In the last post of November, senior Sydney looks back at the many ways Cornell has surprised and changed her for the better.
By Sydney Mann '18, American Studies major, English minor
Cornell has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. From my grandfather to my mom, and then my sister, Cornell was just always there. For that reason, I thought that I already knew everything that one needed to know about Cornell even before setting foot on campus; where to eat, what classes to take, what month the weather switches from 70 degrees to 40. And just like any good story goes, I was wrong. I had no idea what effect Cornell would have on me because I was yet to discover myself. My first semester freshmen year was pretty standard. I had chosen a major (English), found friends, and joined an a cappella group. It wasn’t until the second semester that things began to shift. From classes becoming harder, to friend groups changing, I started to feel lost. Sophomore year was a lot of the same; I wound up changing my major essentially ten times. I even considered switching out of Arts and Sciences.
But then I realized, college isn’t supposed to be easy. If it were, people would never change – they would walk out of college exactly as who they entered as. In fact, the intensive courses were what made me realize that I was passionate about history, sociology, and English, to name a few. Arts and Science’s American Studies Program has provided me with an unparalleled holistic education that I am extremely grateful for. As for friends, I never thought that the people I sing with in my a cappella group would become my people. Little did I know, they have shown me – time and time again – that people can truly change others for the better.
One of my most formative experiences at Cornell has been participating in the Intergroup Dialogue Project. Never in a million years did I think that anyone (and I mean anyone) would let me co-lead a class of sixteen students. In addition to introducing me to arguably some of the best people of Cornell whom I would not have met otherwise, the project showed me that I had grown into a confident and mature woman. So, upon reflection, I can confidently say that Cornell has changed me because it has challenged me. It has transformed me from an awkward pre-frosh into a confident adult. It has made me realize that it’s okay to not know exactly what I want to do. It has cultivated me into an independent actor and thinker who is always up for what life has to offer.
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