Lauren Blacker: 'I found a way to incorporate music into my education.'

Lauren Blacker

Biology and Society

Chicago, IL

What is your main extracurricular activity? Why is it important to you?

I am heavily involved in the Cornell Orchestras, both through performance and through the board and tour planning. I have been playing the violin since I was young, and it was important for me to continue music and performance when I came to Cornell. I’ve come to realize that I would miss music too much if I had not joined the orchestras. The orchestras and our director, Chris Kim, create a great atmosphere that is nice to come to at the end of a long day. I have had fantastic opportunities with this group over the past four years, including performing big works of music and tours in Puerto Rico and Ireland.

What accomplishments/activities are you most proud of while at Cornell?

The Global Health Program and research in the field of maternal and child health and nutrition have given me opportunities to publish a paper and prepare an oral presentation and poster presentation for a conference. I’m grateful for the skills these opportunities have allowed me to improve upon and proud to have accomplished these as my time at Cornell ends.

What do you value about your liberal arts education?

As a result of my time in the Global Health Program and the College of Arts & Sciences, my approaches to problems are much more interdisciplinary. I also initially came to Cornell without the intention of studying global health, but eventually developed an interest in it after taking classes for the minor, and ultimately decided to complete the minor. In addition, while I thought that I might not be studying music when I came to Cornell, I found a way to incorporate music into my education, through pursuing the music minor and performing with the symphony orchestra.

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 Lauren Blacker