Whether you are searching the college website, attending student presentations, or walking around campus, chances are you will hear the name of our latest Campus Celebrity: Conor McCormick-Cavanagh. This week’s Campus Celebrity’s involvement stretches beyond the campus to around the globe. When he is not eating Willy Wonka candy, watching NBA basketball, or jamming to Gramophonedzie’s “Brazilian,” he is critiquing democratic peace theory and promoting human rights. Through internships, student body leadership, and academic opportunities, the graduating senior has definitely made the most of his Conn experience. We wish Conor the best of luck in his future endeavors. Graduation may be just around the corner, but the world is wide open to him!
Class Year: 2014
Hometown: Pelham, NY
Major: International Relations and Arabic Language and Literature
Extracurricular activities: Co-president of Amnesty International, SAC Representative, 2014 Class Council, Writer and Photographer for The College Voice, Intramural Soccer Goalie (current primary devotion)
Favorite books: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
Favorite TV shows: Futurama and Arrested Development
Favorite movie: Spaceballs
Party anthem: “Brazilian” by Gramophonedzie
Personal motto: “Breathe”
Guilty pleasure: Eating a 3 pound bag of Willy Wonka candy while watching NBA Basketball
Fun fact: My family and I have a shih tzu named Gadget that we absolutely adore. He’s very smart and loyal.
What sparked your interest in international relations and Arab culture?
I have been always been very intrigued by different historical narratives of world politics and absolutely love researching and exploring new cultures. My interest in Arab culture is genetic and environmental: my maternal grandmother, Renee Maloof, is Lebanese. Whenever I went to my Lebanese family’s house in Washington Heights, I was surrounded by very unique, quirky people who influenced me to pursue my academic interest and personal passion in the Middle East.
Tell us about your internships!
In the summer of 2013, I worked as a Syria Research Intern at a think tank called the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). At ISW, I researched and analyzed events happening on the ground in Syria, mapped out regime and opposition troop movements and activity, translated Arabic videos coming in from the battlefield, and plugged information into an intelligence software called Palantir. ISW is a non-partisan, non-political think tank, which establishes framework for policy makers in Washington to execute strategic decisions in relation to conflicts happening throughout the world.
From your studies, what is one misconception about the Middle East and Northern Africa?
There are many misconceptions about the MENA region. Some people fail to recognize that the tumult in the Middle East right now is largely attributable to the failed decolonization process led by European states. In particular, two cases of noticeable violence, Palestine/Israel conflict and Iraq’s civil war over the past decade or so, are not results of inherent Arab deficiencies. The main factor fueling these conflicts are artificial creations constructed during the end of colonial rule in these areas in the early to mid 20th century. These artificial boundaries and ethnic subdivisions have imploded, thus creating major conflicts where there was minimal conflict to begin with.
At this year’s Conn TEDx Conference, you were a student speaker. What inspired your TEDx Talk?
I wanted to present my critique on democratic peace theory to a wide audience and share information about something that I feel passionate about. I have experience acting in plays, but I had never before presented academic research to such a large audience. I now feel more confident in my ability to speak persuasively, articulately, and calmly to a large audience.
If you could choose a world leader with whom to have dinner, whom would you choose and where would you wine and dine?
I would like to dine with Bashar al-Assad in the Presidential Palace in Damascus. The meal would probably be uncomfortable, but I am so curious to understand his mindset during the conflict. I would like to better figure out the inner workings of a man who sits in power while his country descends into complete chaos.
Kim Jong-un would be interesting too. I would take him out to Korean BBQ in Manhattan and not in North Korea, just to make sure I don’t disappear or die in a mysterious accident.
What is your favorite food? What is the most interesting food you’ve ever eaten?
My favorite food is Indian lunch buffet with my Mom. I love to smother naan with some savory sauce.
The weirdest thing I’ve ever eaten is every organ you can think of in a ram. In Morocco, I celebrated Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice with my homestay family. We sacrificed a ram in the name of God and ate every part of it: meat, liver, lungs, heart, eyes, cheek, pancreas, stomach. The lung was particularly chewy and hard to swallow, especially because one of my neighbors blew into the ram trachea and demonstrated the anatomical nature of respiration on a ram’s lungs in front of me, before grilling it for us.
Field trips are an object of the past for many college kids; however, over your spring break, you took a class trip to Japan. How did you get to do this?! What was your favorite part of your travels?
I enrolled in Professor Watanabe’s History of Post WWII Japan class. We received a large grant from the Japan Foundation, which funded our travel to and logistics in Okinawa. We traveled to Okinawa, in particular, because the legacy of WWII still remains; Okinawa houses 75% of the American military bases in Japan. Additionally, the Battle of Okinawa remains a poignant memory on the collective mind of Okinawans.
We had the opportunity to hear from a survivor from the Himeyuri Student Nurse Corp. She described her enlistment as a nurse for Japanese Imperial soldiers during the Battle of Okinawa. At only 17, she treated gruesome injuries of soldiers and watched many people die. Over 90% of her fellow Himeyuri classmates were killed during the battle. Her story struck a deep emotional chord inside of me.
Why did you start Conn’s Amnesty International Club?
I worked with a team of very talented seniors last year to form Amnesty International as a club at Conn. Conn Coll previously had Human Rights Watch, but this fizzled out due to a lack of member participation. Many people at Conn care about human rights, but students are often very busy and would prefer to feel active in their club memberships, rather than just attend pointless weekly meetings. We realized that in order to maintain strong membership, we had to actually plan and execute a lot of worthwhile events, which we absolutely did. We can’t wait for this club to flourish into a really influential and positive voice on campus.
What has been one of your all-time favorite activities you helped plan as a SAC representative?
The sophomore semi-formal was a treat to plan. As a member of Class Council, I reached out to Wicked Peach and booked them for a gig in Cro. It was really, really awesome, and it made me feel like a talent agent/entertainment guru, even though I now realize that Wicked Peach is omnipresent on the Conn College campus. Still, it was a great moment for sophomore Conor, and I still fondly recall downing bottles of André extra dry champagne with my fellow Class Councilmen in the small closet next to the 1962 room. But that’s a secret, so don’t tell anyone.
Do you have a favorite class or professor taken at Conn?
Professor Sayej’s Iraq War Seminar really helped me reflect on and formalize my own thoughts about happenings in Iraq during the second Iraq War. I took the class after my internship at the Institute for the Study of War. My boss at ISW was one of the main advisors to General Petraeus during ‘the Surge,’ so I got to soak in some expert knowledge from a well-versed scholar of the war. Bringing this into the classroom really helped me understand the nuances of the conflict.
Favorite place on campus: The squash courts
Do you have an embarrassing Camel moment?
I ripped my favorite pair of tight grey J. Crew pants during the spring of 2013 in a crowded Smith dining hall and had to walk around the rest of the day with a nice hole exposing the surfing pigs on my boxers. I then wore the same pants the next day, forgetting the hole in my pants, only to be called out by an observant friend with a good memory. Now everyone knows I wear the same pants multiple days in a row.
What is one thing you have not checked off your Conn bucket list yet?
I still want to attend a Christian meditation service at the Chapel. I have yet to go, since the timing of spin classes conflicts with the timing of the services. However, one day, I will make it there.
As a graduating senior, what advice would you give to underclassmen?
Keep searching until you find what you love, then stick to that. Don’t get bogged down in stuff that doesn’t make you happy. Find what you love, stick to that, and you’ll be happy.
You must have had a myriad of options for after graduation! What are your post-graduation plans?
I will be working as a Program Coordinator/Librarian at the American Corner library in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. I will be planning events, such as movie screenings, trivia, debate club, chess club, English speaking hours, for Tunisians interested in learning about the US and speaking English. The American Corner library is sponsored by the US Embassy in Tunis and an NGO called AMIDEAST. I leave for Tunis in August and will be there for one year.
How do you feel about being Campus Celebrity?
I have had a great time answering these questions and reflecting on my four very fruitful years at Conn College. I also am so happy to have another excuse to procrastinate during my ever so productive second semester of senior year. Now it’s time to go eat more Willy Wonka candy and watch the Wizards beat the Bulls.