Sarah Stephenson
English & Classics
New York, N.Y.
What was your favorite class and why?
My favorite class was my freshman year writing seminar, Race, Sex, and Anxiety in the American Novel, taught by Amaris Brown (who was then a doctoral candidate and is now a professor at Tufts). The class was absolutely fascinating and introduced me to the Africana studies department, which I’ve since taken multiple classes within. The class was also my first introduction to academic theory and rigorous engagement of secondary sources, which has been invaluable to my academic growth.
What is your main extracurricular activity and why is it important to you?
I live in one of Cornell’s cooperative living homes, 660 Stewart Ave, and contributing to our community management has been one of my most rewarding experiences at Cornell. Within the co-op, I’m one of seven house managers who interface with the university and make sure everything is functioning smoothly within our community. I’m also a member of our kitchen committee. Our house, like many of the co-ops, has an in-house meal plan where we all take turns cooking and cleaning, so that we can all have home-cooked dinners together Sunday-Thursday. Every week, I meet with a few other housemates to plan out our menus and write fun new recipes. 660, and the broader co-op network, is the center of my community at Cornell and has given me lifelong friendships and connections, as well as crucial community-building skills.
What are the most valuable skills you gained from your Arts & Sciences education?
I think that A&S has given me an excellent humanistic, interdisciplinary education. I have been able to double major in English and classics, which have given me a strong basis in the humanities, while also taking classes exploring my interests in philosophy, psychology and history. I also love how interdisciplinary many of my classes have been. I am part of the Humanities Scholars Program, which emphasizes interdisciplinary humanities, and to satisfy one of the programs’ requirements, I’ve had to take two interdisciplinary senior seminars, both of which have been some of the best classes I’ve taken at Cornell.
What have you accomplished as a Cornell student that you are most proud of?
I am most proud of my undergraduate honors thesis. The project is in the classics department, and it conducts a comparative study of Vergil’s "Eclogues" and the contemporary poetry collection "Black Pastoral" by Ariana Benson. The project has allowed me to delve deeply into my academic interests and follow any and all rabbit holes that interest me. Since my thesis analyzes both ancient and contemporary literature, it feels like a true culmination of my work double majoring in English and classics and it has been very rewarding to watch these fields come together in an integrated and synergistic way.
How have your beliefs or perspectives changed since you first arrived at Cornell?
At Cornell, I have been exposed to a very wide range of experiences and backgrounds that I might not have interacted with otherwise. I also had the opportunity to study abroad in the U.K. my junior spring, which broadened my international perspective and gave me the chance to travel and meet people from many more places than only my host country. Studying at Cornell has given me a broader perspective of the world. At Cornell, I’ve met people with all sorts of academic, extracurricular and social justice interests, most of the time very different from my own. Through Outdoor Odyssey and meeting people studying environmental science, I’ve gained a better appreciation for the outdoors and the science behind our natural world, which influenced my more humanistic interest in ecocriticism and environmental literature. By spending time in Cornell’s cooperative communities and activist clubs like Jewish Voice for Peace, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of many social issues and the importance of community organizing.
Every year, our faculty nominate graduating Arts & Sciences students to be featured as part of our Extraordinary Journeys series.Read more about the Class of 2025.
