An Extraordinary Story: Alyssa Borowske '07
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For John Dean ’58, sponsoring a Cornell Fellow marked a return to academia and the beginning of a lasting friendship.
Dean met Alyssa Borowske ’07 in February 2007 when he came to Cornell to visit friends. While he was on campus, geology professor Ben Greenstein introduced the two because of their shared interest in environmental sustainability.
Dean, a retired University of South Carolina professor of marine science, says “there was an instant connection” between the two. “Her interest was sustainability, and the University of South Carolina had been working on that.
“So I said, ‘Why don’t we have her come down here?’”
Out of that initial 90-minute conversation, Dean and Borowske developed the Dean Fellowship in Environmental Studies, a plan that would take Borowske to the University of South Carolina to work on her thesis on campus sustainability.
Conversations were plentiful, as Dean invited Borowske to live in his home during her fellowship, with his wife, Robin, and their dog.
“Some of the best and most productive times were conversations we had around the dinner table or riding in the car, and a lot of great ideas for my thesis came out of those conversations,” said Borowske, a Fulbright Scholar. “Dr. Dean and I clicked well, which meant successful brainstorming sessions.”
“It went on like that for the whole time,” added Dean. “It was just a joyous experience. For a retired professor, this is a great reminder of why you did what you did.”
On-site learning suited Borowske, too.
“Off-campus experiences really take you to the country, to the field site, to whatever it is you’re learning about. You literally have lectures while your professor is standing knee-deep in ocean, with the waves crashing around you, drenching your notebook,” she said. “You learn about the material in a way that is much more meaningful than simply a textbook or a lecture.”
Cornell Fellows Program
During its first two years, the Cornell Fellows program placed 60 students in positions all around the country, ranging from environmental research at the University of South Carolina to business analysis at Target Corporation to software engineering at Rockwell Collins.
Student Fellows spend one to three months working on a tangible and substantial project, often sponsored by an alum. Students receive a $1,000-$1,400 stipend per block from the Fellows program to offset costs.
Alumni can sponsor individual fellows by making a $5,000 gift.
Sponsoring alumni are involved in choosing and facilitating placements. They can participate in the interview process, receive weekly updates from their Fellow, and participate in the end-of-the-semester ceremony honoring Fellows.
