A mountaineer and hot air balloonist. A goat farmer and violinist. A boy scout. An inventor of a board game. A Ukrainian refugee. A landscaper. A restaurant worker and dog handler. An advocate for people with disabilities and an international kickboxer.

The 3,574 students in the incoming Class of 2028 come from cities and rural communities, from every U.S. state (plus D.C. and Puerto Rico) and 57 countries, with 16.3% the first in their families to attend college. They have interests ranging from artistic to political to scientific to entrepreneurial and much more – and this week, their paths all converge in Ithaca.

“I’m excited to welcome yet another extraordinary class of new students to Cornell,” said Lisa Nishii, vice provost for undergraduate education and vice provost for enrollment. “While our incoming Cornellians come from a wide variety of backgrounds, they are united in their desire to make the most of their Cornell education by challenging themselves during their time here. My hope for them is that they will approach their time at Cornell with deep curiosity – about curricular possibilities, of course, but also about themselves and others, and that they will commit to exploring across boundaries and engaging in purposeful discovery so they are well-positioned to take what they’ll learn at Cornell out into the world to change lives for the better.”

Many incoming students were attracted to Cornell for this tradition and calling “to do the greatest good” and are on the lookout for ways to make positive change.

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“I chose Cornell and the Brooks School because of their effort to try to understand and address the biggest problems in our world,” said Andy Duryea ’28, from Alaska, who served as a U.S. Senate page and founded a nonprofit, inspired by his adopted sister’s experience in the foster care system, that provided suitcases, food and warm clothing to children in need. “I’m really looking forward to engaging with students from different backgrounds and perspectives and to learn about their passion for creating change.”

A total of 520 transfer students will also begin their Cornell journeys, bringing their own diverse life experiences. Katherine Ruelan ’26, one of 20 incoming U.S. military veterans, is transferring to Cornell Engineering from Rowan College at Burlington County after five years in the U.S. Marine Corps and a stint as a production manager at an electronics company. Romneya Quennell ’26 is transferring from Tompkins Cortland Community College to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences after being homeschooled on a small vegetable farm. 

“My family really taught me to take charge of my education and to really love learning, and being on the farm instilled a strong work ethic,” Quennell said. “Now I can’t wait to meet as many new people and get as many different perspectives and ideas as I can.”

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Keya Aggarwal ’28, an incoming international student in Cornell Engineering, who spearheaded a campaign in India to increase accessibility for students with disabilities, wants to improve assistive technologies while at Cornell and work on self-powering, sustainable vehicles and devices.

“I see engineering as the most direct way to make change in the world, because you can convert your thoughts and visions into a product,” Aggarwal said. “I really like solving problems around me, and I really believe in Ezra Cornell’s vision of ‘…any person… any study.’ Being at Cornell will be such an amazing opportunity to grow, to really explore the diversity, the social and political global understanding that others bring.”  

Many other students are driven by their empathy, sense of social responsibility and a desire to make positive change. Among them are: Alexandra Michaels ’28, of New York City, joining the College of Human Ecology, who created a curriculum about substance abuse for middle schoolers and a publication to reduce stigma around mental illness; Konny Ezeama ’28, entering the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, who worked with Black youth across Rhode Island to instill leadership skills and build community; and Ryan Jun ’28, entering the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, who advocated for music education and taught violin to underprivileged youth in Portland, Oregon. 

“Out of all the colleges with business programs, what resonated with me about Dyson is their value of doing business for good,” Jun said. “That’s really what stuck with me.”

Incoming students are excited about the classes, the clubs, the networks, the waterfalls. They’re excited to change and be changed.

“I want to find something at Cornell, a class or someone I meet, a friend or professor, that introduces some new thing that I want to pursue for the rest of my life,” said Michaels. “I want to find that spark.”

Ezeama put it another way: “I want to be transformed.”