Humans of Cornell University

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Humans of Cornell University

Committed to capturing moments of happiness, accomplishments, vulnerability, and humanity. We are all Humans of Cornell University. Created in 2014.

Inspired by Humans of New York.

14/10/2018

"One of my biggest regrets from childhood was being embarrassed that my immigrant mother spoke with an accent. I wouldn't just correct her, I would run away from her when she came to pick me up from Elementary school, and disassociate with her during school field trips when she took time out of her busy day to chaperone me. I was going through a complex that most first generation kids go through in America; trying to be like the "proper" English-speaking majority to fit in because different is bad. I was the worst!

One of the greatest things about Cornell is that the sentiment of Any Person, any Study is coveted; our diversity in language is echoed across every dining hall, and in any library. Everyone is genuinely amazed by and appreciative of those who come from different backgrounds. And those with the gift of different kinds of tongues are not afraid to own it, loud and proud! This comfort drew me to my roots.

I wish I could go back and tell my seven-year-old self to never make fun of someone with broken English. It just means they know one more language than you do. Never once did she make fun of my broken Urdu!

Mein Tumse Bohut Pyaar kerti hoon Mama (Love you Mama!)"

-Zehra Jafri '19

13/10/2018

“Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to act in the presence of fear.” -Bruce Lee

I am on the Cornell Sport Taekwondo team. But for the longest time I was embarrassed to tell people this because I genuinely wasn’t very good at the sport. Although our team is the best in the league with 26 consecutive tournament wins, I always felt that I wasn’t contributing much to this success.

I used to do Karate when I was younger and even had a black belt, but in my six year hiatus before rejoining martial arts, I underestimated how out of touch I really was. I was so unathletic that I would take designated breaks on my walks up the footbridge.

Being a part of this team has challenged me both physically and emotionally. It’s hard to have a big part of my college identity tied to something that I am not naturally talented in, but without it my college experience would not be the same. I thank Taekwondo for giving me my closest friends and a family within Cornell. The sport motivated me to lose 20 pounds within my first year of college and get in the best shape of my life. But the most important reason I know I would never quit is the indescribable satisfaction I get when I land a solid kick or score a headshot on someone. It takes away all the doubt I have in myself and makes me feel powerful in my own skin. It’s a feeling I wouldn’t exchange for the world.

-Pradeepa Krish '19

14/09/2018

"My mama didn't work her ass off to bring me to this country just for me to grow up and care about what anyone thinks of me. If you think I'm a loud-mouthed bossy bitch, then guess what? You're a great judge of character."

09/09/2018

"I’ve known from a young age that I’m an idealist. I’m a senior at Cornell and Co-President of Social Enterprise Group at Cornell (SEGC) because I believe so strongly in the potential for markets to drive the economic scale needed to solve pervasive social and environmental ills. To me, social enterprise isn’t just a belief - it’s an imperative.

Beyond Cornell, I have dreams of making sustainable fashion accessible to folks across the socioeconomic spectrum! Currently, most of the clothes I own are either thrifted or I made myself from fabric that would have otherwise gone to waste."

16/04/2018

"My name is Becca. Nobody ever called me “Rebecca” until the first day of Kindergarten. When we got off of the bus, my sisters immediately ran up to my Mom to ask why they couldn’t be called “Re-Sarah and “Re-Erin” because we just didn’t understand. Throughout high school, being an identical triplet was so much of my identity—despite how much I pushed back on it, and how different we actually were. I came to Cornell in 2010 so excited to be, for what felt like the first time in my life, an individual. The hardest part was re-training myself to speak in the singular, because strangers look at you weird if you don’t."

Becca Harrison ’14, current grad

26/03/2018

"My favorite class at Cornell was Culinary. It might've been my worst grade here, but at least now I know what julienne and chiffonade mean. Now when I go home, my mom finally lets me cook with her!"

(Varun Devatha)

20/02/2018

"I've learned to appreciate who I am as a person more, since being here. I had a strong sense of self before coming to this school, but I think being a student at Cornell has developed that, and helped me learn what I do value about myself as well as why. I've learned that my greatest asset is my individuality, and that many people are intimidated by someone who is comfortable enjoying their own company. Ride your own wave. Don't let anyone devalue you, and focus on yourself even when everyone else seems focused on something else. It's difficult for sure, but if you don't care about yourself, no one will."

07/02/2018

“We met in a Historiography class last year. Since we're on different paths it is very nice to have a touch of the other world”
“Yeah, it is very nice to have a friend in the next tier of the educational process.”
“But on a personal level it good to know you kind and have someone to balance conversations with.”
“Haha, and now it's great because we are both realizing we have the same complaints.”

Ana Ozaki (Right) is a PhD student in the History of Architecture, Ellie Krause is a going for her Masters in Architecture.

02/02/2018

"My second semester here I tried out for the competition. It was my first and only chance, so I gave it my all. I've had a whole life of music experience, so when I came here I knew I wanted to try it out.

"I love this so much, it's definitely my favorite thing to do on campus. I like to tell people it's a combination of my 3 favorite things: physical activity, music, and socializing with people.

"I've been able to rediscover a lot of my past favorite songs, whether through classical or pop music. I love sharing my music with everyone on campus!"

31/01/2018

“On the first night we met, she thought I looked liked a player”
“Ahha I did. It’s because of the hat”

13/10/2017

“They say you are the sum of your five closest friends. That's why I hang up several posters of Kanye West in my bedroom.”

25/09/2017

"When I was 14, my family moved from Singapore to Texas. I attended a public performing arts high school in Houston and was one of 5 Asian students in the entire Theatre Department. Right away, I started to notice little ways that people talked to me or treated me that were different from what I had experienced in Singapore. My peers usually assumed I was in the music or fine arts department just because I was Asian. People formulated opinions about me before they had met me, and people would often ask me where I was from or how my English was “so good” once they found out I was from Asia - even though English is my first language.

When I lived in Singapore, I was privileged enough to be a part of the majority. 70% of Singapore looks like me. When I moved to Texas and suddenly became part of the minority, so many social justice and equality issues started to resonate with me on a personal level. It just seemed absurd to me that this level of inequality and prejudices still exists in the United States today. I became really involved in activism and promoting political issues in my high school; I became especially passionate about Asian and Pacific Islander issues and connecting communities of color — something I feel like we don’t do enough.

I wanted to listen to other groups and understand their struggles. I picked up Spanish and became more appreciative and proud of my own culture too. I guess I’m glad, in a sense, that I experienced an “awakening” of sorts — It’s become a huge part of who I am."

(Savanna Lim, Class of 2021)

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