Ella Benjamin enrolled at Cornell University planning on majoring in Sociology and minoring in American Studies, however, an email from American Studies Program Undergraduate Coordinator Monica McFall led her to pursue the major instead. She is now on track to graduate as a double major in Sociology and American Studies and triple minor in Law & Society; Inequality Studies; and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Matriculating into Cornell during the height of the pandemic, Benjamin only had one fully in person class during her first year fall semester. Despite it all, she says that one of her most fulfilling courses took place during that fall semester — AMST 2710: America’s Promise: Social and Political Context of American Education, taught by Professor John Sipple, Department of Global Development.
She also highlights AMST 3281: Constitutional Politics: The U.S. Supreme Court, taught by Visiting Professor of Law Dawn Chutkow, which she said also provided a different lens to America.
“Both of the teachers themselves really made it. They’re amazing lecturers and the content was furthered by their teaching,” she says.
Benjamin also studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark during her spring semester of junior year through DIS: Semester in Copenhagen, offered through the Office of Global Learning. She was able to take classes related to her majors and minors such as History of Sexuality in Europe, as well as unrelated classes such as Intro to Danish.
Whether on campus or abroad, Benjamin has continued her participation in Slope Media, an on campus media and entertainment group, as Social Media and Marketing Director. Benjamin hopes to continue her interests in communications and media post grad as an incoming full time agent at WME[1] .
Benjamin interned on WME’s digital team during summer 2023, where she worked with influencers, gamers, and podcasts. “A lot of the classes I’ve been in, especially in American Studies, have had final projects where you’ve had the opportunity to make podcasts,” she says. “It’s kind of crazy being able to see these people do it professionally and really taking their joys, or something they’ve found a niche in, and then being able to make a career out of it.”
She was even able to apply her AMST experiences to her summer 2022 internship with marketing firm ADDY.media where she specialized in events based marketing. Through this internship, Benjamin worked with teams involved in the Tribeca Film Festival, Indie Music Week, and Miami Swim Week.
“I was doing on camera interviews, I was doing filming, I was doing red carpet stuff, and it was a very cool opportunity to be able to see the inside of the entertainment industry,” she emphasizes. She also attributes her ability to handle a multitude of different tasks to the AMST major.
“I’ve learned so many different things in American Studies, which has allowed me to be diverse and quick on my feet and have a wide variety of knowledge, which I think I would’ve only gotten through my coursework in American Studies…I encourage everyone to at least try them out for a little bit.”
