Mr. Bittner talks about the significance of land and the natural world. I found it interesting to learn about his childhood and the lack of natural land. Since I live in the suburbs next to a small lake surrounded by trees, I have never really felt the long absence of nature. Nature has always been a part of my life, so I have definitely neglected its importance. After this talk, I reflecting and am planning on scheduling more time to spend outside whether to do work or take a walk. It was interesting to learn that the pandemic increased visitation and support for natural land. I hope that this increase remains constant as the people become vaccinated. In addition, it was interesting to learn more about the botanic gardens. I have always heard about botanic gardens, but I never did further research into them and visited it. I was surprised to learn about all the activities that the botamic gardens offer. Next semester, I am definitely making it a goal to visit the botanic garden and maybe even participate in the lecture series that they offer. As a whole, the podcast provided a lot of helpful information on how to interact more ith nature in Ithaca and reemphasized the importance of spending some time outside.
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light but impactful
I only started watching studio ghibli movies as an adult, but I still find them really enjoyable and impactful. I can relate to how everything seems to be going wrong for Kiki. Although the film is geared towards children, I thought the movie did a great job showing depression and the real emotions that people feel when they fail at something. I recently declared my major and am now looking at specializations, so I can really relate to how Kiki is struggling to find her purpose. I find it amazing that the film covered really deep topics but remained interesting and light. By the end of the film, I felt really encouraged and have decided to watch more studio ghibli movies over the summer.
A serendipitous career journey
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.
Facets of Teaching
I found this Career and Teaching conversation with two Professors appealing because it was really directed to us undergraduate students and very personal. The professors wove their journey from college to academia in an insightful way and offer a perspective about their undergraduate experience.
I am always interested in what drew the professors to their career today. Both have so many similarities that it was uncanny. Curiosity, love of teaching, love of working with students, love of art and literature were among some similarities. The biggest takeaway from this conversation was the never-ending life-long learning experiences that they prioritize. This discussion allowed me a glimpse into the lives of these professors and their amazing trajectory into teaching at Cornell. I am now more appreciative of our access to these renowned professors, authors, publishers, willing to spend time talking about their career and offering us their advice and perspective. As an engineering student, I do not have much in depth interaction with such Professors of art, literature and history. After this podcast- I have a renewed interest in trying to fit in a liberal arts class in possibly Literature or American Studies. This was stirred by Professor Schwarz mention of his Ulysses class.
Another note that I will remember is their travel overseas sparked their interests and opened opportunities in their careers. I understand that the immersion in different cultures was key to their future groundbreaking work in research or publications.
‘Zoom Teaching is Teaching, no excuses’. It is refreshing to hear this point of view. We can still learn in this different medium over Zoom, all of us have a stake in its success and ‘we try to make hope and history rhyme’. I fervently agree with Professor Scwartz ‘no excuses’ position.
Insitutional Change
Ryan Lombardi and Prof Ken Roberts are both house fellows and fascinating.
Ryan described the heart and soul of Cornell very eloquently. He really is here for us, rather than a signature at the end of a logistical or academic email. He is a leader who understands the student experience and connection. Leading during pandemic times- has given us unprecedented challenges. I think this conversation made me realize how difficult it is to lead a dynamic diverse institution like Cornell.
Prof Ken Roberts seems like a catalyst for continued engagement in social movements for students. He has a great perspective on the changing society and working within institutions to align with current social movements. This conversation highlights the intricacies of institutional change and management. In government and politics, Ken has the tough job of making sure the classroom remains a safe place for different political views. Especially now, there exists a wide range of political thought and all have to be treated with dignity. I am excited about the professors’ work and forthcoming book on democratic resiliency and Ryan Lombardi’s support of students at Cornell. I feel lucky to be a part of Cornell and a part of the larger social improvements done here at Cornell.
Work and Dignity
This conversation between the VP of Human Resources at Cornell and Labor Relations Professor solidified the work beliefs I have. “Work is a part of our core”, as said by Mary Opperman, I believe it is part of human dignity and agree with Professor Cornell in this manner. This conversation opened my eyes to the many facets of human resources and human dynamics. The pandemic opened our eyes to many inequities that need to be addressed along with the social justice opportunities that we can act upon. For me, this conversation made me aware of the need for essential workers and the manner of our treatment of these workers. In particular, professor Cornell’s Labor Law Clinic stories are eye opening and sometimes shocking. The need for this clinic is obvious and necessary. I am grateful to be made aware of these fantastic undertakings at Cornell.
Finally, the best advice was choose a meaningful career, choose a rewarding career – for happiness. Do not be solely motivated by the income. Focus on the positive in your journey rather than the negative. This is important in looking for opportunities. I also enjoyed thinking about leadership in your career. I also thought about the expert advice. Best advice- you don’t have to be an expert to lead something- just realize you are not the expert- and hire the best people who are the experts. The key is humility and leadership with human dignity in mind.
Romance and Gender
I loved watching Birgerton, so it was definitely enjoyable to talk all bout it. Besides talking about all the aspects that we loved, we also talked about the messages that Brigerton presented. I definitely did not think about Birgerton’s implications on race and gender when I was watching it, so it was really interesting to look at the series in a different light than a romance tv-series. The discussion brought up really interesting views on Daphne and Simeon’s relationship. When I watched the series, I viewed their relationship and actions in rose-colored glasses.
Dependenc(Queen’s Gambit ep 2)
I really enjoyed episode 2 of the Queen’s gambit because Beth is taking an active role in her life and working towards achieving what she wants. One of my favorite characteristics of Beth is her confidence in her skills and intelligence. During the tournament, she does not let other people and their reputations intimidate her. Hence, it was really heartbreaking when Beth resorts to pills so that she can win her final tournament. It felt like all the work and effort she spent to enter this match was undermined. At the end of the episode, Beth is obviously happy and satisfied that she won, but I definitely think resorting to the pills ultimately diminishes her win and other wins henceforth.
Light Humor (Queen’s Gambit Ep1)
This was the first time that I have ever watched the series. I thought the series used lighting in a really captivating way. The lighting always felt somehow dull and gloomy, which I think reflected the nature of the institution and how they demoralized the girls. The episode presented dark aspects of the institution in a manner that was impactful but not forceful. I think the comedic relief that they added throughout the episode was really important for keeping the audience’s engagement and to prevent the episodes from becoming too heaving. However, the ending of the episode where Beth overdoses prevented the light humor from taking away from the serious issues of the institution.