ILR junior Jack Cognetta has the kind of résumé that makes the average (and even above average) student cringe in envy. Currently, he is a Cornell Presidential Research Scholar, president of the ILR Student Government Association (SGA), editor-in-chief of the Cornell Pre-Law Journal, managing editor of The Research Paper (a magazine of undergraduate research at Cornell), incoming president of the ILR Ambassadors program, a WVBR sportscaster, and a founding father of the Phi Kappa Phi fraternity. He is an employee with the Survey Research Institute (formerly CAST) and was an intern in New York City’s Public Service Corps program this past summer. Did I mention that Jack Cognetta only just began his junior year?

Looking at this list, it is easy to get lost in the titles as markers of his current and future success. To view his life this way, however, is a great disservice to Cognetta and his personal drive. What he has done in his short time at Cornell is merely an outgrowth of his enthusiasm for community, natural intellectual curiosity, and interest in the world around him.

Cognetta’s dazzling career began before Cornell. Growing up in Brooklyn, he attended Midwood High School at Brooklyn College, recently honored as a Blue-Ribbon Secondary School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education. Cognetta was involved in many extracurricular activities; he also earned the honor of being named an Intel Social Science Research Scholar. His two research projects—a sociological study examining political awareness in our information society and a quality of life public policy proposal to implement advanced vehicle-locating devices in New York City’s public transportation system—were signposts of his diverse interests. Cognetta lists history, social studies, and communications as his favorite high school subjects, fi elds that are interrelated and also colossal areas of study in their own right.

A high school guidance counselor gave Cognetta materials on ILR at Cornell, and it seemed like the ideal place to pursue his interests. “I have always had a passion to work with people and make a difference in the world,” he explains. “ILR seemed like the perfect blend of both of those worlds.” ILR also felt socially like a good fit, a “tightknit community where everybody knows your name and where you can always feel comfortable in your shoes.” Cognetta remembers visiting during Cornell Days in 2002 and being able to sit in on lectures and talk to professors afterward, which sealed his college decision. ILR has lived up to his expectations; Cognetta notes that one of the best things about the School is that “staff and faculty treat each student as an individual rather than as a number or a statistic.”

ILR’s setting at Cornell offered additional opportunities for social and academic growth, including the honor of being part of the Cornell Presidential Research Scholars (CPRS) program. This program pairs undergraduate students with faculty members to work on individual research projects in addition to their course load. Their work is supported through the disbursement of various grants throughout their education (see sidebar). Being a part of the CPRS program has helped Cognetta adjust to college life and feel settled in the large campus.

“Being a part of CPRS really makes you feel special,” he says, remembering that when he fi rst moved into his dorm, the program left a welcoming note on his door. He also feels that it makes his academic life “well rounded and complete,” by giving him the chance to delve into topics that interest him within the framework of an elite research university. Cognetta is currently working with Maria Cook, associate professor of collective bargaining, labor law, and labor history, on a comparative study of globalization and its infl uence on Brazil and South Africa, two major forces in the Global South.

“My project attempts to characterize how both countries have been able to balance the tensions of entering the free trade community while also maintaining a social democracy and labor’s empowerment,” he explains. The research will include travel to both South Africa and Latin America in the next few years so that Cognetta can gain more insight into the societies. He is also considering a new research project in the coming year examining incarceration in the United States.

With his intense studies, Cognetta sees his extracurricular activities as a way to maintain emotional and intellectual equilibrium. He believes that “Cornell is as much about achievement and opportunity as it is about self-discovery.” His continuing need to make a difference in his world drives him; he lists his work with the ILR Student Government Association (SGA) as one of the most rewarding of his activities because “the SGA has dedicated a lot of time and effort to making a difference in the ILR community.” He enjoys working to bring together the faculty, students, and staff, creating a unifi ed community. Kevin Harris, associate director of student services and adviser to the SGA, praises the work that Cognetta has done with the organization, describing the student as a “a natural-born leader.”

One might worry that Cognetta, is, in fact, too serious. But his noble and esoteric pursuits seem to be happily offset with a good deal of whimsy, whether it is riding tricycles for a charity event or serving as the sportscaster for Cornell baseball. Cognetta lists his career goals as heading in the direction of journalism, social justice, and public service, but adds that he dreams of calling the play-by-play for a New York Yankees game on the radio or television. It seems that anything is possible for this go-getter.

His pursuits this past summer fell more on the earnest side of his goals—he worked for the New York City Public Service Corps program. This program provides undergraduate and graduate work-study students with internship opportunities in more than 30 city agencies tailored to the students’ majors and interests. He is also considering a future internship opportunity with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Union.

What is most interesting and revealing about Jack Cognetta is the way he straddles so many interests and worlds. His interest in pursuing an internship with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Union in New York City typifi es his quest to bring together public service, community, social justice, and a fl air for and interest in entertainment. And it is this skill of unifi cation that makes Cognetta so successful at everything he does—from bringing disparate groups together as president of the SGA, to reconciling media interpretations of the blue-collar worker in his class. This is also what makes Cognetta such a perfect match for ILR; he is an embodiment of the School’s goals: to bring all sides to the table and fi nd a greater good for everyone and maintain a sense of community and levity at the same time.

—ILR Connections, Fall 2004