6. Leah Berkery

Several of the alums featured between now and reunion were degree marshals for their respective colleges during our commencement ceremony in May 1995, an honor awarded to the two students in each college with the highest GPA.

Albany, New York · Agriculture and Life Sciences

Leah.Berkery@sphp.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/leah.berkery

Tell us about what you're doing with your life.

I work as a physician at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, NY.  I am a hospitalist, which means I exclusively take care of patients when they are admitted to the hospital.  It is a relatively new medical specialty, and it has been exciting to be in such a challenging and quickly-changing field.  I am also the President of the Albany Area Chapter of the Society of Hospital Medicine, our national organization.

I decided to take on a new challenge last November by participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).  I actually had not written any fiction since high school, but I was able to write a 57,000 word first draft of a novel within a thirty-day period.

I love to travel, and am about to go on my 22nd cruise!  I also enjoy Zumba classes, and I have been licensed as a Zumba instructor for three years.

What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found the most useful?

The most useful class I took was one that was outside of my major (Biology), but which has proved essential to my career—Scientific Writing for Public Information.  The course taught me how to take technical scientific jargon and translate it into something that people without a scientific background can understand.  Every day in the hospital, I have to explain complex medical issues to patients with no medical background.  It is vital for me to be able to communicate that information in such a way that they fully comprehend their conditions and their treatment options.

What advice would you give to a student starting at Cornell this year?
I would encourage new students to take some courses in areas outside of their main fields of study—courses which have little bearing on their future career, but which are just interesting or unusual. This is your chance to explore and learn about new things! I was a biology major, but I was also able to take a year of French, a semester of Archeology, and (of course!) a semester on Wines.

What are you most looking forward to at Reunion 2015?
I cannot wait to re-connect with old friends from both Cornell undergrad and Cornell Med in New York City, which I attended for med school—a fair number of my Cornell Med classmates went to Cornell as undergrads as well.  I am looking forward to seeing campus again and doing some sightseeing in the Ithaca area.  I am also hoping I’ll be able to do some shopping at Wegmans!

8. Stephanie Geller

Several of the alums featured between now and reunion were degree marshals for their respective colleges during our commencement ceremony in May 1995, an honor awarded to the two students in each college with the highest GPA.

Baltimore, Maryland · Architecture, Art, and Planning

Name at Cornell
Stephanie Lessans

stephaniegeller@hotmail.com


Tell us about what you're doing with your life.

I live in Baltimore with my husband, Jeff, and my two sons, Henry (age 12) and Ira (age 9).  Although I’ve changed jobs several times since graduating from Cornell and obtaining my MSW several years later, my professional goal to help revitalize our nation’s distressed urban areas has not changed.  I’m particularly passionate about catalyzing out-of-the-box, community wealth-building models such as worker-owned cooperatives to create quality, empowering job opportunities in low-income areas.  Outside of work, I love reading, games, and spending quality time with my friends and family.  I also love hiking, especially around waterfalls (which definitely has roots in my years at Cornell).

What is your favorite memory of your time at Cornell?

My favorite times were those spent with dear friends—first, hanging out on the 3rd floor of U-Hall 3 and then at “The Brick,” a dilapidated house on Eddy Street, where we spent many nights playing hearts, laughing, and just relaxing together!  I spent too much time at Uris Library, but even when I think back to those long days and nights of studying, my memories are quite happy ones—sitting next to good friends (we spent so much time in one area that we deemed certain desks to be ours) and taking breaks to enjoy stir-fries and cookies at the Straight.

·  How has your time at Cornell influenced you since you graduated?

As an Urban & Regional Studies major at Cornell, I learned about the interconnected nature of the systems, institutions, policies, attitudes, and many other factors shaping our communities and oftentimes resulting in severe urban challenges.  My classes helped me develop a “macro-lens”—an ability to recognize the interrelated forces that have left so many of our nation’s neighborhoods facing severe disinvestment and stress.  As someone now working to revitalize some of Baltimore’s poorest areas, this lens has helped me better understand the complex challenges facing this city and formulate the type of systemic-level solutions necessary to affect positive, sustainable change.  

What are you most looking forward to at Reunion 2015?
First, I am so excited to re-connect with my friends.  Our four years together at Cornell helped us become so close—I know that even though it has been so many years since we’ve seen each other, we will jump right back in where we left off—laughing, sharing, and catching up!  I also am looking forward to sharing one of my favorite places in the world—Cornell—with my sons, who are now 9 and 12.  They had a blast at the last reunion, and now that they are 5 years older, I know will get even more out of the experience.

9. Allison Solomon

Several of the alums featured between now and reunion were degree marshals for their respective colleges during our commencement ceremony in May 1995, an honor awarded to the two students in each college with the highest GPA.

San Francisco, California · Human Ecology

Name at Cornell
Allison Halpern

ajh2@cornell.edu

Tell us about what you're doing with your life.

I live in San Francisco with my husband, 6-year-old son, and three chickens! We spend much of our free time rock climbing, hiking, and camping.

What advice would you give to a student starting at Cornell this year?

Make sure you spend at least one summer at Cornell! It's such a magical time when you can really appreciate your surroundings. And it's the only time of year when it's not likely to snow!

·  What extracurricular activity or hobby from your time at Cornell was the most meaningful?

Serving on, and then co-leading, the Orientation Steering Committee was really meaningful to me, both while I was at Cornell as well as afterwards. What an opportunity to be entrusted with so much responsibility! I learned so many skills—organization, communication, collaboration, delegation—that I use professionally and personally.

What does being a Cornell alumnus mean to you?
Being a Cornell alum means being a part of a community of people doing some pretty amazing things. I am always so inspired when I read about what Cornellians are doing around the world! And I love meeting other alums—no matter when they graduated or what they studied, we always find something in common.