Inyoung Hong, our 2014 Carol Phan Memorial College Scholarship winner, has graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY with degrees in Computer Science and Philosophy. In her email to me, Inyoung told me how much she “loved” the weather in Ithaca. 😉
We wish Inyoung the best of luck in her future endeavors and hope to hear from her as she progresses in her chosen career.
“Today, I graduate from Cornell University, bringing my undergraduate years to a final close. It’s a little strange to reflect on my time in college. On one hand, the four years have flown by so quickly. Yet, at the same time, high school seems like a distant memory, far older than a mere four years.
When I first arrived at Cornell, I only expected to study computer science, but I’m glad that things don’t always go as planned. A brilliant course in my freshman year made me discover a passion for philosophy, and now I’ll be graduating with a B.A. in both fields.
After this summer, my computer science degree will be put to use when I begin work in the Bay Area as a software engineer at YouTube. I suppose my philosophy degree will comparatively have to languish and gather dust, but I had a blast getting it, and I’m always up to defend the claim that it’s the most useful major anyone can get. Regardless, if not for my love for computer science, I like to imagine that perhaps in another life, I would have pursued something in philosophy. Maybe law.
I know I’ll miss Cornell. I’ll miss the day-to-day of going to class with friends, of late-night study sessions and stress-baking, of the ridiculous shenanigans and movie nights in my apartment. I’ll miss singing along to the evening chimes of the clocktower, hiking through the beautiful gorges, and watching the sunsets on the slope. I’ll miss all the colors — the bright red autumn leaves, the white snow-covered slopes, the first pink blossoms of spring. I’ll miss all of the friends I’ve made and forever remember all the times we worked together, laughed together, and learned together.
I feel that I’ve grown so much over these last four years, both academically and personally. I’ll always cherish my time here, and I can only hope that the next four years are as good as the ones I had here. I’m nervous — as I always am about new things — but I’m also ready and excited for whatever the future holds.”
Drive Safe! Never Forget.
ForCarol: Drive Safe! Never Forget 