We are pleased to introduce the leadership team for Cornell Exchange:
President: Christian Brickhouse
Vice President: Mikaela Hamilton
Treasurer: Cesca LaPasta
Public Relations Chair: Gaela LaPasta
CAE is a student organization that provides the Cornell community with an anthropological view of the world; enhances students’ understanding of anthropology, promotes cultural awareness, and provides out of classroom experiences for undergraduate students interested in anthropology. is a vast academic field and is divided into five broad sub-categories to encompass aspects of archaeology, biology, culture, society, and linguistics. CAE aims to explore all of these fascinating sub-fields through a diverse range of events, excursions, and forums. Fred Gleach, Senior Lecturer in and Curator of the Collections , is the faculty advisor for CAE. Learn more about the leadership, how they became interested in /CAE, and activities they're hoping to organize by reading their comments below.
Christian Brickhouse
Hometown: Buffalo, New York
Major: and Linguistics
The summer before my freshman year I worked with the Department at SUNY Buffalo State and sat in on one of their intro courses. I really enjoyed it and decided to start studying here. I joined CAE because I enjoyed their programs and the collegiality of it all. I'm interested in trying events that showcase the various experiences and cultures of the area around Cornell especially indigenous culture, contemporary and historical, around Cornell. Things like visiting Ganondagan, inviting speakers, and learning about language revitalization efforts. I'd also be interested in an undergraduate conference or colloquium to help promote the work we undergraduates are doing and helping to foster connections with other scholars.
I'm planning to go to graduate school next year to pursue a PhD in sociolinguistics. I'm broadly interested in how social contexts affect the way we use language and I hope to do work that melds my anthropological and linguistic training.
Mikaela Hamilton
Hometown: Hampstead, New Hampshire
Major: double major in classics and archaeology
Professor Manning's Climate, Archaeology, & History course, which explored the relationship between a changing climate and human history, piqued my interest in archaeological science and anthropology. I was especially excited to join CAE to go on trips to conferences and museums, and I'm hoping that the Smithsonian will be one of them. I encourage anyone even slightly interested in anthropology to join, as this club is an excellent way to engage with this study. At Cornell, I also enjoy running events for the Cornell Classical Society, from ancient game nights to guest lectures.
Cesca LaPasta
Hometown: a tiny town in rural Pennsylvania
Major: Classics
While exploring all the amazing opportunities for people interested in history and humanity at Cornell, I found CAE as a way to broaden my perspective of history beyond the Classical societies I usually focus on. One of the the things I'm especially excited to do with the CAE is trips to different museums and the opportunities we have to really engage with those museums and the people who run them. I encourage everyone with interest in investigating the intriguing differences in the world's people throughout time, and the beautiful similarities to join CAE.
In the next few years I'm hoping to have a chance to add more complexity to my understanding of humanity and bring that back to my study of Classics. I'm currently planning to pursue Classics in graduate school, hopefully with some time for traveling the world and exploring some more of the amazing cultures of the planet between graduating from Cornell and starting the next step in my academic career.
Gaela LaPasta
Hometown: Hawley, Pennsylvania
Major: Archaeology and Classics double major
Cornell has so many amazing things to offer that you can really do whatever you want here. I think I probably became interested in as a kid walking the halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art with my dad, who studied in college. I was brought into the Cornell Exchange last year by my friend Anjum. I am so excited to be a part of this club this year and help plan tons of fun activities, trips, and outreach efforts for everyone at Cornell and in Ithaca in general.
Welcome and best wishes to the leaders of Cornell Exchange.
