From clinical work with tuberculosis patients to interning in Nike’s footwear department to engaging with the local community at the Center for Discovery, Cornell Human Ecology students had a summer to remember. We asked five undergrads to share their summer experiences in their own words, from what surprised them most, to the biggest lessons they learned, to how they anticipate applying the newfound knowledge from their summer experience to their continued studies in CHE.

What was your summer experience?

Ashley Liaw ’24, Fiber Science

This summer, I was a footwear material development intern at Nike, working on the Catalyst Footwear Team. My intern project, which centered on footwear color development, sparked the initial steps toward increased efficiency and sustainability within this area. In addition to shadowing team functions, I also had the opportunity to participate in an intern-wide competition to create a proposal for new revenue opportunities.

Daniel Zhang ’26, Nutritional Sciences, Human Development minor

This summer, I conducted research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, looking at the role of suboptimal hypertension control and racial/ethnic disparities in cognition (through composite memory and executive functioning scores) in older adults. My research will (hopefully) bring more attention to underrepresented minority communities by closing the gap in hypertension treatment, which therefore will resolve many disparities in cognitive performance in older populations.

Esha Shakthy ’25, Nutritional Sciences

This summer, I participated in the College of Human Ecology – The Center for Discovery (HE-TCFD) internship program focusing on precision nutrition. This was an immersive community-engaged experience at The Center of Discovery in Harris, New York. Under the mentorship of Dr. Saurabh Mehta (Cornell University) and Jennifer Franck (The Center for Discovery), I investigated the prevalence of kidney stones in patients with complex disabilities.  

Chris Song ’24, Fashion Design and Management

This summer, I was a retail undergraduate intern (RUP) at Amazon, working in a vendor management role within their home improvement division. For my internship project, I created and presented a business development strategy for oversized products within the plumbing fixtures category.

Eirini Williams ’26, Human Biology, Health & Society

This summer I worked at the Berkeley Free Clinic to identify patient barriers to receiving tuberculosis care and evaluate the accessibility of the clinic. Through a patient survey I created from scratch, various areas of improvement were discerned. Finally, the data collected will be used to start a collaboration with the Alameda County Public Health Department and to write a grant for the clinic.

What surprised you most about your summer experience?

Daniel Zhang

I was surprised to learn about all of the different professions in neuroscience that are intertwined with one another, but still distinct. For example, I had never heard of neuropsychology before this summer, but now I know about many of the neuropsychological tests used to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

Ashley Liaw

I was most surprised to witness the vast number of people who collaborate in the creation of a single shoe. This realization allowed me to better understand the importance of teamwork and successful collaboration in creating beautiful, quality products.

Eirini Williams

The most surprising thing about my summer experience was learning how prevalent tuberculosis is in the U.S. I watched a documentary in NS 1600 about TB and I assumed it mainly impacted low- and middle-income countries. But in reality, many U.S. cities have surprising rates of reported active TB cases, with my hometown being listed in the top nine cities with the highest number of active cases.

Chris Song

I was assigned to home improvement with little background knowledge or insight into the industry. I was surprised that I was able to quickly acclimate and understand the concepts during my onboarding training. The Fashion Design and Management and Human-Centered Design curriculum has prepared me to be resourceful and analytical, working efficiently and with a purpose. I also have a new interest in home improvement products!

Esha Shakthy

I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of summer vegetables available in our community and how flavorful and tasty farm-fresh vegetables are. Similar to most CSA members, I had never heard of kohlrabi before this summer. We researched recipes and made kohlrabi fritters to educate the community on how to enjoy this wonderful vegetable, and to my surprise, it has become one of my favorite vegetables. 

What lesson — personal or professional — are you taking away from your experience?

Esha Shakthy

This summer, I realized the power of a supportive and collaborative community in bringing together change. It was inspiring to see how nutritionists, chefs farmers and doctors have come together at The Center for Discovery to develop a program that promotes the “Food is Medicine” philosophy, improving health, healing and quality of life.

Daniel Zhang

In addition to learning about the many mechanistic pathways through which hypertension exacerbates cognition, I also learned a lot about myself and my own career goals. This was a pivotal summer for me to decide if I preferred clinical work or research. Having this experience helped me decide that I enjoy working with patients and tracking their health and wellbeing over time.

Chris Song

My experience at Amazon has taught me the importance of communication skills. Information was shared through written narratives, rather than slide decks. I became accustomed to writing detailed memos of my recommendations, gathering evidence and providing analysis in a straightforward manner. 

Eirini Williams

One of the biggest lessons I learned this summer was the value of incorporating patient experiences when designing new healthcare practices. This collaboration between medical workers and patients is essential to creating a more accepting environment in healthcare.

Ashley Liaw

My internship helped me understand the importance of reaching out to and learning from those around me, as I met so many amazing, inspirational individuals who guided my learning and knowledge this summer. On the flip side, I also attained a better understanding of the value and newness offered by younger interns/generations to impact large companies like Nike.

How do you anticipate applying your newfound knowledge to your studies in CHE this fall?

Daniel Zhang

I really liked learning that you can have any background and still work in neuroscience! There were engineers, biologists, chemists and cognitive neuroscientists all working in the same lab. Similarly, I hope to use my knowledge from this summer to connect what I learn in my classes about neuroscience and nutrition to explore the field of neurology in a cross-disciplinary way, examining the lesser-studied ways that nutrition can affect cerebral health.

Ashley Liaw

A significant lesson from my internship was the value in having a mindset of continuous learning and taking initiative to utilize resources and support around me when diving into new areas. This mindset was best portrayed when I dove into the completely unfamiliar area of material color development. I hope to apply this mindset to my studies at CHE in both classwork and projects.

Eirini Williams

One of the most valuable things I learned from this experience was how the intersection between medicine and public health applies itself in real-life situations. It was informative to directly witness how the lack of free and low-cost tuberculosis testing contributes to higher numbers of active TB cases. I hope to apply these experiences to my STSCI 2150 class this fall and next semester when taking epidemiology.

Esha Shakthy

As social determinants play a huge role in community nutrition education, I am taking the NS 2450 (Social Science Perspectives on Food and Nutrition) to expand my understanding of the social science perspectives. Also, I plan to advance my research around nutritional therapies and kidney stones under the esteemed mentorship of Dr. Mehta (CHE) this semester, while continuing the partnership between Cornell and The Center for Discovery. Finally, I plan to continue working on the culinary skills that this summer has taught me and continue to champion for food and nutrition equity while continuing to educate those around me about the benefits of healthy eating.

Chris Song

Most important at Amazon, I learned to embrace ambiguity and be comfortable working with a broad project assignment. My manager and coworkers had an incomplete understanding of my project topic, and it was my role to inform them of the growth opportunities, identify risks and recommend a strategy to be implemented. I would like to carry this over and be the first to explore new topics not covered in my coursework.