Celebrating the CALS class of 2025

Hometown: Hanover, New Hampshire

Major: Landscape architecture

What is your most memorable undergraduate research moment? 
Working with Professor Maria Goula on research exploring agrivoltaics, an innovative land-use strategy that combines agriculture with photovoltaic energy production. While Cornell has led efforts in understanding agrivoltaics from engineering and agricultural perspectives, our group focused on broader humanistic questions that grappled with the implications of altering landscape character. Experimenting with spatial designs uncovered underlying tensions between rural preservation and the push for renewable energy. Through this work, I fell in love with the idea of using landscape as an interdisciplinary interface – one that helps us negotiate the complex, layered challenges of climate, culture and change.

Hometown: Garden Grove, California

Major: Agricultural science

Minor: Law and society

What does being a Cornellian mean to you?
I remember when I first learned about sustainable agriculture, and the concept that sustainability can’t be reduced to just one factor, such as reducing soil erosion or mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. It’s more so created through the synergy between a multitude of initiatives, including cover cropping, integrated pest management and many more. I think being a Cornellian is kind of like that. Cornellians aren’t defined by any one characteristic, accomplishment or action. They should instead be seen as parts of a whole, each working together and contributing something special to achieve a common objective: leaving the world a better place than they found it.

Hometown: Newark, New Jersey

Major: Environment and sustainability

Minor: Climate change

What does being a Cornellian mean to you?
Being a Cornellian brings an immense amount of pride to me because of the amazing people I’ve met here that I get to share this with, including my little sister. Ever since I was a kid growing up in the Northeast, Cornell always felt like a far-fetched dream. But now, here I am, getting a chance to relive it – kind of – or reflect back on it. Cornell has fostered and cultivated my passion for research and also taught me valuable lessons I hope to pass on. It’s bittersweet in the sense that everything has flown by, but I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.

Hometown: Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Major: Global development

Minors: Applied economics, and international trade and development

What surprised you most about your Cornell CALS experience? 
I was most surprised by the amount of incredible experiences CALS has to offer. Through CALS I have been able to do research in Rwanda, explore the food industry in New Zealand, study inequality in Cameroon and do an internship in Italy. These incredible learning experiences have been eye opening, as I learn about new cultures, engage with communities and widen my perspectives. But more than anything, it’s the people I’ve met in each place who have taught me the most. I’m proud to say these connections have shaped who I am today.

Hometown: Los Angeles

Major: Biological sciences

What is your most memorable undergraduate research moment? 
My most memorable research moments came when I sat with Parkinson’s patients during their MRI sessions and heard their stories firsthand. Their warmth and humor turned a routine scan into a real conversation and reminded me why I am passionate about this work. Our lab calls itself Disney Channel because on an MRI the substantia nigra looks like Mickey Mouse ears and that playful nickname helped us build a close-knit community around our participants. This year, our lab helped host Moving Day in Ithaca, where we raised over $50,000 to support those living with Parkinson’s disease. Those connections showed me that science is at its best when it brings people together.

Hometown: New York City

Major: Nutritional sciences

Minor: Didactic program in dietetics

What does being a Cornellian mean to you?
To be a Cornellian is to be like a tree: rooted in purpose, always growing. Cornell gave me the space to explore, to stretch in new directions and to find strength in a community of others doing the same. We all came here with different paths, but together, we’ve formed a forest – deeply connected, ever-changing and always reaching for more.

Hometown: Wayne, Pennsylvania

Major: Communication

What will you miss most about Cornell?
I will miss the people I have met at Cornell. Before attending Cornell, we grew up in insular bubbles, each unique and shaped by our families, environments and experiences before college. Cornell not only brought us together but also encouraged us to break these bubbles and learn from one another. This fusion of new experiences, perspectives and interests has transformed my worldview. The friendships I have formed at Cornell will surely last a lifetime, and I can’t imagine a better place for such meaningful relationships to begin.