This Thursday, I attended the final ILC meeting before we head off for the East coast. Students, their chaperones, and of course everyone who helps make the ILC possible such as Charles Ramsey and Don Gosney met at the El Cerrito High School library this most recent Thursday. Although students from many different groups were present in the library, each group had its own table to sit at and talk with their fellow students, chaperones and parents.
Don and Mr. Ramsey started things off by introducing several former ILC students. After some general wisdom about what to pack, and what to expect of our various programs, we each received a copy of our itinerary. Although I’ve known when we’re leaving and returning for a while, seeing the actual flight numbers and hotel reservations made me excited about how soon we will be in Pennsylvania. I also recently received a copy of the itinerary for what we will be doing during our four weeks at UPENN. While I certainly plan to study hard while I’m out East, the weekend trips to New York City and Washington D.C. stood out to me, and they are one more thing that I’m looking forward to.
After about half an hour in the library, each group split off into separate classrooms to discuss our remaining preparations for the trip, as well as the itinerary that we had all just received. Our chaperone Mike, as well as our parents repeatedly warned us about the hot summer weather on the East coast. We were also lucky enough to speak with Cynthia who went to UPENN with the ILC several years ago, and we picked her brain for advice on the dorms, food and more.
Once we were finished reviewing the itinerary, we returned to the library for some closing remarks by Don and Mr. Ramsey. Don reviewed what we should pack for the trip, and also reminded us to leave room in our suitcases for souvenirs that we’ll want to bring back. If there has ever been the question of if I love science, it has certainly been resolved now. I’ll hop on a shuttle to the airport at 3:30 in the morning to take a month of physics classes during the summer, and I’ll do it with a smile.
