Meet the 2019 ILR Student Team!

Addison '20

Hello! My name is Addison Francine B., and I am a senior in the ILR school. Around campus, I am very involved with Cru, a Christian fellowship, and I teach English as a Second Language. After graduation, I will be doing HR for International Paper. In my spare time I love traveling, reading, and baking! 

I am excited to go to Vietnam because I enjoy studying labor on the global scale. I studied abroad in the United Arab Emirates and in the United Kingdom and I noticed the prevalence of imported labor in both economies. The Gulf countries import Vietnamese workers in particular, and I long to know more about agency recruitment in Vietnam. 

Andrew '20

Andrew K. is a Senior at Cornell's School of Industrial Labor Relations. He is interested in pursing a career in labor law and plans to attend Law School after working for a year in the legal field. Andrew is currently a Student Research Fellow at ILR's The Worker Institute, where he is researching Living Wage policy in Tompkins County. He has also had experience as a political organizer for Queens DA Candidate Tiffany Cabán, and an intern at the Bronx District Attorney's Office. On campus, Andrew recently completed his UN Millennium Fellowship and is interested in movies, poetry, tennis, and basketball. 

Kaitlin  '22

My name is Kaitlin M., and I am a sophomore in the ILR School from Cleveland, Ohio. I am pursuing minors in Inequality Studies, Law & Society, as well as the Globalization, Ethnicity, and Development minor. When on campus, I write for Guac Travel Magazine, am involved in Cornell Concert Commission, and am an Executive Board member of the Northeast Ohio at Cornell University club. I also work at Manndibles Cafe located in Mann Library. I’ve been fortunate enough to participate in the Cornell- ILR Exchange: University of Warwick, London Summer Program, engaging in a course on behavioral economics

I wanted to participate in the Vietnam Engaged Learning program because I want to assist and educate workers about their rights and protections in developing nations after I graduate. I wanted to see how communism impacts unions and their ability to freely bargain. I’ve seen what happens to cities when companies deem increased wages and benefits as too costly and leave. Being from Cleveland, I have seen how this capital flight has ravaged my own city as well as neighboring cities like Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Louisville. Striking the right balance of profitability for the company and livability for the workers, is something I plan to study after coming back from this experience. I am beyond excited and grateful for this once in a life-time experience.

Daniel '20

My name is Daniel B. and I am a senior at Cornell's ILR School from Brooklyn, NY. On campus, I am involved with The People's Organizing Collective (USAS Local #3), Kappa Alpha Pi, and research in the ILR School. I am also involved with USAS on the national level as the International Campaigns Representative on the coordinating committee. I am excited to explore Vietnam's labor relations structure and learn more about how the government approaches international labor standards. I am also looking forward to meeting and learning from the students at Ton Duc Thang University.

Lindsey '21

Lindsey D-N is a junior in ILR with anticipated minors in Law and Society, Inequality Studies, and Comparative Literature. She currently serves as Vice President of External Affairs for the Cornell Speech and Debate Society, as well as captain of Cornell's policy debate team. In Vietnam, her intended research focus is on the intersections of labor policy with the development of intellectual property law in Asia. After graduation, she hopes to attend law school and continue to pursue interests in intellectual property. 

Rija '21

Hi! I'm Rija and I'm a junior at ILR with minors in Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies and History of American Capitalism from Lahore, Pakistan. I am interested in viewing inequality from an Intersectional and marxist-feminist lens. I hope to explore workplace issues, labor rights movements and the global supply chain through these lens. I hope to apply what I have learnt here at ILR and Cornell in an international context, especially in Asia. 

Mekong River Delta with Nicole!

Today, January 4th, as one of our first excursions outside the city, we were headed to the Mekong River Delta. After meeting at the canteen, the Cornell and TDTU students all boarded vans to begin our way to the river. After and hour and a half of sleeping, chatting, and enjoying the spectacular scenery, we arrived to a dock overlooking the river. With the sun already shining down, the boat ride was beautiful and surreal, accompanied by our lively tour guide. Once we got off the boats, we walked a bit, passing many live animals such as goats and dogs, until we boarded horse drawn wagons leading us along a small path. We then walked a luscious and green trail, trying new fruits that our guide selected for us. We then gathered to eat more delicious and local fruit, such as mango and chili powder, dragon fruit, and pineapple under a shaded table area. We enjoyed this sweet treat while listing to the beautiful melodies of Vietnamese singers that performed a short show for us.

Next, we stopped and had the opportunity to try local honey mixed with amazing kumquat tea and peanut-based snacks. It was a delicious and calming atmosphere, a mood that suddenly changed once we got the opportunity to hold a live boa! As the group buzzed in excitement, we took turns letting it slither up our arms. Soon after, we were taken to another shaded veranda where hot coconut candy was being made. After watching the process, we were able to try and purchase the sweet treat. The sticky, aromatic candy was unlike anything I have ever eaten, but needless to say, it was delicious. Finally, we rode small boats through a breathtaking river channel, surrounded by jungle and marsh. They gave us conical hats to wear to shade the sun as we rode in the boats. After docking, we followed another verdant path that led us to alligator enclosures where brave students could dangle meat to feed them. It was fascinating watching the alligators freeze so still as they waited before snatching the food.The adventure ended with a feast of spring rolls, sticky rice balls, grilled elephant-fish, prawns, and much more. Needless to say, by the end we were stuffed and satisfied from the mouth-watering food. After taking another boat back to the dock, we loaded back into vans and almost everyone was so tired they slept the whole ride back to campus.

After resting for some time, the group reconvened and set out for district 1 for some dinner. We ended up eating delicious pho at the infamous location Bill Clinton had his first pho in Vietnam, Pho 2000. The pho and refreshing array of smoothies were extremely flavorful and, as always, delicious. We ended the long day with relaxing massages that almost put some of us to sleep. It was an excellent de-stressor for an action-packed day.

Debate and Class with Brittany!

We had a very packed schedule today at TDTU! The morning started
off as usual: the Cornell students met in the canteen to eat, and I got egg noodles and a
Yogurt Da. When we arrived to class, we started our first day of mediation. Professor
Richard Fincher threw us into it immediately, and we had a mock mediation with a sample
case he gave us. In a case involving an employee with a disciplinary record who
accidentally damaged company property, management and the union ultimately agreed to
reinstate her on a last chance agreement.

In the afternoon’s class, we transitioned to a more serious topic: the Vietnam War. It was a
profound experience to learn about while in Vietnam, especially after meeting so many
wonderful Vietnamese people. What stuck out to me the most was the U.S.’s strategy: to
cause as many casualties as possible. I felt unnerved when I learned that the U.S. used body
counts as a metric of success for the majority of the war.

In the evening, we attended a debate class with our Vietnamese counterparts and
partnered with them. Together, we argued over all sorts of topics ranging from soda to the
internet! My favorite part was seeing how different some of the Vietnamese students’
perspectives were from ours. Socializing with them felt easy and highlighted our
similarities: we all like sports, spending time with our friends, and we are all worried about
finding jobs. The debating, though, really served to highlight some of the differences we
have that in large part emerge from living under different governmental systems that exist
on opposite sides of the world.
Finally, we finished off the day with some street food with our Vietnamese friends. It was
AMAZING!

Vietnamese History and Foods with Chris!!

We began the day on January 9th, 2019 in normal fashion by convening in the campus canteen for breakfast, where students enjoyed cafe da sua (Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk) and Bánh bao (a steamed circular bun containing pork and quail egg). Afterwards, we headed over to TDTU Building E and embarked on a two hour lecture given by Professor Richard Fincher detailing the role of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor in Vietnamese labor relations. During our lunch break, students tried Vietnamese Bánh mì and Phở at a different canteen on campus and later cooled off from a particularly hot day with Boba Milk tea.

In the afternoon, Professor Richard Fincher gave an interesting and poignant lecture on the history of the Second Indochina War, an event that in the United States we commonly refer to as the "Vietnam War." In this lecture, students were able to better understand a more comprehensive view of the War from the Vietnamese perspective, as well as reflect in a nuanced manner on how the War forever changed American citizens' view of their own government.

The daily argumentation and debate session with TDTU students followed in the evening, which was perhaps the highlight of the day. Both Cornell and TDTU students were able to channel the debate skills and experience that they had begun to acquire earlier in the week, and argued in teams over the topic, "Should teenagers be eligible to serve in important government roles?" This debate was particularly interesting in that students from both universities were able to compare and contrast the nature of education and government in their home countries, providing an ulterior benefit of cultural exchange. Afterwards, Cornell and TDTU students dined at a Thai restaurant in a nearby mall where some Cornell students were able to try Hot Pot for the first time. The day, filled with the exchange of food and ideas about government and history, represented another example of the array of cultural learning that a single Wednesday could achieve while in Ho Chi Minh City. --Chris

First Day Out and About with Claire!

On our first day with the whole group, we got to tour the Fito Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine and Pharmacy in District 10, where we learned about the influence of Vietnamese doctors in expanding the practice of healing and disease prevention through various natural means. As emphasized by our guide, the Vietnamese have a longstanding tradition of utilizing the herbs and other natural remedies grown/produced locally to treat illnesses, and strongly appraise prevention of these illnesses by living a healthy daily lifestyle. Additionally, we learned about the less conventional methods doctors would use to diagnose their patients, such as through palm reading. At the end of the tour, the museum offered us different types of tea, which were labeled according to their functionality, such as those for brain power or stress-reduction.

After the museum, we travelled to District 1 where we walked through their largest park and did some shopping in the Ben Tanh market.

That night, we visited the heart of District one, where the city was setting up decorations for the Tet Holiday. We stopped there for a while and people-watched from the balcony of a local café. From there, we were able to see all the people shopping for presents for Tet, or taking a break in the center where kids could play in the fountain or order food from street vendors.

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First Day of Classes, Debate and Dinner with Paul!

Today January 7th was our first full day of classes where we began by waking up early for a class with Mr. Fincher about Vietnamese history and labor. We learned about the wide spread influence of Marxism on the country’s culture and government which determined the way the country’s labor system functions currently and how French colonialism and cultures from other Asian countries contribute to Vietnam’s unique socioeconomic structure. Vietnam’s communist government but capitalistic economy entails a labor market that is heavily regulated by the government, meaning that most unions, NGO’s, and businesses have certain legal limitations such as representation, production, and negotiation in which they must operate. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that the dynamics between management and labor in Vietnam are nowhere parallel to the relationship between management and labor in the U.S. as it follows a tripartite structure. The class then entered into a dialogue comparing the two systems, having Mr. Fincher giving some of his own thoughts and insights.

Later that day we were able to have our first debate workshop. Both Cornell and TDTU students learned the basic mechanics of debate and engaged in a short exercise of “last one on the hot air balloon” justifying why you, being anyone or anything, should be left to survive. The room was immediately filled with laughter and excitement as students took on silly roles such as love, gravity, and a GPS device. It was a great opportunity to not only hone our debating skills but to have fun with the Vietnamese students.

 


Finally, after a long day we all went out to grab dinner. The food was amazing; especially being able to try local favorites such as Vietnamese Pizza, Tamarind Tea, and Quail Eggs. It was a great time for us to get to know the Vietnamese students better, hearing their jokes and stories.  Yet, things got a little crazy when the Vietnamese students refused to let us pay for the bill. We were so grateful for their hospitality and kindness and hoped that we could return the favor next dinner. --Paul