Der Hexenkreis Chapter June 2014
Mortar Board Newsletter
Dear Mortar Board Alumni, As the 2014 academic term comes to an end, I am proud to say that our organization has had another year full of success! We have had the chance to host a leadership reception, two last lectures, a number of community service events and even to induct a new faculty member into our society. As many recent alumni are aware, we also have a relatively new tradition of offering a leadership award to a student that has hopes and plans to improve Cornell, into a reality. Past leadership award recipients have started the Cornell Farmers Market and funded a research trip to Sub-Saharan Africa. This year we received a record number of applications and plan to work with fellow Cornell student, Natalie Roussau, to recognize Cornell leaders in Humanitarianism and Human Rights through the development of an online exhibit and distinguished speaker series. This past semester we also had the opportunity to strengthen our relationship with the national Mortar Board organization as the Executive Director and President came to visit. They are incredibly proud of our chapter and they are excited for us to take part in the 100-year anniversary of the Mortar Board organization. I am confident that the founding members of the society would be proud to see how far we have come. As our traditions maintain, this past February we had the honor of selecting the 123rd Tapping Class of Mortar Board Der Hexenkreis Senior Honor Society. We spent the past few months getting to know them well. Effective this month, Zander Liem will take over and lead the 123rd Tapping Class in running the undergraduate chapter. They are a fantastic group of leaders and I am confident that they will continue the traditions of Der Hexenkreis and ensure positive growth going forward. For the first time in many years we will be hosting an event during reunion weekend! We have many alumni who graduated as early as the 1950s who plan on coming back to campus and attending. If you are planning on coming up for the weekend please let us know! Also, be sure to check out our new website at www.cornellmb.org for more updates and profiles of our new members. Ad Der Hexenkreis, Andrew Freiman
Join us for Reunion!
Saturday, June 7th, 2014, 2:00- 3:00pm 102 Mann Lobby Gather together and interact with some members of the current and most recent tapping classes and others from across the years. Light refreshments will be served.
Oh the Places We'll Go: the 122nd Tapping Class Congratulations to the graduating class!
ILLINOIS
Christine McIntosh, UCh Medical School
OHIO
An
CALIFORNIA
Eric Silverberg, Stanford Law School
TEXAS
Melissa Frank, Teach for America
LOUISIANA
Liz Camuti, Louisiana Sta University (MS of Landsca Architecture)
Stay Involved!
Contact us whenever you’re on campus to meet the current tapping class! Alexander Liem, atl55@cornell.edu Samantha Weisman, scw68@cornell.edu Join us on Facebook! Visit our website!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/385257701508772/ http://www.cornellmb.org/
hicago
O
PENNSYLVANIA
William Jackson, University of Pennsylvania (MS in Systems Engineering)
MASSACHUSETTS
Hannah Weaver, Brattle Group
CONNECTICUT
Adam Abboud, Teach for America
ngira Jhaveri, Unilever
NEW YORK BUFFALO
Andrew Crego, Moog INC.
ITHACA
Ulysses Smith, Alumni Affairs & Development at Cornell University
NEW YORK CITY WASHINGTON DC.
Jamie Landsman, The Advisory Board Company Jess Reif, McChrystal Group Samuel Ritholtz, Perseus Strategies
NORTH CAROLINA
Tori Klug, UNC at Chapel Hill (MS of Environmental Engineering)
ATLANTA
Selamawit Gebre, Teach for America
ate ape
Aly Bandali, Oliver Wyman Colin Foley, JP. Morgan Aylin Gucalp, Cushman & Wakefield Ali Hamad, CoVenture Rebecca Harris, Columbia Law School Leah Hellerstein, Weill Cornell Department of Healthcare Policy & Research Melissa Lukasiewicz, Aflac Global Investments Nayab Mahmood, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health (MPH in Health Policy and Management) Rachel Medin, Ernst & Young Akane Otani, Reuters Kristen Powers, Barclays Christina Roberti, Alvarez and Marsal Chelsea Rowe, Morgan Stanley Kirat Singh, Cornerstone Research Kevin Tobin, Deloitte Wei Yang, Goldman Sachs
SYRACUSE
Jordana Gilman, SUNY Upstate Medical School
122’s AT LARGE
Simon Boehme, Maynooth, Ireland, Mitchell Scholar at National University Evelyn Fok, Latin America, Traveling Andrew Freiman, World-wide, Traveling Karan Javaji, India, Preparing for the Civil Service exam
Dr. Renee T. Alexander
Dr. Renee Alexander ’74 delivered an inspiring Last Lecture on Wednesday, April 30 to an audience of 150 students and members of the Cornell community. Dr. Alexander served as director of Diversity Alumni Programs in Alumni Affairs and Development from 2006 to 2011, when she was named to the position of associate dean of students and director of intercultural programs. Dr. Alexander is a tireless advocate of multi-cultural dialogue on-campus and is well-known for her work at Six-Two-Six Thurston, Cornell’s Intercultural Center. But Dr. Alexander’s Last Lecture gave students the opportunity to hear about the events she calls her “360 Degrees” – that is, the time in-between her time at Cornell as an undergraduate and her time at Cornell as an administrator. The theme of her lecture was Romans 13:12, “Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” After graduating from Cornell, Dr. Alexander had a very successful career in advertising in New York City. Despite many personal setbacks including a serious car accident and house fire, Dr. Alexander was an industry leader on Madison Ave. Dr. Alexander met Charles, a man who changed her life and eventually became her fiancé. He encouraged her to pursue additional education and find a career path about which she was more passionate. Dr. Alexander eventually earned her PhD from Fordham University and began working as the Director of Special Projects at The New School. In her lecture, she recalled a voicemail Charles left on her phone that led with, “I am having a bad day, Renee.” In 2001, Charles was killed in the September 11 attacks, and once again Dr. Alexander faced incredible adversity. Returning to the theme of her lecture, she said she “lit a candle rather than cursing the darkness.” Seeking a change of scenery from New York City, Dr. Alexander returned to Ithaca to work in Alumni Affairs and Development. Her “360 Degrees” brought her back to Cornell where she had studied as an undergraduate, this time interested in correcting many of the problems she saw during her time here. A true servant leader with an incredible life story, Dr. Alexander was an inspiration to all those who attended the event.
Photographs from Ezra Magazine