Cornell Lifted raises spirits prior to finals
A student-led initiative showered the Arts Quad with a colorful display of hundreds of fluttering balloons tied to inspiring messages as the spring semester concluded.
At the end of an unpredictable and unprecedented academic year, faculty, staff and students awoke to an outsized display of positivity on May 14, finding the Arts Quad filled with more than 500 balloons anchored to messages of gratitude from Cornellians to each other. Cornell Lifted students spent hours late into the night arranging the display as a pop-up surprise for the last day of classes.
The student-led initiative invites faculty, staff and students to submit messages of appreciation, with recipients encouraged to find and keep their balloon and message. The project, which takes place annually prior to final exams, began several years ago with a focus on boosting student mental health. Since then, graduating senior students have continued the tradition as a way to inspire their peers and the broader campus community.
“I think it just makes people grateful to be part of such a diverse community where everyone really cares about each other and really is trying to lift each other up.”
— Paul Soden ‘21
Vy Nguyen ’21, a student in the College of Arts and Sciences, recalls how touched she was as a first-year student to receive an anonymous Lifted letter — one that she later discovered came from a graduating senior who was part of the initiative. In the years following, she’s been inspired to send letters to peers, including trading messages with her academic advisor, before ultimately deciding to help manage this year’s project.
Nguyen teamed up with Paul Soden ’21 and Joanna Papadakis ’21, both students in the College of Human Ecology, as well as Hunter Naizby ’21, a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, to plan, design and promote the project, which involved help from 40 fellow students. Nguyen and Soden say everyone jumped in enthusiastically, as it allowed them to have fun and make a positive impact prior to graduating. Their impact was clear, as the group received nearly 1,000 letter submissions this year — a record for the project.
“It really goes to show how much people are thinking of each other while here at Cornell,” Papadakis says. “Especially in a time where isolation is so prevalent, I think it’s really special to visually see that impact.”
This year, the project took a hybrid form: Ithaca campus recipients each got a balloon and message, and the Lifted team emailed digital copies of messages, too. Soden says this approach was important to include students away from campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping them connected no matter where they were.
Both the virtual component and the physical display offered a visual representation of the Cornell community’s appreciation for one another, but also a personal experience for recipients. Nguyen says that while it’s special for the recipient to get their message and balloon, it was also stunning to see the full display.
“It really goes to show how much people are thinking of each other while here at Cornell,” says Joanna Papadakis ’21. “Especially in a time where isolation is so prevalent, I think it’s really special to visually see that impact.”
Soden agrees, saying: “I think it just makes people grateful to be part of such a diverse community where everyone really cares about each other and really is trying to lift each other up.”
You can learn more about Cornell Lifted on their website and Instagram.
Written by Jamie Crow
Strategic Communications at Cornell University
