What alumni say

For Cornell College students, travelling off campus can be the experience of a lifetime. Here is what a few of our alumni have to say about their experiences with studying around the world.

I was raised in a small town and my family was never keen on travel. During my undergraduate career I have been able to see New York City, Chicago, several regions of South Carolina, a small portion of Massachusetts, and now the Bahamas! We conducted original research on fire coral and queen conch sea snails on San Salvador Island. During this phenomenal adventure I was able to meet and learn about new people, learn new skills, develop new views about the world, and contribute to an exceedingly fascinating and puzzling research project.”

—Olivia E. Evans ’14

 

My month in Costa Rica taught me more about conservation than I had ever expected. By visiting multiple conservation organizations, we were able to work with a number of different projects and learn what approaches work best in different situations. This trip was, by far, the most influential and memorable course that I have taken at Cornell.”

—Caitlin Huff ’15

 

In Tanzania I undertook an ethnographic research project–a rare opportunity and invaluable privilege for anthropology undergraduates. Doing ethnography has completely reshaped my perspective on being an anthropology student, and studying abroad has quietly reorganized my priorities as a Cornellian. Perhaps the greatest thing I have learned is how to put human faces on some of the various economic, political, and social forces that have been grouped together and dubbed globalization.”

—Ian Watt ’11

 

On the trip to Laos I was able to conduct an independent research project about how the Lao Marxist government interacts with Buddhism and Shamanism which are the main belief systems of Laos. This really sparked my interest and passion regarding public policy and I hope that I can manifest this interest when I enter the classroom as a full time educator. Of course the highlight was Laos itself. The country has not left me yet and I know that it never will.”

—Samuel Hedine ’12