Fall 2021 Oral History Fellows
Fall 2021 Oral History Undergraduate Fellows: Food and Foodways in Tompkins County
The third year of The History Center/Cornell Oral History Undergraduate Fellowship began in September 2021, focused on the theme “Food and Foodways in Tompkins County.” This semester-long, funded fellowship gives seven Cornell sophomores and juniors the opportunity to work with The History Center in Tompkins Country to learn oral history methods and ethics and conduct oral history interviews with community members about the ways food and foodways have shaped and reflected their lives and communities.
Students work with Professor Stephen Vider, Director of the Cornell Public History Initiative; Ben Sandberg, Director of The History Center; and Lyrianne González, PhD student in History at Cornell, to receive training and ongoing supervision in conducting, transcribing, and interpreting oral histories. The fellowship provides students practical experience in public and oral history methodologies and contribute to historical knowledge about Tompkins County and its communities. Following the fellowship, the oral histories that students have conducted will be accessioned into The History Center’s archives where they will be accessible to the public through The History Center’s Story Vault and other digital platforms.
Katherine Esterl
Katherine Esterl (she/her) is a sophomore from Atlanta majoring in history and government. She likes asking questions, writing Daily Sun articles, organizing archives, binging podcasts like This American Life — and oral histories bring all those interests together. This semester, she’s looking forward to learning history through practice, engaging with her new home, Ithaca, NY, and meeting the sometimes unimagined people behind the food we put on our tables.
Bianca Garcia
I am a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, studying anthropology and critical nutrition through the College Scholar Program. I was drawn to this program by my interest in the gendered political economies of food, which I study through my College Scholar project, and the opportunity to connect and give back to Tompkins County by hearing and recording personal stories about food. I’m honoured to be a part of this group of scholars, and am really looking forward to developing both my research skills and interpersonal relationships through this opportunity!
Abraham Glatter Moss
I am a Junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, studying History and Anthropology. I enjoy studying the Early Modern Period for History and Food for Anthropology; with my hobbies of baking, cooking, candying, cheese making, pickling, (the list goes on) I found this fellowship to be an irresistible opportunity to explore food in Ithaca. Studying food in as many facets as I can, be it historically, nutritionally, anthropologically, or agriculturally, fascinated me, and I am excited to explore it through the medium of oral histories. Beyond the alimentary, I exercise, hike, swing dance, and read for pleasure.
Alejandra Gonzalez
I am a junior studying Human Development in the College of Human Ecology. I joined the oral histories project because I am interested in people and their experiences. The topic of food seemed like a great way to practice connecting with others and with Tompkins county. I’m really excited to be a part of this project!
Pilar Nieves
I am a class of 2023 Junior and History major at Cornell University. Interested in stories that are not usually recorded, I want to learn more about the role of a public historian in a community. Through the Oral History Fellowship, I want to gain the skills to preserve the personal stories of individuals who can share their experiences and outlook.
Isaac Salazar
Isaac Salazar is a junior studying English and American Studies with minors in Creative Writing and Latina/o Studies. At Cornell, Isaac serves as the managing editor for the Cornell Book Review, a staff writer for the Cornell Daily Sun, and a fellow through the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. Isaac’s interest in the Oral History Fellowship stems from his interest in finding out how race and ethnicity and food have found currency together. As a growing number of movements, like those at Cornell, seek to dismantle our current food system in hopes of erecting one founded on principles of sustainability, health and justice, it is also important to acknowledge that food justice is racial justice; there can be no food sovereignty without the sovereignty of all peoples.
Grace Tran
I am a junior with a double major in art history and the College Scholar Program. My interests are in museum anthropology, public history, and cultural heritage. These areas lend themselves to my College Scholar project which focuses on answering the question of what role museums play in society. I applied for the oral history fellowship because I am interested in hearing people’s stories, especially those who are traditionally underrepresented, and learning the process in which these stories are documented in museum and other archival spaces for posterity.