Fresh from the Hill: Inside Stories of Noteworthy Cornellians

In the sixth of the CLAA Series for the Fresh from the Hill Podcast, CLAA board members interview the 2023 MacArthur ‘genius grant’ recipient, Manuel Muñoz, MFA ‘98. In his writing, Muñoz draws on his roots growing up in a Mexican-American family of farmworkers in California’s Central Valley to explore the impacts of racial politics and limited economic opportunities in this region. He tells the s...

We're taking a little break from our regularly scheduled series to feature the winners of the 2023 Robert S. Harrison '76 Recent Alumni Volunteer Award, which celebrates the service of a new generation of alumni volunteers and honoring Harrison’s long-standing commitment to Cornell. Harrison served as a student trustee from 1975 to 1976, launching what would become nearly five decades of s...

Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson '97 takes on our fifth episode of the CLAA series. Mary Carmen charts her path from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico and how it took a chance bet for her to apply to Cornell. She talks about the community she built with folks like Kety during Summer/Fall of 1993 with COSEP as well as some of the struggles she had with English as she was making the transition in t...

Eduardo Peñalver is our next esteemed guest for the fourth episode of the CLAA series. During the discussion, Eduardo tracks his early life from a farm town in the Pacific Northwest, to being thrust as the leader of the Day Hall Takeover. He speaks to some of the awkwardness of being the point person to the Takeover, while receiving a Rhodes scholarship (wow!) just a few days later. He then moves...

Kety Esquivel '97 headlines the third episode of the CLAA series as we dive into the Day Hall Takeover. During the discussion, Kety discusses her path to Cornell and sets the scene as a young first-year student entering Cornell in the Summer/Fall of 1993 with COSEP. She then explores the celebration of several exhibits focused on Latino culture and the devastation in seeing the Revalaciones/Re...

Ana Pinczuk headlines the second episode of the CLAA series and is the first Board of Trustees member interviewed. Ana is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Dexterity, Inc. and serves on the boards of Aptiv and SentinelOne. Throughout her career, Ana has worked for AT&T, Cisco Systems, Veritas Technologies, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Ana discusses her path to Cornell which started f...

How long have Latinos been at Cornell? Is there a story to tell about the LatinX community at this Ivy League University and its involvement in grassroots activism and the Board of Trustees? How has the Latine community contributed to Cornell’s commitment to any person, any study over the University’s 158 years? Join Cornell Latino Alumni Association at large board members Joseph De Los Santos MHA...

We've all likely heard the story. A Cornell senior saves a man from a New York City subway. But have you heard his story? Well today is your chance. Hear from Bryce Demopoulos about stepping up and giving back and the importance of taking advantage of everything Cornell has to offer - both inside and outside your major. "It's the small moments that add up. It's the small moments t...

The 2023 Alumni Trustee Election is officially OPEN so what better time to learn about what it means to be an alumni elected trustee and why YOU should vote?! Check out this year's ballot and make your voice heard! ___________________________________________________________ What does it take to be on Cornell’s Board of Trustees? Four Cornell degrees? Not necessarily. But Doug Mitarotonda’s decade...

Wonder how someone who aspired to be an English professor eventually became a successful woman in comedy? Listen in to find out! Alison Leiby '06 has covered the gamut in comedy. From standup to TV writing for shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Broad City, to her one woman show Oh God, a Show About Abortion, Alison Leiby '06 has some advice about carving your path in an industry you never co...

A Hotelie in Paris starring on a Bravo TV Show Real Girlfriends In Paris and also running her own business? Yes, you heard us correctly. Adja Toure ’18 is a sparkling example of how to let a Cornell degree and fulfilling experiences along the way guide and garnish post-grad life. While soaking up her time in the Hotel School, Adja also worked her way up the ladder on the Slope Day planning committ...

From her beginnings as a Rawlings Presidential Research Scholar, to joining a lab in CALS, to dancing on the dance team Urban Blaze, Alexis Wilson ’19 seemingly did it all as a Cornell student. Not only that, Alexis was also an instrumental member of Cornell’s Intergroup Dialogue Project.  Since her time at Cornell, she's completed an honors thesis related to environmental science that later...

A professor. A writer. A Dean. A reader. An advisor. A humanist. Dr. Glenn Altschuler is the embodiment of an academic. Learn about his life and what propelled him to not “be the Jewish boy who never went north of 125th St.” in this compelling conversation with Sydney Mann '18. Get an insider's view of a storied five decade Cornell career,  with anecdotes of connection and relationships,...

It's time for a new series of Fresh from the Hill (finally!) The name of our new host may be familiar to you - that's because she was a guest on the podcast back in 2021! Get to know her better by revisiting that episode today (Check Your Privilege - original air date 8/18/21) and stay tuned for brand new episodes in the upcoming weeks with Sydney hosting.  Read the episode transcript. Hosted...

Revisit this spooky episode from 2021 with Cornell's de facto historian Corey Ryan Earle '07. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ From Halloween pranks to campus hauntings - tune in for tales of murder, mayhem, creepy classes and unsolved mysteries of Cornell’s spookier past from unofficial university historian Corey Ryan Earle ’07....

Dana Lerner '14 is currently the co-producer of the revival of COMPANY. COMPANY was recently nominated for nine Tony Awards and won five, including best revival of a musical. As a producer, Dana was nominated and won best revival of a musical. Revisit this episode from 2019 to get an exclusive look behind the scenes of Broadway. _____________________________________________________________________...

101.3 WKZB is Fall Church's only radio station. On Interview Hour, hosts Lauren and Peter interview the fascinating residents of Falls Church. Interview Hour is a completely fictional, improvised podcast, performed by Lauren Morrell and Peter Narby. In "Prance Therapy" (original air date 4/11/21), Lauren Morrell interviews Falls Church's hand washing timer, and then a psychotherapist with a deeply...

"Innovation and Insurance with Shruti Kothari," first aired November 8, 2021. Nakin Bhandari MHA '18, Freddy Terrazas Escamilla MHA '19, and Joseph De Los Santos MHA '19 sit down live in San Diego to bring in the sixth episode of BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast. The team speaks to Shruti Kothari on Innovation and Insurance, Shruti is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at Blue Shield of California....

"Why failing more should be your goal with Susan Danziger, Founder of Eutopia Holdings," first aired May 24, 2021.  Susan Danziger launched her first business to solve a problem, and hasn’t stopped since! From making books accessible on your commute to combating the climate crisis with Wally Farms, Susan is a serial Entreprenista and investor with a deep drive to positively impact her communi...

"Gwen Whiting of The Laundress – Innovation, Big Risks, and Thinking Outside the Box," first aired March 23, 2020. Success as an Entreprenista involves innovation, taking big risks, and thinking outside the box. In the case of Gwen Whiting '98, Founder of The Laundress, a successful line of eco-friendly laundry and home products, it’s all of these. Inspired with an idea while working in the fashio...

Cornell University’s Intergroup Dialogue Project (IDP) proudly presents “I” Statements, a podcast where complexity, vulnerability, and curiosity collide. Music written and performed by Evan Wilhelms. You can learn more about IDP here .  This episode, "Authenticity," was first aired September 8, 2021.  Three different people, three different perspectives on authenticity. We share stories...

Enjoy the final revisited episode from the Wall of Wonder series celebrating Women's History Month! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hilary Lashley Renison '05, MEng '07, MBA '09 knows resiliency. Though she was one of three African American women in engineering during undergrad, she stayed at Cornell for almost a de...

A second revisited episode from the Wall of Wonder series for Women's History Month.  ___________________________________________________________________________ Civil engineers help society. How can one ensure their infrastructure is safe and benefiting everyone in the community? This is Erica Fischer '07's mission. Hear about her journey from an undergraduate at Cornell to her current role...

In celebration of Women's History Month, the next three episodes will be rebroadcasts of our Wall of Wonder series from last summer, featuring interviews of three women profiled in the book by authors Madeline Dubelier, Catherine Gurecky, and Abigail Macaluso, all Class of 2020. Need a refresher on the book itself? Go back to season 3, episode 8 to hear an interview with Madeline, Catherine, and A...

Featuring Matthew Zucker '92. Episode #55. "Hike Your Own Hike." First aired Oct 21, 2021 What’s the rush with hiking? What's the difference between a walk and a hike? This episode Mat Zucker ’92 talks to Sean O’Dwyer, who runs Mountain-Hiking.com, a popular blog for Catskills, Hudson Highlands, Adirondacks and beyond. You’ll hear what Sean loves about mountain hiking, where to go (including Corne...