When I Grow Up

The third column in the series, this article tries to inspire current students to think outside of the box to invent their own post graduation opportunities.

Dear Diary: When I grow up I want to be an astronaut, environmental lawyer, a reporter, a professional ice skater and a rabbi.

At age 7, this is how I imagined life as a grown up. When you were 7, how did you answer the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I believed the possibilities were infinite. Now, at 21, with life as a grown up one step closer, do you still have the same aspirations that anything is possible? As graduation approached, I maintained the same outlook that I had when I was 7: I could pursue any path, but only if it was one in which I could color outside of the lines.

In my quest for such a career, I was not in a category all my own, but joined by young alumni traveling “off the beaten track.” Ironically, this path could set the opposite group of young alumni “on track” to tap into their personal potential. This week, I seek to share with you the inspiring stories of just a few of these young alumni from different majors and varied backgrounds with the hope that their stories illustrate just how easy it can be to color outside of the lines.

In her first year out, Liore Milgrom-Elcott ’04 completed a fellowship with the American Jewish World Service in India. A Natural Resources major, she worked on a socially sustainable development project. Half-way through her year, the tsunami hit Southeast Asia. Adapting within her position, she managed medical supplies to provide victim relief. Now, she is spearheading an energy conservation campaign for a nonprofit.

After graduating from Cornell, Etan Rand ’05, a Design and Environmental Analysis major, filed a patent and established his own company. Drawing from research conducted at Cornell, he founded Design in Motion, Inc., where his first endeavor sought to improve the lives of wheelchair users through ergonomics. “I saw an enormous problem and I needed to do something about it. I work on this project because I want to improve the way millions of people live” Etan explained...

Continue reading the column, here: When I Grow Up