Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences

06/03/2026

"I came to Cornell because I knew it was a place where I could pursue research that truly mattered," said Takunda Chikuvire'26. "I wanted a university where I wouldn't just read about science but do it. Cornell's reputation as a world-class research institution meant that those opportunities would exist and be within reach."

The biological sciences major from Harare, Zimbabwe, credits his mother as his greatest influence.

"She never went to college, but she understood, perhaps more deeply than anyone, what an education could mean for a life. I grew up watching her till fields before sunrise, so our family would have food on the table, and sell groceries door-to-door to supplement my father's income, all so that I could have bus fare to school and my fees paid on time. She never complained. She never wavered. She just worked with a quiet ferocity that I have spent my whole life trying to match ...The resilience I bring to my research, my leadership and my aspirations, so much of it was forged watching her."

Read more about Takunda's Cornell journey and other members of the Class of Cornell 2026: https://as.cornell.edu/news/cornell-offered-me-degree-and-world

06/01/2026

We're so excited to welcome our A&S alumni for this weekend!

With almost here, we take a look back at some of our Big Red alumni's go-to places to cram, chill, explore, and recharge.

Check them out at https://alumni.cornell.edu/cornellians/favorite-campus-spots/.

05/26/2026

Campus is way quieter this week and we're missing our students already! But we'll be celebrating the class of all summer with stories of their amazing journeys.

Arina Danilina '26, a psychology major and Robert S. Harrison College Scholar from St. Petersburg, Russia, said she chose Cornell because it met two criteria - it would embrace her curiosity and it offered vast opportunities to connect deeply with nature.

"Coming from Russia, I simply could not believe the breadth of what was possible: the ability to explore so many disciplines, to wander across fields, to follow your curiosity wherever it leads without being told it was impractical or incompatible. At that moment, it felt like a door opening to a kind of education I had only dreamed about."

Once here, she became captivated by neuroscience research and joined a lab, but also started a Russian conversation hour after the war with Ukraine began.

"My Russian conversation hours were never about just grammar or vocabulary; they were rather about holding space for each other during a time that felt scary and uncertain for many of us."

During a gap semester in the spring of 2025, she spent three months in Germany, volunteering with Ukrainian refugees and piecing together a new direction for her honors thesis.

"Witnessing the resilience of post-war communities completely reshaped how I viewed my academic purpose. Today, as a student of psychology and environmental design, my honors thesis looks very different from where it started. It now focuses on the architecture and environmental design of refugee accommodations and their impact on inhabitants’ mental well-being."

Read more about Arina's journey and the stories of 50 other member of the class of 2026.
https://as.cornell.edu/news/language-and-culture-can-serve-bridge-not-barrier
https://as.cornell.edu/extraordinary-journeys-2026

05/23/2026

05/23/2026

One degree closer to changing the world 🌎🎓
Here’s to the Cornell A&S graduates who will lead, create, discover and make an impact far beyond campus.

05/21/2026

As the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, and amid concern about democratic backsliding globally, the university has launched the Cornell Center on Democracy to mobilize leading scholars to strengthen democracy through rigorous research, democratic education and public engagement.

Rooted in Cornell’s land‑grant mission to serve the public good, the center aims to advance practical, objective and globally relevant ideas to improve democratic institutions and practices across the U.S. and abroad.

The leaders of the College of Arts and Sciences, Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and Cornell Law School founded the center based on a shared belief: that democracy requires constant renewal – fresh ideas, adaptive institutions and citizens equipped to participate thoughtfully and effectively. When democracies fail to evolve, trust erodes and polarization deepens and authoritarian appeals hold, said Rachel Beatty Riedl, the Peggy J. Koenig ’78 Director of the Cornell Center on Democracy.

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/05/new-cornell-center-democracy-will-support-democratic-principles-home-and-abroad

05/21/2026

Congratulations to government Professor Isabel Perera for winning the 2026 European Studies Book Award from the Council for European Studies (CES) for her book “The Welfare Workforce: Why Mental Health Care Varies Across Affluent Democracies."

https://as.cornell.edu/news/isabel-perera-wins-2026-european-studies-book-award

05/21/2026

As the Class of gets ready for this weekend's commencement, they're reflecting back on their time here:

"The memory I treasure most is not a single defined moment, but the accumulation of small, everyday experiences: late conversations after class, time spent with friends, and the feeling of being part of a community that was both intellectually challenging and personally supportive."

"Having the ability to switch gears between distinct subject areas has not only given me a diverse range of academic experiences, but also fundamentally shaped how I approach problems today, pushing me to approach questions from angles that might not seem obvious at first."

"The ability to try, fail, and try over and over again is something I learned while on this team and that will stay with me long after I graduate from Cornell."

Read more about some of their extraordinary journeys:
https://as.cornell.edu/extraordinary-journeys-2026

05/21/2026

Through his fusion of performance on the field and on the stage, a passion for storytelling and leadership drives James Reinbold ’26 to find his flow state. He bridges the gap between the brotherhood of the Cornell football team and the creative community of Performing and Media Arts—one play and one scene at a time. This is his Cornell story.

05/19/2026

We’re celebrating our seniors!