Sam Bueker
Government & Near Eastern Studies
Wellesley, Mass.
Why did you choose Cornell?
I chose Cornell because of the vast opportunities it provides students to explore a broad range of intellectual interests. When I received my acceptance, I was not committed to a particular major, and even less so to a career path — I knew only that I was interested in political science. While I filled my freshman year schedule with economics prerequisites, my plans changed entirely when I took my first Near Eastern studies course. It was in this seminar that I fell in love with the discipline and soon added NES as a major alongside government. From there, my passion for Middle Eastern politics took off, leading me to intern at a foreign policy NGO. Without Cornell's fascinating course offerings, incredible faculty and commitment to its "any person, any study" philosophy, I cannot imagine finding the academic interest that has defined my college experience.
What is your main extracurricular activity and why is it important to you?
My main extracurricular activity has been the men's fencing team. Despite fencing throughout middle and high school, athletics was not a chief consideration in choosing a college. Still, coming to Cornell, I worried that the lack of a varsity men's team meant I would lose out on the opportunity to engage with the sport I loved. Instead, I found an amazing, devoted community of students like me, who wanted to maintain their passion for fencing. In my time on the team, I have met some of my closest friends, made some of my fondest memories and even claimed a national club championship title.
What Cornell memory do you treasure the most?
Comprising countless memories, my most treasured experience at Cornell was my semester in D.C. As a political science nerd, Cornell in Washington was the perfect program for me, combining fascinating course options, exceptional internship experience and engaging learning opportunities outside of the classroom. I took some of my favorite courses at Cornell, learned from some of the best professors I have had and got to meet impactful alumni who have used their Cornell education to make change in the world. I also gained perhaps my most defining professional experience, which has come to shape my career trajectory. Finally, I made unforgettable memories with my cohort — from concerts to karaoke to performing at a comedy open-mic — and forged some of my most valued friendships at Cornell.
How have your beliefs or perspectives changed since you first arrived at Cornell?
The greatest shift in my perspective since coming to Cornell has been in my appreciation for unfamiliar academic disciplines. In freshman year, I figured that I should build my courses around government, as a subject in which I felt interested and competent. I dreaded my distribution requirements, having avoided STEM since my high school calculus class. Yet, as I began checking them off, I found that courses outside of my major were among the most fascinating and valuable of those I have taken. For instance, after learning I was the only non-linguistics or math major in my semantics class, I considered dropping. Instead, I held out for a few weeks and, while the learning curve was steep, I remember just how rewarding it felt to receive my first prelim grade. Through this experience, I discovered that regardless of my innate skills in a subject matter, none was insurmountable when approached with diligence and resilience.
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 2025.
