Davis ’22 balanced leadership, study
Every year Cornell celebrates its graduating seniors at Commencement with their closest friends and families. We also like to highlight a number of seniors online as they transition from college student to college grad and join Cornell’s growing community of alumni.
Ciera L. Davis
B.S.S. Environmental Marine Biology
Hometown: Nassau, Bahamas
Next: Nova Southeastern University to pursue an M.S. in marine biology
“I have definitely learned how to do so much in so little time.”
What do you think you’ve learned since being at Cornell that you did not know before you arrived?
I have learned so many things being at Cornell when it involved being the President of BACO [Black Awareness Cultural Organization] for two years, a student worker at ICL [Intercultural Life], chairperson of student life for Student Senate, and finally a full-time student. Overall, I learned how to manage my time by handling many projects with my extracurricular activities as well as staying on top of my academics. The block plan allows for you to be fully immersed in a class and balancing social life as well as academics can be challenging; I have definitely learned how to do so much in so little time.
Who helped you along your college journey?
My academic advisor [Professor of Biology] Craig Tepper has been a father figure to me who has helped me academically along with steering me in the right direction for my future outside of Cornell. Additionally, my boss and Director of Intercultural Life [Hemie Collier] has never ceased to give me words of advice when I needed it the most along with helping me transition into Cornell as an international student.
Describe the block plan.
To me, the block plan is taking one class over an 18-day period instead of balancing multiple classes all at once like many other colleges. I prefer this because it allows me to be fully immersed in my class without getting distracted by other assignments from other classes. Another perk of the block plan is the one-on-one connection I get with the professor and my classmates; it makes learning much easier.
What is your advice to the classes behind you?
My advice to the classes behind me is to always be yourself. The college life at Cornell can sometimes be very fast-paced so staying true to who you are is essential in order to optimize your time here. Also, I would say getting involved in student groups gives you a sense of home away from home. College can be tough but having a support group can make it much smoother. Finally, always put your education first; it is the main reason we all are here, and always do the best that you can. Talk to your advisors, make study groups, and if you can go the extra mile; it all pays off in the end.
