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‘That’s When It Clicked’: Alums Share their Big Red ‘Aha’ Moments

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By Cornellians Staff

“What was your Cornell ‘aha’ moment?” the University asked recently on social media—prompting alumni to reminisce about times on the Hill that “lit a spark, opened your eyes, or made the world make sense in a new way.”

Dozens upon dozens responded—and many of their answers were so insightful (or just plain fun), we had to share them. Below is a sampling. And be sure to leave your own “aha moment” in the comments!

(Responses have been edited and condensed.)

"When I was trying to decide where to focus my search for future plans, Barnaby Knoll—the director of Risley when I was an RA there—told me, 'There are cool people everywhere.' This advice has made all the difference!"

— Jordana Gilman ’14

"My first trip to Hot Truck! Standing at the base of the Slope on a clear, beautiful night surrounded by a group of friends, learning the lingo. Just thinking about it gives me shivers. Everything seemed possible."

— Jennifer Grosner-Mentzer ’96

image of the Hot Truck on Stewart Avenue with students waiting on the grassy slope — Rare and Manuscript Collections

"Economics classes were always a struggle. I eventually realized I was going to be mediocre at some things—and it was just fine. Let the economists do their thing, while I sneak off to do mine."

— Kelly O’Brien-Fairley ’92

"It was a debate between Carl Sagan and the Cornell chaplain. Sagan was saying that eventually science can explain everything that is attributed to God. The chaplain asked him if he loved his wife; Sagan said 'yes,' and the chaplain answered, 'Explain me why!'”

— Christophe Galopin, PhD ’99

"Easy: my first date with Barbara Ballweg ’61 at the Heptagonal track meet on March 8, 1958. 'Aha!'—the girl I will marry, on graduation day (June 12, 1961). We had 62+ years together before she passed."

— Bob Everson ’61

"After spending hours in an engineering physics class where we had to program an instrument using machine language, my lab partner and I tried to figure out why our experiment wasn’t working—until we realized we’d typed a semicolon instead of a colon. (Or vice versa; it’s been years.) After we made the correction, it worked. But more importantly, it set me up to appreciate the criticality of paying attention to detail."

— Lori-Ann Archer ’89

'Aha!'—the girl I will marry, on graduation day (June 12, 1961).
Bob Everson ’61

"After failing my thermodynamics prelims, I asked the professor if I should drop out of the class, and even reconsider my plan to be a mechanical engineering major. He encouraged me to stick with it—that for some people, the subject becomes clear as all the concepts build on each other. About a week later, they did; I aced the final and ended up with a B. It was a valuable lesson about perseverance—one that changed my approach to learning at Cornell and beyond."

— Tom Benton ’82

"The first time I heard L. Pearce Williams ’48, PhD ’52, lecture in my Western Civ freshman seminar, I knew I had come to the right place—a place of ideas, intellectually challenging people, and debates."

— Al Garcia ’83

"Prof. Sagan asked us to interpret a slide; all we knew was that it was the surface of some planet. Islands in a sea? Dust storms? He kept zooming in, and each time asked us to revise our guesses. Several iterations in, about 300 of us were pretty certain the objects were huts or houses, with something long and thin at the corners. Were they on stilts? One final click and they were ... cows!

The lesson? Scale, perspective, and context are everything."

— Stephanie Mitchell ’78, JD ’80

Carl Sagan, professor of astronomy, explains the cosmos — Rare and Manuscript Collections

"I had never done laundry. After a few days in U-Hall 2, I did the first load of my life. I soon had the 'aha' that one does not wash in hot water a new red Cornell sweatshirt and white underwear."

— David Spellman ’77, JD ’80

"When I first walked up Buffalo Street and figured, 'I am going to be a different body type by the time I am done with Cornell!'”

— Pallavi Sharma, LLM ’05

"My friends and I were chatting when another friend, with a face filled with surprise, came to us and said, 'Did you all know the Libe in Libe Slope stands for library?' We all were like, 'That makes sense,' when another friend said, 'Hold on, then Libe Café …' and then the entire group went 'Ooh Library Café.' While so obvious, that was the biggest 'aha' moment for that whole group."

— Hamid Rezaee ’26

a student walks up the Slope — Cornell University

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"Fluid dynamics, first prelim. The last problem was like nothing I’d seen before. Then I realized: it required everything we had learned so far. I wasn’t just learning material; I was learning how to think."

— Nigel Watt ’10, BS ’09

"In the early ’90s, when my dorm hallmate showed me the Internet videoconferencing software he was writing (CU–SeeMe), I realized I was at ground zero for a digital revolution."

— Jeff Ragusa ’97, BS ’98

"Sitting in Mann Library as an undergrad with Prof. Stanley Zahler’s molecular genetics take-home exam and finding it impossible—then working slowly through all the steps, and realizing I could really do it! I went on to get my PhD in genetics."

— Nancy Grambow Brown ’85, PhD ’94

In the early ’90s, when my dorm hallmate showed me the Internet videoconferencing software he was writing, I realized I was at ground zero for a digital revolution.
Jeff Ragusa ’97, BS ’98

"I directed a play with my student theater troupe my freshman year and saw that two of the cast members became best friends, and one started to pursue theater professionally. That’s when it clicked that I wanted to do this for a living—and now I have a master’s in educational theater!"

— Sydney Wolfe ’20

"Singing the 'Alma Mater' on the last day of the History of Cornell class, I realized just how collective the Cornell experience I cherish is!"

— Grace Elmore ’25

Alumni sing together in Bailey Hall during Reunion 2016’s Cornelliana Night — Cornell University

"During prelim season, I was walking from North Campus to Uris and the A.D. White Reading Room to study. As I crossed the bridge, I looked around at the beautiful nature, all of my classmates passing by, and toward the heavenly campus. I took a deep breath, and thought, 'You are so lucky to be here, surrounded by nature, opportunity, mentors, and friends.' I realized in that moment that my time at Cornell was a blessing that would lay the foundation for my life."

— Parsa Salehi ’13

"I was put on academic probation during the Vietnam mess. I was immature—too much partying and not enough studying. Enlisted in the Air Force, spent four years growing up. Re-applied and started again in 1974. As a married student and working part time, I managed to make the Dean’s List. Never took my Cornell education for granted again!"

— Patrick Cassidy ’74, BS ’76

I realized in that moment that my time at Cornell was a blessing that would lay the foundation for my life.
Parsa Salehi ’13

"I was about to graduate, but feeling uninspired by the job openings I was finding. A career counselor spent an hour talking to me, helping me identify what I felt most passionate about. He is responsible for leading me to my dream job, and a career I had no idea existed: training service dogs for people with disabilities. It was like a bell went off in my head."

— Sarah Birman Leighton ’09

"I rowed. There was nothing more centering than the view from Cayuga Lake, in the seat of an eight, looking toward the art museum and tower. I’m not sure when I first felt it, but the feeling was simultaneously that of belonging to the team; being suspended in time, history, and place; accomplishment; and anxiety about the work needed to keep the position and be an ounce as great as all those who came before us."

— Lori Davias Maloney ’02

"Walking through the Arts Quad the fall of my freshman year, I just kept thinking, 'We walk in the footsteps of giants here.' I had to stop and take a moment. It’s one of my favorite memories."

— Andrea Stone ’15, BS ’16

the Arts Quad pathway by Sibley Hall with orange and yellow trees and fallen leaves on the ground — garrett spillerman ’25

"I have a very clear memory of walking across the bridge from North Campus early in my first semester and quietly shaking my head and smiling to myself, because for a long time I believed that I was meant to end up at Cornell—and in that moment, it suddenly hit me that I had been right. I was officially a Cornell freshman."

— Ariel Cooper ’15

"When I saw my now-husband for the first time in Bethe House dining hall, everything changed."

— Montana Stone Liu ’19

For a long time I believed that I was meant to end up at Cornell—and in that moment, it suddenly hit me that I had been right. I was officially a Cornell freshman.
Ariel Cooper ’15

"Taking environmental psychology with Gary Evans. I’d never heard of this area of study before—and after the first class, I became obsessed. It’s a passion that stayed with me and drives my goals and dreams. The 'aha' moment of having every aspect of life explained through the lens of the human-environment relationship was life-changing."

— Katie Rosenberger ’20

"My 'aha' moment happened on my campus tour, looking over the Slope with the clock tower beside me and Cayuga Lake in the distance. The view took my breath away, and I knew I’d found my place."

— Lauren Guth ’08

(Top: Photo by Cornell University.)

Published July 11, 2025

What was your Cornell 'aha moment'?

Comments

Linda Shore Burton
16 Jul, 2025

Meeting my future husband at the Commons and following Bound for Glory the rest of my time at Cornell. Feeling like I could happily lose myself in Uris Library.

Reply
Marta Guron, Class of 2004
17 Jul, 2025

I was born in Poland, and my now husband was born in the Philippines. Our families both immigrated to the US in the same year in the 80s, both spent 3 months in a temporary housing situation (him in CA, me in IN) and then spent 16 years living in our respective homes (him in AZ, me in PA). He was a year older than me and an Engineer. I was a chemist, so there was no good reason for us to have ever crossed paths. Except we both ended up at the Cornell Catholic Community in the choir, and just like that, the planet shrank. Married 20 years with 3 amazing kids, the oldest of which is now Cornell Engineering Class of 2029!

Reply