ITHACA, N.Y. -- Coming from the tropical island of Guam, senior Astrid Atienza had to make two major adjustments at Cornell: Cope with the Ithaca winter and become a leader who serves the community. Now, after the initial cultural shock and four frigid winters, she feels ready to apply her leadership skills to domestic policy research in Washington, D.C.

Chris Hallman/University Photography

Senior Astrid Atienza at the Ithaca Hunger Banquet, held at the Terrace Restaurant in the Statler Hotel earlier this month. She was one of the co-chairs of the planning committee for the banquet.

"Island culture is more laid back. Here it is go-go-go and rush-rush-rush, but I'm that kind of person," says Atienza, a human development major in the College of Human Ecology. She has a special interest in social policies and is currently looking at opportunities for fieldwork with a nonprofit research firm. "I want to gain real-world experience instead of going immediately back to school," says Atienza, who eventually wants to pursue a Ph.D. in social psychology.

Her interest in domestic policy stems from her education at a Catholic school in Guam. "Catholic school instilled in me the idea of serving people," says Atienza, who continues to have close ties with Guam. She returned home in December 2002 as part of a Red Cross disaster relief team when typhoon Pongsona left 2,000 people homeless. True to her words on serving the community, Atienza was involved with general relief work and damage assessment of destroyed properties.

Another motivation for Atienza has been her parents, who emigrated to Guam from the Philippines. Atienza said she is excited that her "focused and hard-working" parents can see the fruition of their support when they visit during Commencement Weekend. "Sometimes when my dad called me, he would have the campus map in front of him, and I would tell him to look for Olin Library."

The decision to come to Cornell was not easy. Most of Atienza's friends had chosen colleges on the West Coast, closer to home. Atienza made her choice because she was impressed with the College of Human Ecology's strong commitment to serving the human condition. "I took a leap of faith," says Atienza.

In her freshman and sophomore years, Atienza volunteered at Loaves and Fishes, the soup kitchen in downtown Ithaca. "It was good to get away from the Cornell bubble and see people who are hungry and in need," says Atienza.

The course in Collaborative Leadership (HE 201) was a turning point for Atienza, who gained a new perspective on her volunteering. "I was the person in the background and wanted to avoid the spotlight," says Atienza, "but then I learned that leaders are not necessarily the people who are the presidents or the ones who give the big speeches." Later she became a teaching assistant for the course. She applied some of her new leadership skills this year by participating on the planning committee for the Ithaca Hunger Banquet, an annual event that raises awareness of hunger and poverty.

Atienza also applied her leadership skills to the Human Ecology Research Association, the Cornell Filipino Association and Muse, a student organization that brings music and art to local elementary schools. For her achievements, she won of the Cornell LeaderShape fellowship and became a member of the Psi Chi and Sphinx Head honor societies.

In addition to her extracurricular activities, Atienza researched interracial contact under the guidance of Kara Joyner, assistant professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management. Atienza focused on how contact, which ranges from superficial to more intimate forms, can affect racial attitudes and interracial behaviors. One of the surprising findings in her honors thesis was that more racial heterogeneity in school correlates with more negative attitudes, possibly because an increase in school racial diversity does not necessarily lead to the more sustained and intimate forms of contact needed to foster better racial attitudes.

Through her role in the Human Ecology Research Association (HERA), Atienza has actively encouraged other students to engage in undergraduate research. "When I came to Cornell, I didn't think of research, but now I want to do research for life," says Atienza, who believes that most undergraduate students would enjoy research if given the opportunity.

Atienza also likes to read. The newest addition to her bookshelf is an inspiring biography of Sargent Shriver, the first director of the Peace Corps. One day, like Shriver, Atienza hopes that she can become a leader behind the spotlight. "I made it a point to reach out, and I hope others will do the same," says Atienza, the girl with a big heart who came from a small island.

Alex Kwan is a writer intern at the Cornell News Service.