A Farewell from our Cornell-bound Youth Board Member
By Song Han Ngo — Eastside Audubon Youth Board Member
Note from EAS President John Spilker: Song Han is off to Cornell University this fall. Cornell is widely regarded as the leading university in ornithology, and he'll be majoring in ornithology and computer science — a combination that suits him perfectly. We're going to miss him. His contributions as our youth board member have been outstanding, most notably heading up our digital bird count at Homestead Field in Fall City, using a SwiftOne device we purchased from Cornell to record the birds present there. EAS is a better organization for his time with us, and we couldn't be prouder to have been a small part of his journey.
“I joined the Eastside Audubon at a pivotal moment during my high school birding journey. While I had already been interested in birds for a couple of years, I had not integrated myself into the wider birding community, and hoped to interact with more birders. Eastside Audubon always stood out to me as the most involved local birding organization, hosting frequent bird walks and conservation initiatives, so I was really happy to be accepted by the other board members and welcomed into the organization.
Throughout the past two years at EAS, everyone that I have met has always been so kind to me. I still remember when I wanted to expand the scope of my high school birding club to contribute to real conservation efforts, Lori (Danielson) graciously offered to lead and plan a youth CBC team where our club members could participate. During the audio analysis learning process for Fall City as well, John (Spilker) offered to help whenever I ran into tech issues or other troubles.
Overall, EAS has deeply shaped what I view as the birding community. Whenever I think of birders I always think of friendly, supportive, and passionate people, and I think that's in no small part thanks to the individuals I've met at the Eastside Audubon Society.
What I'm looking forward to at Cornell
I would say that the biggest draw to Cornell for me is its emphasis on interdisciplinary studies and bringing together fields that don't usually meet. At Cornell, I'll be able to pursue ornithology and computer science side by side, which is something rare and special to Cornell. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology works extensively to bridge technology and birds, and I'm excited to potentially contribute to that work over the next four years.
Of course, I am also really excited to meet the other birders on campus and join the birding club. Cornell's large birding community means that it will be one of the first times that I'm surrounded by lots of birders that are my age, which is very exciting. I am looking forward to going birding with them around campus!”