Although I have known Dr. Gavalchin since my freshman year, I only began to truly get close to her this year. I walked into Dr. Gavalchin’s office for the first time because I felt lost in her immunology course. I learned her door was always open. From that time forward, every time I spoke to her I felt respected, important and comforted. Many of my peers feel the same.
I was surprised by the amount time she spent with me to answer my long lists of questions. As we became closer, my questions slowly transitioned back and forth between immunology and life advice. She was so generous with her time and expertise to help with all the obstacles of navigating life as a college student – coursework, medical school applications and personal issues. Her honesty made the advice she offered more valuable and her support feel real.
This comfort extended beyond academics. A week before this tragedy occurred, I had told Dr. Gavalchin that my grandmother was very sick in the hospital with COVID-19. She was worried about me — how I was doing, focusing and coping. She did her very best to provide all the comfort she could. She gave me her personal cell phone number in case I ever needed anything. Yet another display of how much she cared.
We lost a professor, advisor, mentor, and most of all a friend to many students. Losing someone like that breaks our hearts. She was a role model to all of us because she was an altruistic, kind and brilliant scientist, teacher and woman. We all have learned the type of people we strive to become from her example. She will be greatly missed.
Additional reflections were published in the CALS Newsroom, and additional coverage appeared in the Cornell Chronicle.
