'I didn't even know I could get this excited about learning and research'

Amelia Clute
Harrison College Scholar and Spanish Language
Alamo, Calif.

What are the most valuable skills you gained from your Arts & Sciences education?

I'm grateful that Arts & Sciences offers such a wide breadth of classes and subjects. It's given me such flexibility in my studies and truly sparked my love of learning. Before Cornell, I had never been in an environment in which I could pursue the topics that I found truly fascinating. Honestly, I didn't even know that I could get this excited about learning and research before I found a true passion for it in Arts & Sciences. 

What is your main extracurricular activity and why is it important to you?

I've been on the rowing team for four years now, and am a current captain of the women's team. There's just a really special kind of respect that builds between teammates when you're putting in so much work together every day. I trust them to give everything they have to the team and they trust me to do the same. 

How have your beliefs or perspectives changed since you first arrived at Cornell? 

I've learned to lean into the parts of me that might not appeal to everyone. Like basically everyone at some point, I was pretty set on trying to make everyone like me. But after coming to Cornell, I found my best friends when I wasn't worried about making them like me. Cornell gave me so many new experiences and friends that challenge me constantly and have made me more secure in myself. 

What are your plans for next year?

I'm going to be moving to Argentina for a little while to apprentice under a chef in Buenos Aires! In my off time next year, I'd love to start writing a book or publish some papers about my current research topics; I want to keep research and learning a big part of my life, but I'm not sure if I'm going to grad school yet, so I'm taking it day by day. 

Every year, our faculty nominate graduating Arts & Sciences students to be featured as part of our Extraordinary Journeys series. Read more about the Class of 2022.