During this meeting, we had in depth Conversations with Cornell College of Human Ecology Professor Sean Nicholson and  Rose House fellow Jason Hungerford  who have had impactful involvement with Cornell University and Ithaca.

Professor Nicholson weaved a story of his career trajectory which opened my eyes to new  mindset.  He cautioned against trying to plan everything out.  He encouraged students to find one job that they’ll love- try it for a while and see what develops.  Furthermore, he emphasized not to be afraid to make mistakes, prepare well, but learn from mistakes, take risks but above all, have empathy for your spouse / partner.    This advice is perfect for a student today.  Many Students like to plan, and are starting to feel anxiety about future jobs, career paths and advanced degrees in academia.  Once I heard of his serendipitous career journey, I realized some of the best opportunities are not planned.  I am encouraged about his love of teaching, at the core, he is a Professor because he is excited about teaching college students.  I am encouraged by his journey in taking risks, and being unashamed of setbacks.  He was able to pivot his career and try something different.  Lastly, his connection to Research, Policy, and the impact of his work was informative and important to students considering Research careers.

Jsson has had multiple major roles in the Cancer Resource Center in Ithaca.  Jason took us through a very intricate discussion on Cancer Resource Center advocacy, support groups, and self care.  His work seemed to benefit so many lives and was inspirational.  In addition, he touched upon mental illness and his work in support groups for Mental Illness. He spoke about his groundbreaking work in the LGBTQ community and the huge gains along the way.  Jason’s example encourages one to get involved and volunteer- there are ample opportunities and he highlighted a few along with the benefits to the community. He also is an advocate for self care, taking time off to reset and avoid burnout.

My biggest take away is to get involved, volunteer, and do something you love – hopefully all at the same time.  Worry less about your path and work towards doing something impactful that will benefit others while gleaning excitement every day.