Sebastian Ogando (2017)

Sebastian Ogando is a 2017 graduate of Cornell's SC Johnson College of Business and Nolan School of Hotel Administration, where he specialized in finance, accounting, and real estate. He is an alum of the Cornell Tradition. Sebastian is currently working on a Master’s in International Policy at Stanford University. He shares that the program support of The Cornell Tradition helped him fund opportunities such as interning with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he TA’ed a course on entrepreneurship and innovation and coordinated international programs. He was also involved with a Cornell CALS research project called Global Citizenship and Sustainability (GCS) in Malaysia, in which he travelled to Borneo to conduct community-based research with Indigenous communities on the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) on sustainable development and climate change mitigation.

The tenets of the Cornell Tradition played a key role in helping Sebastian explore his career interests. “Participating in Tradition motivated me to work at the intersection of policy, technology and innovation, and social impact. The program's strong emphasis on service has put impact at the center of all opportunities I have pursued.” The program’s support account funding gave him access to opportunities across fields that were beyond his main course of studies. He encourages other fellows to make use of the support account when they are trying to secure summer opportunities and reach out to organizations they are interested in. Even if the institutions have unpaid roles or no roles at all, be sure to mention that the fellowship provides its members with financial support.

Sebastian’s final words of advice to current students is to “Explore all your interests, curiosities, and career avenues available to you, it will expand your worldview and you will be better for it! Don't play someone else's game, follow your own path.”