A Letter to Janet Cornfeld, Cornell Class of 1972

Ms. Janet Cornfeld '72 is the point of contact for the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network for the DC and Maryland area. I know nothing about her except for her position as member of the Cornell Club of Washington, her year of Graduation and that I want to encounter more fellow alums. I'm sure she's a nice person with a good career. What lies below is an e-mail I sent her recently.

Dear Ms. Janet Cornfeld '72
My name is Ryan Gomez and I am a recent graduate of Cornell University. I graduated with a major in Operations Research and Information Engineering in the class of 2009. I have recently returned to the Washington D.C. area and aim to be a good member of my community. Recently I applied and was accepted to be a Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador. Please let me know how I can serve the current crop of potential Cornellians in the Washington area.

Currently, I am a near-peer mentor with the Army Educational Outreach Program working with Middle and High School students in the District of Columbia. I facilitate hands-on Science, Technology and Engineering activities to students unlikely to enter these fields. This way, I help the Department of Defense's mission of inspiring America's next scientists and engineers. Through this experience, I intend my career to be civic in scope, community strengthening, personally enriching and lots of fun.

Cornell is a place I miss terribly. I lived in no less than six places on campus: North, West, Greek, and Collegetown. I was eventually embedded into a community centered around a salon at 400 Oak Avenue. We attracted, among others, Baja Auto Racers, Cornell Democrats and Hotelies. We shared meals, told stories and organized field trips. Music filled the house. Recent graduates of our members have found themselves in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Napa Valley and everywhere in between. Apart from this community, I pursued courses in six of the seven Colleges to supplement my Engineering degree. Operations Research itself taught me the art of collecting, simulating and modeling data.

In the past year to reflect on my Cornell experience, I developed a historic Map of Collegetown, that focused on the neighborhood since 1960. The period between 1968 and 1972 was particularly rich in history and you must have wistful stories of epic gatherings, passionate debate and youthful mischief from your stay during this time. I'm pleased to report that much has not changed about coming of age at Cornell, despite the University's many changes. Additionally, I have provided a few infographics on the state of Cornell's enrollment at the MetaEzra blog and spent the time since graduation contacting local alumni and other professionals for informational interviews.

With my college years behind me, it is my wish to volunteer in service to both prospective students and Cornell's Alumni Institutions.

Thanks Very Kindly,
Ryan Gomez '09