Brian Strahine headed to Eastern Europe as a Peace Corps Volunteer
Brian Strahine ‘01
College: School of Hotel Administration
Major: Hotel Administration
After graduating from Cornell, Class of 2001 graduate Brian Strahine headed to Eastern Europe as a Peace Corps Volunteer. During his first three months, living with a host family in a small town in the southern part of Romania, Brian studied the local language with an instructor. In late August of last year, he moved to Dej, a small town in the northern region of Romania called Translyvania. Brian now works as part of the TEFL sector (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), teaching middle school and high school English and physical education classes. He also works at an orphanage as an English tutor and "Big Brother."
A graduate of the School of Hotel Administration, Brian played football for a year and then became very active with the Greek system during his time at Cornell. You may remember him best as President of the Interfraternity Council (IFC), during our senior year. Brian was also President of Delta Upsilon and a member of the Quill & Dagger Senior Honor Society. Under his leadership, the IFC worked to eliminate the hazing that took place at the fraternities. Brian says he “recognized that ‘hazing’ was totally destroying the students' emotional, physical, mental, and psychological well-being and it needed to be stopped.”
Brian is the first Peace Corps volunteer to work in Dej, and he says that he has quickly learned what “celebrity status” means. “Some of my younger students asked for my autograph, took pictures with me, and asked me to their houses for dinner.” He recently celebrated his one-year anniversary and can't believe how fast the time has gone by. “The past year was the most exciting, challenging, frustrating, rewarding, depressing, exhilarating, and mind-blowing experience of my life!!!! I often wonder why more young Americans don’t join the Peace Corps because it is such an awesome experience. I've learned so much about myself and about others. Learning about new cultures, religions, traditions, values, foods, languages, music, and ways of thinking has certainly helped me understand and appreciate that there is so much more to this world than just the United States.”
Brian tried not to form too many expectations before entering the Peace Corps. “Each Peace Corps experience is unique no matter where you are. The only expectation that I had before leaving was to be in a position to make a positive difference in the lives of the children in this country.”
Brian says that his fondest memories from Cornell are ones spent with his close friends… eating a great meal at Joes or enjoying a long talk in the upstairs part of Wegmans, having a BBQ at Stewart Park or watching a sunset in the tower. “Cornell challenged me to stand up for what I believe in and encouraged me to always believe in myself. While I miss the waterfalls, restaurants, lakes, and parks, it's my classmates, professors, and friends that I miss the most because they changed my life!”
Brian can be reached through his Cornell email address.
Last updated on June 16, 2003.
