Parker Piccolo Hill
English & Italian
Verplanck, N.Y.
What was your favorite class and why?
I’m happy to say this is impossible to answer. The flexibility of the requirements for my majors means I’ve been able to take so many amazing classes. Italian isn’t just studying the language — I took one class comparing Mafia movies in the U.S. to those in Italy, and another where we got to cook and eat in every class as we learned about different regional foods. English, too, is so much more expansive than the traditional canon. I’ve taken Shakespeare and Woolf, certainly, but I’ve also taken literature courses about children’s books, video games and social media. The sheer breadth of offerings at Cornell also means I can explore interests outside of my majors. I like to joke that I’m now an expert dinner party host. The food, thanks to the hotel wines course and my culinary science class, will obviously be excellent, and the conversation will be illuminated by my sparkling presence, thanks to my acting class. Plus, if any plate even starts to drop, I’ve got the flexibility from my yoga trapeze course to save it.
What is your main extracurricular activity and why is it important to you?
As an English major, I’ve written many hundreds of academic pages over my four years here. So my main extracurricular is … more writing! The students who I work with at my job as a writing tutor with the Knight Writing Center are stunned when they realize I voluntarily write for fun as well. For me, it seems like a natural extension. Writing is my passion, and here at Cornell, I get to write for three distinct areas: academics, personal creative writing and pieces for the huge selection of student-run publications I have been lucky enough to be a part of. I write for Cremè de Cornell, Guac Magazine, Big Red Heads, Thread Magazine and The Cornell Lunatic, and I was also managing editor for Cremè, Thread and Big Red Heads. Having the opportunity to stretch myself with balancing deadlines, as well as having the freedom to experiment with different topics and styles, is not only fun, but it is good practice for my future as someone who hopes to incorporate writing into their professional life. It’s also allowed me to take on leadership roles, and help shape writers in a very rewarding way.
What have you accomplished as a Cornell student that you are most proud of?
My biggest accomplishment is my honors thesis, which is about the webs of influence between Ovid’s "Metamorphoses," Italo Calvino’s "Cosmicomics" and "If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler," and Salman Rushdie’s "The Satanic Verses." I analyze how change itself shifts throughout the authors’ respective works, revealing metamorphosis to be not only an engaging literary paradigm but also a powerful political construct, with Ovid using it to criticize unfair societal power dynamics, Calvino pushing against the stagnancy of the Italian government, and Rushdie advocating for immigrants. While the process of research and writing was long and arduous, I am so happy I undertook it. Proving to myself my dedication means so much — I am still able to say honestly that I love these authors and this topic after a year of being immersed in them.
Speaking of immersion … I was also a student at the Bologna Consortial Studies Program, a total immersion language program in Italy. That experience — getting to study fully in Italian, with Italians, at the oldest university in the world — was life-changing. Not only did it improve my language skills, but it made me a more cosmopolitan person, shaping my politics, my personality and my future. I hope to return to Italy soon.
How have your beliefs or perspectives changed since you first arrived at Cornell?
At Cornell, I’ve realized that activism takes many forms, and one of those ways is simply being involved with the community. Being willing to lend a helping hand, and giving time and effort to becoming a part of the community fabric is endlessly rewarding. I’ve volunteered at the Dilmun Hill student farm and the Animal Sanctuary, and I’ve wrapped book packages for Prisoner Express, but I’ve also joined the Finger Lakes Bonsai Society and spent my Sundays making projects at the Community Quilting Center. Meeting different people from the Cornell campus and beyond has helped me to recognize the merit of simply being present — people appreciate someone who is willing to put themselves out there. Plus, the old adage is true. When you are constantly meeting new people, you really do learn something new every day.
Who or what influenced your Cornell education the most?
My friends. It’s cliche, but for me, there’s no other answer. I learn so much from them — like the one time a friend of mine and I did a class swap. She’s an engineer, so it was hilarious to see her out of her comfort zone in the tiny English classroom, but more than that, the experience taught me a lot. I realized that the fact that all of my friends have different backgrounds means I’m learning in even the smallest conversations. They have so much to offer me, and I hope I can return the favor. Whether we met in stick fighting, or a club coffee chat or an orientation group the very first day of freshman year move-in, we have supported each other through the highs and the lows, and I know that these bonds will remain important for the rest of my life.
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 2025.
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