I am a 21-year-old senior at Cornell University majoring in Applied Economics and Management. I interned at Spiritclips my sophomore summer, which was one of the best experiences I've ever had.

My inner strength that gets me through life

SpiritClips, Cornell University Welcome Weekend, Cornell Tradition, GlamourGals, Cornell Cinema, Cornell in Hollywood, Cornell Sr/Jr Women-Alumnae Events

Movies, Conan O’Brien, J.Crew, beautiful clothes & accessories, cool technology, working with animals & young children (although not at the same time), reading - magazines, books, blogs, newspapers, anything that has great writing and interesting stories

Great Expectations (1997), Gattaca, The Mummy (1999), Gladiator, Laurel Canyon, Heathers, Empire of the Sun, The Constant Gardener, Zoolander, Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Ballad of Jack and Rose, The Bank Job, and about a million others

Film soundtracks; Some great ones: A Beautiful Mind, Chicago, Gattaca, Gladiator, Great Expectations, Heathers, The Hours, Kill Bill, Marie Antoinette, Miami Vice, Moulin Rouge, Phantom of the Opera, Pride and Prejudice, Shopgirl, Repo! Genetic Opera

To Kill a Mockingbird, American Psycho, The Nanny Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada, Rosemary's Baby, Dracula, The Feminine Mistake, Michael Crichton novels, Stephen King novels, Collegehumor Guide to College, Is That a Gun in Your Pocket?

So when I graduated from Harvard in 1985 I told my parents "Thanks for the amazing Ivy League education; now I want to be a comedian." Later in the emergency room after they woke up, they said they were fine with my decision and I was on my way. I've had a lot of highs, I've had my share of lows, but if I hadn't allowed myself to experiment and risk doing something without a clear career payoff, I might have missed out on so much. -Conan O'Brien

Coming to Cornell, b/c it was only after I left home that I realized it was possible to work in film. I didn't have to go to med school, didn't have to be an i-banker, I could turn my love of movies into a career. And my life hasn’t been the same since.