Clubs After College

The fifth column in the series, this addresses the activities that once filled our days after class, but now may (or may not) fill our lives after work.

What time is it? It’s 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Despite the fact that the show is not for another twelve hours, the devoted crew of the Cornell Concert Commission is already awake, preparing for the evening’s performance. It’s 9 a.m. on the Friday morning of Orientation week. The team of volunteers places items which would have been thrown away at the end of the year for sale as part of “Dump and Run,” the profits of which will benefit local charities. It’s 6 p.m. the night before Student Assembly elections. The candidates are out in force, chalking the sidewalks as they campaign to represent the student body.

Regardless of the time of day, as students ,we set aside studying for these diversionary, yet rewarding activities. With over 700 organizations to choose from, we dove into a sea of opportunities to pursue our talents, interests and curiosities. In return for our time, these activities provided the opportunity to apply our knowledge, gain tangible hands-on skills and develop friendships. Not a bad trade-off.

Many of us found the activities so rewarding that when graduation arrived, we naturally transitioned from club to profession. This was the case for Jason Levine ’06, who drew from his organizational skills from Concert Commission and Jewish engagement experience in Cornell Hillel to work for Hillel at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. Similarly, Lauren Jacobs ’05, who founded “Dump and Run,” now works for FSG Social Impact Advisors, a consulting firm that advises nonprofits and corporate philanthropy programs. Lauren’s philanthropic involvement cultivated her interest in the social sector and provided the experience she needed to pursue it further. “My extracurricular activities helped cultivate leadership skills that have been very useful [in my career],” she explained. And for Ben Rockey-Harris ’04 who was involved in campus politics, he is now working for the Arizona Democratic Party. “I’m here because I joined the Cornell Democrats, unquestionably,” he said. These activities, which previously occupied time outside of class, now fill entire days...

Continue reading the column here: Clubs After College