Rebecca Gordon ’23, a global and public health major, shares her thoughts on her time in Cornell Human Ecology and her advice for new students.

What’s one of your favorite memories from your time in Cornell Human Ecology?

This past summer, I traveled to Moshi, Tanzania, as a part of the Global Health Program. Through this unforgettable experience, I became part of a cross-cultural team comprised of Tanzanian medical students and my Cornell peers. Together, we developed a qualitative health policy case study focused on reducing school-aged children’s exposure to outdoor air pollution, informed by interviews with local stakeholders. This experience gave me the opportunity to work toward a solution to a complex health problem, analyze it through a critical lens, and inform suggestions by seeking multiple perspectives. I also formed meaningful friendships with my Tanzanian and Cornell peers, and with local families through a homestay.

What surprised you most about CHE?

What surprised me most about Human Ecology was how seamlessly all of the majors intersect. I didn’t expect to meet fiber science majors in my human development classes, or public policy majors in my nutrition ones. Yet despite the diverse array of interests represented within human ecology, all students are united by a shared commitment to improving human lives, and therefore all of our majors are interconnected.

What will you be doing next?

This August, I will be moving to Madison, Wisconsin, to work as a project manager at Epic, an electronic health software company. I am excited to contribute to their mission of improving health equity by leveraging health technology to support both patient and provider needs. 

Do you have any tips or words of wisdom for incoming first-year students?

My advice is to seize every opportunity presented to you. There are so many things that I have been involved in within CHE – working in the Career Exploration Center, being a TA for Intro Global Health, joining Kappa Omicron Nu, being president of the Global Health Student Advisory Board, and working for the Division of Nutritional Sciences, to name a few – that I became a part of by just saying “yes.” Put yourself out there and give everything a try… you never know where it might lead you!