Cornell grad works to eliminate nuclear weapons

Elissa Karim ’18 was prepared to put her politics major to use after graduating from Cornell College. It didn’t take long for her to secure a position as the development coordinator at Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation working toward the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Karim is passionate about the work she does. This passion is palpable in an article she wrote for Inkstick Media at the end of June, in which she details her experiences speaking about nuclear weapons with a wide array of political candidates. The Cornell campus is known to be a major stop for politicians during election seasons, and Karim did not allow that opportunity to pass her by. 

For students interested in seizing opportunities like that, studying on the block plan is a great place to gain first-hand experience. 

“I think [the block plan] challenges you, immerses you, and there is so much room to discover yourself in this learning style,” Karim says.

“I also really appreciate the variety of classes you can and are encouraged to take, and by dabbling in other subjects, you get to build valuable relationships with other students and professors.”

Karim continues to learn from her time on the Hilltop. 

“I realize that a piece of my heart is left in Iowa,” she says. “I really value the experience of living in a different state than where I grew up and experiencing a new perspective than my own default settings. Iowa is a whole lot of things I would never have known—political, beautiful, bone-chillingly cold, unassuming, and friendly.”