Elizabeth Musso
Biological Sciences and Italian
Brookville, N.Y.
Why did you choose Cornell?
I chose Cornell because I found myself continually thinking about what the university and A&S had to offer during the application process. While I knew I was pre-med, I wanted the opportunity to study both the sciences and continue my Italian language study. When applying to colleges, A&S stuck out to me because there were so many students combining their passions from seemingly different fields and the academic diversity was encouraged and celebrated.
What are the most valuable skills you gained from your Arts & Sciences education?
I gained critical thinking skills, independence and interpersonal skills through my time in A&S. By taking a wide breadth of courses from my FWS (First-Year Writing Seminar) to Italian culture classes and higher level biology courses, I have learned how to adapt to different fields and developed useful skill applications unique to each discipline. Whether it was research in a psychology lab on campus or working on my thesis, I challenged myself to take on learning outside of the classroom and study topics I was personally motivated to learn more about. One of the highlights of the A&S experience has been learning from my peers and collaborating with others across different fields; I have often learned the most from other students.
What have you accomplished as a Cornell student that you are most proud of?
My proudest accomplishment from my time at Cornell has to be the Italian honors thesis I worked on this year with my advisor Professor Timothy Campbell. I studied six films directed by Roberto Rossellini and how the representation of women changed in the films from World War II to the 1950s. I spent the whole year researching existing feminist critiques of the films, applying new ideas to the works and exploring the importance of this analysis. Taking on a wholly independent work like this was incredibly rewarding and an opportunity unique to the culture here at A&S.
Who or what influenced your Cornell education the most?
I am hugely influenced by my family. My parents have been incredibly supportive of my education, and my mom and grandparents are all immigrants – attending a renowned institution such as Cornell is the culmination of their hard work and sacrifices. Additionally, I am very close to my three sisters and have always appreciated their phone calls and advice during these past four years.
Every year, our faculty nominate graduating Arts & Sciences students to be featured as part of our Extraordinary Journeys series.Read more about the Class of 2026.
