel that you can positively contribute to the world. In that sense it was really inspiring to hear about the journey of such an individual.