Why we don’t have to wait to graduate to make a difference
There are people in need of kind gestures right now
If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?
Wait. Stop. I know the first thought is tuition and loans, so let me rephrase. If you had a million dollars and you did not have to think about tuition and paying back loans, what would you do with it?
At a prestigious university like Cornell, filled with driven students determined to change the world, the answers I got came as no surprise to me.
Catherine Wang ’16, a Nutritional Sciences major from the Bronx, would invest it in job creation.
Tom Mbega ’17, an Economics major, would put it towards the school he has already started building in his hometown in Kenya.
Nicole Mensa ’17 would use it to support her shea body butter business and the proceeds would go towards her “Project Hey” campaign to improve ICT education back home in Ghana.
Nicole Mensa (Economics, 2017). Photo credit: Ida Adjivon
Jenny Zhu ’18, an AEM major from Minnesota, said she’s not sure what she would do, but knows that some of it would go to charity because it would be selfish to keep it all for herself.
No matter our origins, our exposure to Cornell fosters a sense of purpose and it is truly inspiring to see people embarking on projects to build schools and promote education to improve their surroundings.
Unfortunately, most people feel they must wait until their education is complete to “make a difference.” Because I mean, handling 18 credits of courses is already hard enough without running a hospital and studying for the GREs. But even if we can’t raise funds to build a school while taking Econometrics, it does not mean we do not have a chance to give back at this very moment.
Yes, there is a need for more hospitals and educational advancement in some parts of the world. But there is also someone in Ithaca who needs a winter jacket. Or some food to eat. There are people in need of kind gestures right now. Sometimes, in our Big Red bubble where we hardly have time for ourselves, it is easy to forget this.
The Salvation Army: 150 N Albany Street, Ithaca. Photo credit: Mawuena Ofei
With just a click, we can sign up to help build homes for the homeless in Ithaca at the Second Wind Cottages. We only need a few hours to donate some old clothing to the Salvation Army, volunteer at a soup kitchen or at the library, or even to find avenues for tutoring kids in the area at no cost.
The Second Wind Cottages, at 1435 Elmira Rd, Newfield, are a community of transitional living units for the formerly homeless
Cornellians volunteering at Second Wind Cottages earlier this year
After all, it’s a new year. If you’re in Ithaca for the winter, find ways to make a difference in someone’s life. If you are not, find ways back home, and then look for more when you are back in Ithaca. Make a difference now and then make a difference when you acquire your degree and a better salary.
It does not take much to put a smile on another person’s face.
Make giving a New Year’s Resolution.
Resources
Volunteering at Second Wind Cottages