Coco Fath started horseback riding at the age of six. Since then, she’s taken part in many professional competitions while enrolled at Cornell.
Fath initially matriculated into Cornell as a Comparative Literature major but made the switch to American Studies after taking The Manson Murders, which is when she realized the program offered “unique classes with relevant topics.”
“It’s all in an American perspective, which I really like because sometimes a globalized perspective can be too much,” she stresses.
Another influential class Fath mentions is Food In America, taught by Professor Adrienne Bitar who is now her major advisor. She states that this class was a driving force in concentrating on food within the major.
Bitar and Fath are currently conducting independent study research about beauty culture in America. Through this research, Fath has had to read books and excerpts such as Hope in a Jar: The Making of America’s Beauty Culture.
“I feel like a lot of those things you hear from a medical side, especially in terms of weight…just coming from a historical and American Studies perspective has been interesting,” she recognizes.
As a Business minor, Fath was partly inspired to conduct research on beauty culture in America due to her time working for cosmetic startup The Skin Consult this past summer. She worked on their business development team, which entailed organizing consultations and doctor appointments for customers.
“I wasn’t really interested in cosmetics before that but seeing the business perspective of that kind of led me to do something related to cosmetics [for my independent study],” she reflects.
Fath plans to take a year off after her graduation to ride competitively. Afterwards, she hopes to work with Teach for America and pursue a career in private equity in the long run.
