Co-op Spotlight: 302 Wait Ave
One of Julia Dahl’s favorite traditions is Wait Avenue cooperative’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner.
“We have a couple of really great cooks in the house and everyone makes a dish to share,” said Dahl, a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences majoring in biology. “It’s also really cool because we are a very diverse community with people from a lot of different backgrounds so it’s a great opportunity to try new foods and learn about everyone’s cultures.”
In the three years that Dahl has lived at 302 Wait Ave, she’s experienced it all – from big holiday dinners to painting and game nights, birthday celebrations and everything in between. But what Dahl will miss most are the connections she’s made inside a historic 100-year-old house on North Campus that has become a home-away-from-home.
“I’m a pretty introverted person and I have a tendency to self-isolate a lot,” said Dahl, who is one of 14, female-identifying transfer, upper-level and graduate residents at Wait Ave. “Being in the house forced me to interact with people daily because you’re always running into and talking to people.”
Nowhere was that truer than in the kitchen, which Dahl describes as the, “center of the house where everyone congregates.” But while Dahl enjoyed the conversations with her housemates, she appreciates the character and homey nature that 302 Wait provides.
“I really loved having a kitchen and being able to cook,” said Dahl. “There’s something about just living in an actual house like this one that has so much personality after living in a traditional residence hall. I also have two sisters and I miss them a lot, but everyone that I’ve met and interacted with at 302 has been so kind and nice and it’s such a super welcoming and warm environment that living here feels like I’m with my sisters.”
As one of Cornell’s cooperative residences, Wait Ave is an independent community governed by its residents. Several students – including Dahl – serve as house managers and help to handle daily operations, with other residents sharing house maintenance responsibilities. Dahl credits the experience to her growth as a leader, communicator, problem solver and team player.
But Wait Ave’s most valuable contribution to Dahl’s Cornell experience have been the memories she’ll take with her after her time on the Hill.
“The feeling of having a home is so special and there’s so much that goes into it beyond the actual physical space,” said Dahl. “The memories I’ve made, the people I’ve met have made 302 feel like a very safe space where I know I could go home at the end of the day and completely unwind with people I know support me. It’s been very instrumental to my time at Cornell.”
