Meet Grace Kelly
At Cornell, Grace Kelly pursues all of their passions, including a major in civil engineering, unique physical education classes, competing in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, and creating their own music for their band. Grace Kelly believes everyone can have their own tailored path during their college career.
What clubs/activities are you involved in?
I am involved in Native American and Indigenous Students at Cornell, American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Teaching Assistant for CEE 4760, Sustainable Landscapes Team, and Cornell Class Notes A Cappella.
What is your favorite thing about Cornell?
My favorite thing about Cornell is its wide variety of courses. My favorites are definitely the PE courses. Introduction to Circus Arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are two of the best I have taken personally. There are so many excellent and exciting academic courses as well! I took Modern Structures as my Introduction to Engineering course during my first year, which was terrific. We studied materials and structures, built small models in the lab, and tested them to failure. Cracking, deforming, and exploding our models and recording the deformation data was a lot of fun.
How did you find your friends and community at Cornell?
I found my closest friends through the Native American and Indigenous Students at Cornell club. The club is known for creating strong and lasting friendships, and it has been great to bond with people with whom I relate and share cultural stories and knowledge. I met some of my other closest friends through various forms of music-making. I am in the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble, and some of us decided to meet outside of class to make music, fusing the sounds of the Javanese gamelan instruments with indie rock music. From those jam sessions, we formed a band called Twin Court. Making music with them has been one of my favorite parts of college.
Where is your go-to place to eat on campus, and what is your favorite thing to order?
Since I am on the Engineering quad often, my go-to eatery is Mac’s Cafe in Duffield Hall. The breakfast sandwiches are one of my top comfort foods. When I have a long schedule of activities or studying, I know those sandwiches will help get me through the day.
Hometown
Cincinnati, OhioGraduation Year
2024College/School
- College of Engineering
Majors
- Civil Engineering
Pull Quote
What is your favorite class so far, and why?
I took Introduction to Circus Arts as one of my first-year PE credits. It was hands down one of the most fun activities I’ve participated in at Cornell. Once a week, we would go to the circus center in downtown Ithaca to learn and practice different circus skills. We learned juggling, diabolo, and even tight-wire walking! My favorite activity was learning skills with the aerial silks. Cornell has so many amazing PE courses — choosing which ones to take has been challenging.
If applicable, tell us about an off-campus program you’ve participated in.
In the spring semester of 2022, my a cappella group, Cornell Class Notes, competed in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). It was so much fun and lots of hard work. Our time commitment and dedication increased greatly, but it was so rewarding. It helped us strengthen our community and our skills. The competition was a unique experience, and after preparing and competing for what felt like forever, we advanced to the final round in New York City, consisting of the top 10 groups. It was absolutely one of the highlights of my college career.
What makes the Cornell experience unique?
There are an unbelievable amount of courses, clubs, and activities to choose from at Cornell, which means everyone can have their own tailored path during their college career. There is a club for any interest you can think of; if one doesn’t exist yet, you can create it! I have found that even when I felt bound by academic requirements during the first part of college, I always had the freedom to explore so many of my other interests in the ways I wanted.
Tell us about your favorite spot on campus or in Ithaca.
My friends and I created a local band called Twin Court, and we met together in the World Music Room in Lincoln Hall. The room itself has fascinating and unique instruments from all over the world. I have so much fun creating music with my friends and working toward goals of performance or music release. Music is one of my greatest passions, and it helps me regulate my stress and happiness, especially when the academic semester gets busier.