Giving with impact: How one alumna is assisting many Afghans

In August 2021, Sharifa Sharifi was working as general manager of the Afghan National Gallery in Herat, Afghanistan’s third largest city, when the government collapsed and the Taliban took control of her country. As an employee of the fallen government, a professional woman, an outspoken advocate for women’s rights, and an artist whose paintings celebrated … Read the full story

Seniors show their love for Cornell

Lauren Pappas ’23 transferred to Cornell in fall 2021. In spring 2022, she received an email from the Senior Class Campaign (SCC) asking for volunteers for the coming year. Not knowing much about the SCC, she checked out the website. What she learned motivated her to step up. “I learned that annual fund donations go … Read the full story

Her turn to give: Rebecca Lee ’02 shares the inspiration behind her affordability scholarship gift

Since they were young, Inhee Rebecca “Becky” Lee ’02 recalls following her older sister, Jinhee Michell Lee ’01, around. Wanting to do everything Michell did was part of Becky’s initial motivation for applying to Cornell. In her senior year of high school, Michell applied to and was accepted by the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell (now … Read the full story

Making space: creating a female culture in STEM

“What do we picture when we think of an engineer?” asks Karina Popovich ’23. Karina is working with her peers to redefine preexisting notions about who belongs in STEM fields and transform the faces of tech and science to include more women. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of women in … Read the full story

The power to change the world

Throughout his Cornell career, Dustin Liu ’19 was deeply involved with the community-engaged learning initiative (CEL)—a university-wide effort to involve every Cornell student in learning with and from communities. Dustin says that his engagement with the larger Ithaca community started from the moment he first set foot on the Cornell campus to take part in … Read the full story

Wholehearted: alumni support the Cornell Promise

As the pandemic continues to surge this winter, the Cornell community has banded together to support students whose families have been impacted. On April 7, 2020, President Martha E. Pollack promised that “we will do everything possible to enable all current and newly admitted students to complete their Cornell educations, despite the obstacles created by … Read the full story

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove ’99 is on a mission to save lives

As part of her work with the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove ’99 provides regular updates on the COVID-19 pandemic and routinely answers common questions about the virus for members of the press. On January 26, she shared her expert insights with members of the Cornell community. Dr. Van Kerkhove shared her … Read the full story

Crowdfunding supports a rainbow of projects, including LGBTQ+ scholarship

Every fall, we reach out to the Cornell community to spotlight giving opportunities that directly benefit Cornell students. The 8th annual Cornell Crowdfunding campaign officially kicked off on October 12, and will include a total of 16 student-driven projects and one special scholarship challenge. From now through December 5, these crowdfunding projects have the chance … Read the full story

A timely investment: supporting student health

Members of the Class of 1955 recently celebrated their 65th Reunion. These octogenarians have also been steadfast supporters of Cornell Health. In 2015, the Class of 1955 and Peter Schluter ’55 gave a $100,000 gift to name a room in the new Cornell Health facility. In July 2020, the class responded to the call again, … Read the full story