This is part of a series of columns written by Arts & Sciences Student Ambassadors.
Having attended a small all-girls high school where my friends were in each of my classes and I knew every student, I was unsure that at a large school like Cornell, I would be able to find friends. But instead, I have found myself in a network of lifelong relationships and communities that are specific to me, yet also deeply intertwined with many diverse students.
My communities on campus are numerous and distinctive and my friends span across various organizations. My community starts in Cornell’s College of Arts & Sciences, where I am an ambassador. Representing my college and engaging with students specific to Arts & Sciences makes it feel like I am in a home of intellectually passionate peers.
I am a teaching assistant along with friends I found in my freshman dorm, McClintock Hall. I joined the Daily Sun with people from my freshman writing seminar in my first semester at Cornell. Students in that seminar still have semesterly dinners with our professor. I also volunteer in the Cayuga Emergency Department with friends I made along the way.
One of my most profound homes on campus is in my panhellenic organization (my sorority). It's my network of strong women on campus reminiscent of the female strength that my high school instilled in me. Not only do I live with my best friends, but they are crucial to my everyday life on campus. I have older sisters in all of my communities that inspire me and encourage me to be the best version of myself. My sorority has significantly expanded my network, as my sisters introduce me to endless students across campus.
One of my favorite nights on campus was spent watching the sunset on the Slope with two of my sorority sisters and our friend. We are all living together next year in a Collegetown apartment, and I am forever grateful that my network spans wide on campus, giving me strong friendships that I can rely on for challenging exams or a needed laugh.
Oftentimes, I compare my communities at Cornell to a spider web. The web represents my campus network, while the dew drops of the web represent each of my student organizations. As these dew drops act as separate homes for me on campus, I have found friends and familiar faces as I travel across webbed networks and my campus communities intersect. The center of the web is Cornell’s campus pride, which we all feel.
Whether it's in my classes, at the dining hall or walking across the Arts Quad, there is always a familiar face to exchange a smile or share a conversation with that reminds me every day how special and strong my communities are at Cornell.
Anacleto is a biology and society major in the College of Arts & Sciences.
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