...because I feel the need to look back before moving forward.
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by PAM
After work: Enjoying a little portion of Cayuga Lake
in Aurora, Upstate, New York, halfway between Ithaca and Geneva.
About New York State
The scenic drive between Ithaca and
Geneva make the 45-minute travel time
like a time for Namjooning! It leaves me
breathless every time!
Geneva make the 45-minute travel time
like a time for Namjooning! It leaves me
breathless every time!
The main campus of Cornell University is in Ithaca, NY, which is located in the very lovely Finger Lakes Region. Other people who are used to living in huge and very busy metropolitan areas might find the Region to be too secluded, "in the middle of nowhere", too quiet... like nothing much is going on except the quaint small town vibes. If you give it a chance though, it can grow on you. Well, it did to me. And soon, most days have become perfect days for Namjooning, where you just watch the beautiful day roll towards the evening, leaving a promise of a new day to keep you dreaming peacefully through the night.
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About Cornell
Cornell has three other campuses in NYS. One is the Cornell Agritech, located in Geneva, also in the Finger Lakes Region. The AgriTech is formerly known as the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES), which is under the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) - the College where I did my PhD in the early to mid 2000s. It is one of the very best in the world, and some of this is due to its huge Extension Programs that cater to the agriculture and food industry of NYS, and their highly internationalized population and engagements. I am very proud to be an alumna of CALS. The professors in CALS, and all of Cornell for that matter, are very supportive of their Alumni. They keep track of our progress, and they support us in the various stages of our career. Case in point, they supported me in my Humphrey Fellowship. I worked between the Ithaca and Geneva campuses... and the drive between these two campuses is absolutely beautiful - especially during springtime and summer time.
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| Visiting Cornell Tech at Roosevelt Island in NYC with friends. The campus has the fascinating view of Manhattan on one side and Long Island on another. |
This is what I love about studying, or working as a visiting scholar, at Cornell. The quality of education is, obviously, excellent, and its campuses in the Finger Lakes Region and in NYC are beautiful! When stressed out from working hard, there is always a way to 'recuperate' and 'recharge'... right inside the campus! And, when you need to get away from it all, roaming around the immediate vicinity of the campuses give respite, too. When there is more time, traveling around the Region is physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually rejuvenating. And, when there are official University break, it is always great to enjoy the City... for as long as one saved up sufficiently, that is, because enjoying the City can be very expensive. One of these days, I shall write about my most recent visit in the City.
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A little about me... and BTS
In the meantime, let's enjoy the official music video of BTS's "Life goes on": in the forest, which is set in a place that is quite similar to the Finger Lakes Region of NYS.
Beautiful song... beautiful young men singing to a multitude of beautiful souls
around the world from such a beautiful place.
Indeed, life is beautiful... and it goes on.
The last nine years that I've been Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Santo Tomas (there, I said it... for the first time, I think, in this Blog) were some of the most remarkable years of my life... not because of the 'prestige' of the position because I don't think I ever enjoyed the 'perks' of being Dean. In fact, I don't even know what the perks were... and I never cared to find out! I cared more about something else, the most essential thing in my leadership goals - SERVICE. The whole time, I was extremely busy trying to cultivate a 'new' culture of excellence in the Faculty. It was humbling... and I've given up so many things to do this. Looking back, I do believe that the sacrifices were so worth it. I can say with confidence, and humility, that my Team and I have achieved our goals... and so much more.
In a few days, I will be officially handing down the reins of leadership of the Faculty to my successor. I am proud to turnover the leadership of a Faculty that is completely transformed from how it was when I took over about a decade ago. And, I mean that in a very positive way, and many can attest to it, too... including history itself. I do believe that it is also accurate to say that the whole University was positively influenced by the transformations that the Faculty of Engineering has undergone. I do believe that the bigger impact of my previous service in the University as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering will be continuously felt in the coming more years, including the brilliance that my successor is about to impart. This is not to demean any of my predecessors though. In fact, I have so much respect for them... especially knowing what I know now about leadership. Still, I can proudly say that, when I was called to serve, I responded to the call wholeheartedly. I did my utmost best, leaving nothing and taking nothing for myself. In the end, I am very proud of what we have accomplished!
While I am very happy with the fruits of my service, I have been EXTREMELY EXHAUSTED, too! In the last three years, I was just 'running on empty'. There were too many MAJOR undertakings, transformations, and coping with the pandemic, including the loss of my father and my own bout with COVID-19 that I almost lost. I did not give up... but, sometimes, when life is moving about too fast and we're out of breath, we just need to get away for a little bit, to breathe fresh air to gain fresh perspective, and renew the fight in our spirits. I did that recently in Cornell... and I am no longer out of breath now. In fact, I am now getting ready to take on a bigger challenge in my workplace as I transition from the Office of the Dean to another Office... which, from what I understand is a lot bigger.
The 'new chapter' is not just about cultivating a culture. It's about cultivating a culture and setting up the 'farm' in which such culture can bloom and flourish. It will be about maintaining a fertile ground, lots of sunshine and water, the right seeds... and the right 'farmer'. I know of wonderful beautiful 'farmers' who own an incredibly flourishing 'global farm'. There are seven of them... and they are called BTS. I will need their inspiration... and I'm gonna avail it! Then I know that the best is "yet to come". And this beautiful life goes on....
Alright, let's start getting inspired now...
Man, goosebumps! They keep outdoing themselves. Too good!
Alright, I'm ready... leggo! đź’ś
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Photo credit: All photos featured in this post are all mine, and I processed them for the sole purpose of this post. They may not be used anywhere else.
Video credit: The first video featured in this post belong to me. The owner of the other two videos is indicated in the videos themselves - Hybe Labels and BangtanTV. Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.
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