Ellen Barre Spiegel
College of Human Ecology
What random or surprising encounters with Cornell or Cornellians have you experienced since you left?
Last October, my husband Bill and I visited Tokyo and went to Zinck’s Night with the Cornell Club of Japan. It was a FABULOUS experience!
What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found the most useful?
My favorite class was the class that accompanied my junior year internship in NYC. We were taught how to learn from a non-academic environment, and it has been the foundation for my lifelong learning.
What is your favorite memory of your time at Cornell?
I have many fond memories of my time at Cornell, but what may be my most memorable memory was winning a clam eating contest at Kelly’s Dry Dock. I even tell the story in a YouTube video:
Here’s another fond memory. During my sophomore year, I was co-chair of the Orientation Steering Committee. Knowing that I would be on stage at the Freshman Convocation in Barton Hall and need to speak to the incoming class and their families, I decided that the best way to prepare for this would be to take a class in public speaking. Our final assignment was to present either a speech of entertainment or a reading interpretation. I decided to combine the two and read the chapter, “Where to Have Sex” from the book, The Sensuous Woman. As part of the presentation, I wore a costume, which consisted of a large bath towel (over shorts and a tube top), spiked heels and rhinestone jewelry. My reasoning was that if conventional advice to people with speaker’s jitters was to picture the audience in their underwear, that if I could give a speech in a bath towel, I could speak anywhere, in any circumstances. The speech went very well (although the class was shocked when I took off my coat and revealed my costume), and I got an A (which I needed to make Dean’s List that semester). I’ve been on many stages and given many speeches since then, and that memory still makes me smile.
What advice would you give to a student starting at Cornell this year?
Take advantage of all the opportunities that are presented to you with an open mind, whether it’s meeting people from different backgrounds/countries, taking a class in something unexpected (I took ballet for one of my gym requirements and had never taken dance before), or studying in a library that’s not in your college (as it helps you meet even more people and get exposed to different perspectives).