Day 135: Cornell Graduation

The Clock TowerI am at Cornell for my cousin Ali’s graduation this Memorial Day weekend.  As I immerse myself here, I am reminded of my Cornell graduation three years ago.  Everything is as it was.  Every character is still here but played by a different person.  There are a few familiar faces.  Ali’s class is the last graduating class that I overlapped with.  Next time I am here, I will know no one. 

Me and Hannah at Balch Hall on North CampusAfter dinner at Maxie’s with my family, we have drinks at Rulloffs before heading to my Ali’s apartment, where drinking and beer pong ensues before we wander over to Johnny O’s at 12:15am.  The bars close at 1am here.  Even when I participated, I never understood this ritual.  As Johnny O’s fills up, people begin to dance on the tables.  

Happy graduation Ali. A magnum of grey goose, love your cousin Katie :)As an observer now, I realize how much of a bubble Cornell is.  In Collegetown in Ithaca, NY, everyone is associated with Cornell.   We had the same basic routine.  Not exactly the same schedule, but in general, we all woke up, went to class, went to the library and lived in the same place as the rest of our class.  We studied different things, but we crunched for prelims and exams and celebrated finishing together.  We sat next to each other, but we were preparing for vastly different things. 

Me and AliSo much has happened since the day I left Cornell.  I was going to work at Lehman Brothers in investment banking and I couldn’t have been more pumped.  I was so anxious to break into the real world.  If I went back or if I did it again, I think about what I would do differently.  I have no regrets though.  Everything that happened has brought me to where I am now.  I like where I am now.

Family picture. We are so proud.It’s good to back.  It’s also an important reminder that you can’t plan your life.  You need to pursue your passions and see where it takes you.  See more pictures.