The Cornell Negotiation Student Society
In October 2024, I decided to trailblaze a new path for Cornell students looking to build their conflict resolution skills. What followed was one of the greatest rides of my career.
I created the CNSS in October 2024 with the vision of empowering every Cornellian with negotiating confidence. After assembling my executive board of 8 members, I led them in executing ambitious programming that has inspired further opportunities.
In just our first 5 months, we attracted 60 members, were awarded over $1,100 in funding, partnered with 3 prominent student organizations and 2 departments of Cornell, hosted 4 simulations, 2 guest speakers, 7 workshops and a national debate series, and finally awarded 3 awards of excellence at the end of the year.
In 2025, we're on track to more than double our funding, increase our operations, and integrate our work directly into Cornell's curriculum. We're also adding two more competitions to our calendar and expanding our trainings.
WORKSHOPS AND TRAININGS
Our flagship events, our workshops, are an opportunity for students to first learn conflict resolution skills and then apply them in a mini-simulation.
Out of the 7 workshops we hosted in the 2024-2025 school year, I wrote and led 6 of them. The topics covered basic negotiation skills, strategies and tactics, mental reframing, attitudinal changes, and more. We also conducted 4 simulations ranging in topic from international affairs, security, business mergers, and domestic government coalitions. I personally wrote 2 of these.
NATIONAL DEBATE SERIES
The spring before I started Cornell and founded the CNSS, the Brooks school hosted its first UNUM debate series. UNUM is a non-profit organization that facilitates policy debates concerning the public interest. Due to the success of the CNSS, we were given the opportunity to host the second annual debate at Cornell.
I worked directly with the Executive Director of the Brooks School and founder of the UNUM organization to organize the event. The result was 100 attendees and 3 rounds of debate that covered executive power, international aid, and the housing crisis.
Negotiation Coursework and Simulations
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Negotiation Essentials
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Weekly negotiation simulations
Public Administration
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Covered how negotiations are applied to public servants
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Included a 2-week simulation
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
Peace, Global Security & Conflict Resolution
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Included a 3-week negotiation simulation
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This is where I realized my passion for conflict resolution and negotiation!
Global Comparative Governance
History & Politics of Sino-European Relations
International Negotiation
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Weekly negotiation simulations
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Graduate level course
International Peace and Conflict Resolution
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Theoretical review of interventions that were then applied to real scenarios
Negotiating Israeli-Palestinian Peace
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Included a 7-week simulation
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I led one of 3 teams and was hailed for my management and use of negotiation tactics
Canadian International Institute of Applied Negotiation
As an intern at CIIAN, it's my privilege to work with an institute committed to my own life's goal: to build peace everywhere, for everyone.
TRAININGS
One of my first tasks was to participate in two of CIIAN's flagship trainings: the Self and Others Conflict Resolution training and the Negotiation training.
These lessons included lecture and practice to help me reframe my own interpretation of conflict and then manage how conflict is processed in others. The Negotiation module in particular gave me skills that I'm ready to deploy in practice to meet the most efficient outcome.
PROJECT
I've worked closely with the CEO to produce an international negotiation competition with reach that hasn't been seen before. This work has required me to apply project management skills built at Cornell to produce a schedule, complete tasks, design a system of systems, and make it repeatable. Stay tuned for more!
Graduate & Professional Student Assembly
The GPSA is a representative body of students at Cornell University that participates in the shared governance of the school. Though I've only recently been involved, I've used my negotiation skills to have an impact.
PROGRAMMING BOARD MEMBER
As a member of the programming board I was put in charge of alcoholic drinks and ticketing planning. After helping design a new form of ticketing and publishing the ticket purchasing platform, it was time to negotiate drink prices.
Our venue had increased prices from the previous year. After discussing with them their options for types of alcohol to sell, I was able to negotiate a reduction in price while also controlling the types of alcohol served at the event. The result was a better managed, more fun, and cheaper evening for everyone.
PROGRAMMING BOARD CHAIR
I'm looking forward to continuing the good work and putting on a great show for 2026. With a $50,000 budget, there's plenty we'll be able to do.
