At this past Rose Cafe, Coach Tanasoiu described the most inspirational athlete he’s ever coached. This athlete, Bernardo, a tennis player from Ecuador, was not only a talented athlete, but overcome social issues and mental obstacles during his time at Cornell. As an athlete, I can relate to his commitment to his team, by how much time is dedicated every week to practicing and improvement. It it a lifestyle that becomes habitual and helps maintain structure. But Bernardo was well more than the average college athlete, and lead a transformation of his team. Instead of folding to the mold of his outgoing, party-hopping upperclassmen, Bernardo pushed away the social pressure to drink, and instead focused his time to improving his skills on the tennis court and with his engineering homework. His example then led incoming students, which created a more competitive atmosphere and ultimately lead their team to their first ever All-Ivy title. Bernardo’s outstanding athletic ability was obviously impressive, but his drive to push past social pressure and instead improve himself and his teammates is what is truly inspiring.
Author Archives: krs262
Protecting the Finger Lakes Area
Have you ever noticed where Cornell’s water supply comes from? Did you know that during certain times of the year, it is unsafe to swim in Cayuga Lake? Andy Zepp discussed the answers to these questions and more about how land trusts in upstate New York protect the environment and our well-being. Zepp explained how land trusts acquire land to prevent development. Preventing development in Tompkins County, for example, saves the county money and protects our water supply. By restricting urban or agricultural development, the amount of runoff chemicals and sediment is prevented from reaching creeks and Cayuga lake. Cornell receives its water from Fall Creek, and higher pollutants in the water require stronger water filtration systems that become increasingly more expensive. These same pollutants are generally prevented from reaching creeks by the Finger Lakes Land Trust. However, in late summer as more pollutants enter creeks and streams, harmful bacteria build up in Cayuga and form a murky green film. This film is toxic to humans and can kill small animals if consumed in high doses. However, as the land trust gains support and protects more land around the Cayuga watershed, these bacteria are less likely to form, and the lake will be safer for recreation.
30 Seconds to Sell Yourself
At the Resume Workshop this past Thursday, Seema explained how to create an effective CV. We started the discussion with differentiating between a CV and a resume. I didn’t realize that a CV was much more detailed than a resume, and that a resume should be more tailored for each application. Seema also explained the differences between an undergraduate CV and a graduate CV, and how they should include different elements. For example, a graduate CV should have a strongly-worded objective, but it can be more of a waste of space on an undergraduate resume. Additionally, a section on extracurricular activities is not welcome on a professional CV, unless those activities directly relate to the position. And even then, the heading should not be “Extracurricular Activities” but instead something like “Additional”, “Other”, or “Related Experience”.
My most surprising realization came with Seema’s statement that employers may not spend more than ten seconds reading your resume or CV. That’s right, ten seconds. This made me realize that my resume needed to be restructured to highlight my most important experience. On my own resume, I realized that my “Additional” section was too long, and looked like I had little related work experience. To solve this, I restructured my subheadings to include more content under “Work Experience” and edited the descriptions of those jobs to highlight skills that would be useful for the jobs I am applying to.
Tackling Housing in Collegetown
At the Rose cafe this past Wednesday, a Cornell alumni architect, Noah, described the projects his firm has started and those they have completed. His firm, Stream, designs primarily living spaces, many of which have and will be occupied by Cornell students. Noah gave a very optimistic look at the future of housing in Collegetown meant to be completed within the next decade. While today Collegetown is mostly single or multi-family houses, many Collegetown land owners are starting to develop their property into larger apartment buildings. Noah explained how Stream’s goal is to stay within the original footprint of the existing house marked for development, but expand it into a multi-unit apartment building. This will increase the amount of College Ave housing without increasing the amount of land area developed. Noah then described a future College Ave full of shining, modern apartment buildings replacing the existing weathered houses. Noah’s vision also included buried power lines and 100% electric-powered buildings that will eventually be connected to a solar farm. Considering the current state of Collegetown housing, I am skeptical of Noah’s vision of a utopia living center for Cornell’s upperclassmen, but this change would certainly be welcome.
Safety in the Air
At the Pilot Rose Cafe this past Wednesday, a series of questions were posed to Mike Comella, an experienced commercial pilot. He described his experience flying privately and commercially. It seems that while flying privately may be more fun, as he was able to fly famous athletes, musicians, and celebrities, the schedule is much less regular than a commercial pilot. I found it very interesting that he has four day work cycles, where he starts and ends at La Guardia airport, but usually doesn’t spend the night at home during that cycle. He also mentioned that pilots usually fly either day or night shifts, which made me feel more comfortable knowing that my pilot hasn’t been awake for a ridiculous amount of time. He also explained that if your flight is every delayed or canceled due to flight crew issues, it is usually because the crew has been working for too long and it would be unsafe for the crew to continue working. While I am rarely happy my flight is canceled or delayed, knowing that the delay helps guarantee my safety makes me much more understanding of the problem.
Forrest Gump: A Lighthearted Look at the Vietnam War Era’s Dark Side
The movie Forrest Gump has something for nearly everyone, especially those interested in the United State’s public affairs during the Vietnam War era. Forrest’s naive observations of his service in the Vietnam War, military hospitals, and political movements give interesting insight to how people lived life at that time. Forrest’s light commentary on the events provide the viewer with a brief understanding of cultural movements at the time. Although these movements are shrouded by a veil of naivety and positivity. But considering the many problems surrounding the Vietnam War, AIDS epidemic, and the violent protests against desegregation, undertones of happiness make the problems easier to stomach. I really enjoyed the movie for these points, and felt that Forrest’s naive few didn’t erase the severity of the problems, but instead makes the viewer more eager to learn.
Admirable Work Done By Facilities Management
In my opinion, the facilities management staff on West Campus goes above and beyond what I ever expected their team to do. At the Rose Cafe this Wednesday, Anthony McCabe, head of West campus facilities management, described the ins and outs of how the custodians perform their jobs. But I found his descriptions of why our custodians care for our living spaces incredibly comforting. Mr. McCabe informed us that after a custodian noticed a student talking on the phone incredibly distressed, he immediately called Mr. McCabe for advice. While the two custodians were not able to help the student, Mr. McCabe immediately arranged a meeting with the entire West Campus facilities staff and a health care professional to talk about how the custodians can help students if they are upset, but without infringing on their privacy or personal life. This struck me as unbelievably admirable and showed me that while life Cornell may be an absolute whirlwind, our custodians want to make our lives, and our living spaces, as comfortable as they can.
Dedication and Strength or Abuse and Suffering?
Warning, this blog reveals major plot points in the movie Friday Night Lights.
Friday Night Lights: a movie about dedicated athletes, adoring fans, and supportive families. Or so you’d expect. But in reality, the star quarterback repeatedly lets down his team, the fans obsess over the athletes, and the families–they only hurt their children with every action.
When the viewer first meets Boobie, the star quarterback with offers from major football colleges nationwide, they are struck with a sense that Boobie is not just talented, but dedicated and driven. When the local TV station interviews fans, each interviewee claims Boobie to be their favorite, and the best football player their town has ever seen. But when the viewer encounters Boobie in the weight room, the viewer is left more than disappointed when Boobie exclaims that he doesn’t need to lift, and his talent is “God given.” The viewer then realizes that Boobie is nothing more than an arrogant athlete, with little drive to improve his talent. Then, after Boobie tears his ACL, he refuses to acknowledge the injury and plays before he has healed, further letting down his team by increasing the state of his injury before the state championship playoffs.
While the movie opens with obsessive fans that portray a small town pride in the team, as the team moves closer to the championship playoffs, townsfolk start to pressure the team and the coaches into absolute victory. At one moment, just before the state championship, two townsmen share their good wishes to the head coach and his family, but after the men leave the coach’s daughter timidly asks if a loss would mean the family would have to move, again.
The player’s families, similar to the fans, also appear at first, to be warm and supportive. However, when the second string quarterback misses a catch in practice, his father runs onto the field to verbally abuse his son, and give an implicit threat of physical abuse out of the public eye. This trend continues throughout the movie, with the father chasing or beating his son due to the son’s decreasing skill at football. When Boobie tears his ACL and his MRI reveals the serious injury, his uncle dismisses the injury and encourages Boobie’s coach to let Boobie compete. The uncle’s action shows his support for the success of the high school team, rather than the protection of his nephew.
At first glance, the movie Friday Night Lights may present an air of dedication and strength, but underneath, all one can see is the pain and suffering at little emotional satisfaction.