Letter from Eliza Bonner ’17 – Cornell Class of 1973

The following is a recent letter from 2016-17 class scholarship recipient Eliza Bonner ’17:

Hello,

I grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania; which was where I first started to develop an interest in the environment. It started off initially just as a quest to provide the nature around me with context and a story, and ultimately became my desire to comprehend environmental systems and interactions on a biological and chemical level. The environmental science and sustainability major has a wide breadth of content to choose from. Often students focus on policy, economics, or ecology, but I chose to focus on biogeochemistry and soil science because it allowed me to continue in biology, chemistry and physics within the framework of environmental systems. I believe the major is the successor of a number of previous iterations including the science of natural and environmental systems, which was the most recent name for the major.

2016-17 class scholarship recipient Eliza Bonner '17. — 2016-17 class scholarship recipient Eliza Bonner ’17.

I am a part of the Cornell cooperative housing system as a house president, with my role being to facilitate a safe and healthy communal living environment. Outside of the classroom I write poetry and stay active outside doing things like backpacking and rock climbing. I am also currently working with a postdoc from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center on a research project addressing the effect that elevated CO2 and nitrogen have on the cycling of amino acids in a coastal marsh.

I am hoping that we will be able to publish on our research in the near future, which would give me better standing going forward to grad school, which I hope to do. In the meantime I am hoping to get a job working as a lab technician where I can continue to expand my lab skills and methods.

I wasn’t aware initially but my grandmother (Karen Foot) on my mom’s side graduated the summer of 1973 with a BFA and at the time I believe my grandfather (Michael Dennis) was a professor of Architecture.

(Paul’s note: It’s a bit scary to think that as a cohort we’re old enough to have grandchildren who are seniors!)

1973 Scholarship Fund

Since it was established at our 15th reunion, the Cornell Class of 1973 Scholarship has been helping Cornell undergraduates finance their education. The fund has been growing over the years through classmate donations, and currently we are able to grant a $30,000+ scholarship to a student or students needing financial aid. Generations of class officers have affirmed the Class of 1973 Scholarship as one of the most visible legacies that we can leave to Cornell. How better to leave a mark than establishing a fund that allows multiple students to afford a Cornell education?

We encourage giving to the Class of 1973 Scholarship, and many classmates have made gifts to help others afford a Cornell education. A gift may be made at any time – and many classmates “round up” their class dues to add a little bit to the scholarship fund. As of 2017, twenty students have received help from our scholarship fund. Check out some of the class letters to see their stories.

Class of 1973 Legacy

The class officers have worked to identify a class legacy that we, the members of the Class of 1973, can leave to Cornell which will make an impact on Cornell's future. We have determined that the class legacy should include: Scholarship (we have a Class of 1973 Scholarship which supports at least one student every academic year and will hopefully grow to support additional students), as described above; Mentorship (both of young class officers and graduating students to encourage their support of Cornell as alumni); and Public Service (both through supporting Cornell's initiatives and in our own communities).