Cornell Alumni Association of Northern California

Meredith Bennett-Smith '10 has been chosen as one of two students to receive CAANC's Cornell Tradition scholarship. As a Junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, this native of Penryn, California was chosen to receive the scholarship for her strong academic credentials and involvement in the Cornell community. She is currently a member of the all-female a cappella group, After Eight, and also serves as the Assistant Sports Editor for The Cornell Daily Sun, among other activities. In addition to her contributions to Cornell, Meredith has shared her talents with local Ithaca soup kitchen, Loaves and Fishes, and has also traveled to Honduras to help build houses.

Through the support of CAANC members, the chapter was fortunate enough to support Meredith Bennett-Smith and we wish her the best for continued success at Cornell and beyond.

Below is a note of thanks from Meredith to CAANC:

November 2008

Dear Cornell Alumni Association of Northern California,

Hello, my name is Meredith, and I just wanted to thank you all for this amazing education your Cornell Traditions Scholarship is helping to make available to me. I thought I might tell you a little bit about myself. I live in Penryn, CA, a tiny little town about 35 miles outside of Sacramento. I know that your scholarship recipients are mostly from the Bay Area, but I love Northern California, and San Francisco is one of my favorite cities. Penryn has a firehouse, a public school and a blinking red stop light-and not much else. But it is open and gives my family the ability to own acreage, about 3.5 acres, as well as keep lot of animals, including a pony, two pygmy goats, chickens and a potbelly pig named Ruby. I have three siblings-two younger brothers and one younger sister-and my parents are originally from the East Coast. They moved from Pennsylvania to the Navajo Reservation before I was born, and have lived on the West Coast ever since. My father works for the non-profit Legal Aid of Northern California, my mother is a music teacher at Sacramento Country Day School, where my siblings all currently intend.

I chose to come to Cornell because, although I love my state, I don't think you should go to school where you live. College is an opportunity to get out and experience something new, whether that is a different type of regional cuisine, or an area that has snowstorms in October. Also, I am not alone out here, my cousin is a senior at Syracuse University, and my aunt lives in Boston.

I am extremely pleased with my choice and very glad I ultimately chose Cornell. I am an English major, and would like to go into journalism after I graduate, even though I know that this career choice will doubtless be a difficult one. Although I understand the print journalism niche is having some troubles, my greatest dream is to be a correspondent for the New York Times, or perhaps the Economist or Time Magazine. I love reporting and editorial work, and have been attempting to hone these skills as an editor at the Cornell Daily Sun, working in the sports Department. The Sports department allows me to get to know the athletic community at Cornell in a way most students will never do, something that is unfortunate, but unavoidable given the academic emphasis students at Ivy schools understandably take. I was an athlete in high school, however, and
I appreciate people who are able to balance a rigorous course load with their sport of choice. It is a difficult balance, but one that many Cornellians are able to pull of with grace and poise.

Beside the position at the Daily Sun, I am also very involved with music on campus. I a (second) soprano in the Cornell University Chorus, and hold the dual officerships of Publicity Manager and Webmaster. I am also the Publicity Manager of After Eight, Cornell's premier all female a cappella group, and the subset of the Chorus. I have four musical rehearsals a week, which can be draining, but ultimately is amazingly rewarding.

None of his would be possible without your generous support, something I am constantly being reminded of.

Thank you again,
Meredith Autumn Bennett-Smith, ' 10