Orientation

Our last formal meeting before we embark occurred on Thursday. Orientation was an opportunity for all the participants of ILC to sit together and ask any final questions that were burning in our minds.

As a group, all of the ILCers learned about the importance of being on time, being prepared, and following directions from Madeline, Don, and Charles as well as a general overview about what to expect on our respective trips. We were each given an extensive packing list to help with the "prepared" bit.

Later, when we split up into our separate programs, we were able to talk more specifically about what kinds of things we would be doing in Pennsylvania outside of our academic program. Ideas such as baseball games, fireworks displays, and of course, eating some Philly cheese steaks were discussed.

We also recieved our official itineraries for the trip and reviewed the schedule that was e-mailed to us from Penn (which inclided activities such as tie-dye Tuesday and Wii Wednesday).

Cynthia Fong, a former Penn ILC participant, was kind enough to spend some time with us sharing her experiences on the campus and in the dorms as well as on the weekend day trips. She shared her difficulties with the east coast weather, assured us that the dorms were very comfortable, and told us about her favorite activities, including seeing Les Miserables.

After listening to what she had to say and reviewing our schedules, I felt very prepared. I also came to realize that there will be very few moments of inactivity for me during my month at UPenn. While I am there, I plan on learning all that I can about physics, the college learning environment, and the culture of Philadelphia. That doesn't leave much time for sitting around.

It Feels Real Now

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.

The Final Milestone

Last night we passed the final milestone on the road to our summer adventure. The entire 2011 Ivy League Connection group gathered at El Cerrito High School for orientation. The goal of the night was to answer any last-minute questions, give us our itineraries, and allow our parents to associate themselves a bit more with our chaperones. The night definitely achieved its purpose.

We began the night in the library. We were divided into our respective groups by Don and Mr. Rhea before any of the speeches began. This was convenient because I was able to update Mike, Brian, Mrs. Seegers, Julia, and Mrs. Martien on our plans for the pre-Penn excursion. They all seemed happy to hear that the reservations for the information sessions, campus tours, and dinners with admissions officers were taken care of. Once everyone had arrived and found their seats, Mr. Ramsey, Ms. Kronenberg, and Mr. Rhea each gave great individual speeches about the significance and purpose of the orientation.

There were also two announcements that I was rather surprised by. The first was that prior ILC scholars had been invited to offer their insight within the breakout sessions. This was a change from last year’s orientation that I found to be very strategic. The second announcement was that the ILC has partnered with a publisher. This will allow students to actually have their books, poems, and other forms of prose officially published. I didn’t think it was possible because it is already so amazing, but somehow the ILC has managed to make even more life-changing opportunities for the students of this district.

The final piece of business before going into the breakout sessions was Don’s packing presentation. He covered the list of basic things that all of us need to pack and then got a bit more specific with regard to dorm room needs. He said that each university is going to provide different things and that some of us would need desk lamps while others would need extension and Ethernet cords. Contrary to last year at Cornell, it seems that I will have to bring a desk lamp and linens for my dorm because Penn does not provide them. I’m hoping that these items are the only things for the dorm that I’ll need to pack. Of course, if I need something last-minute, Don has generously offered us access to his “bazaar” the day we leave.

The breakout sessions took place outside of the library, inside individual classrooms. Here we were able to examine our itineraries and discover that we would have to be at El Cerrito High at 3:30 AM on June 30…that’s going to be a fun morning… But we were also able to ask Cynthia, a former ILC scholar who attended a Penn summer program and currently attends Brown, a few things about the dorms, about our restrictions at Penn, as well as a number of other things about what our stay would be like. Unfortunately I did not have time to ask all of my questions, but thankfully Cynthia provided us with her email in case we had further questions.

After the breakout session, we regrouped back in the library and concluded the night. Orientation was certainly a success. I was able to have some of my questions answered, get a few things clarified, and I am even more excited that my journey is only twenty-seven days away. As each day passes, my excitement builds. I am also remembering how great my experiences were last year at Cornell and I have no doubt that Brian, Julia, and Mike will help me make these new adventures even more memorable than my previous ones.

Prelude to Penn

I have already come to the conclusion that this summer is going to be excellent. Along with Julia Martien, who’s company I always enjoy at school, and Alex Elms who I am coming to know and enjoy more every time we meet, I already know that the three of us are dedicated students who intend to study hard, and have a great time on the East coast this summer. While I am very eager and excited to go study at UPenn, the events in the Ivy League connection so far have also been both informative and enjoyable; I will describe them in brief below.

After interviewing for, and being accepted to the program, the Ivy League Connection really began for me on a Saturday morning at the Hercules Public Library. There, I met with Alex Elms and about a dozen other students to learn the basics of blogging from one of the benefactors of this program- Don Gosney. Don had struck me from the start as very knowledgeable about computers and photography, but I was still impressed by how much material was packed into the space of two hours. Blazing through the basics, and quickly moving on to more advanced topics such as photo editing, what you read today is my first attempt at bringing all of the tips and information from that session together into my first blog.

The next time I saw Alex and Julia was at the WCCUSD School Board meeting. There, I also met for the first time our chaperone Mike Schweninger, an English teacher from De Anza High School. Instead of teaching three grades of students as he does during the school year, Mike will have only three of us to keep track of during the summer, so I am confident he is thoroughly overqualified for the job.

One of the most inspiring things to me in the Ivy League Connection so far was listening to students speak that were part of the program in past years. I especially enjoyed Irene Rojas-Carroll’s speech, where she eloquently expressed how the Ivy League Connection was important in exposing her to colleges such as Brown University, which she will be attending next year. I hope that the Ivy League Connection will both expose me to great colleges on the East coast, and help me decide exactly what I want to major in during college. Many thanks to Mr. Ramsey, and the rest of the School Board for honoring us at the school board meeting.

Last weekend, the UPenn group had their dinner at Scala’s Bistro in San Francisco. Although I’m not writing here as a restaurant critic, I must say that the restaurant was beautiful, the service excellent, and the food delicious. I sat at a table along with my father, my group’s chaperone Mike Schweninger, Don Gosney, and a UPenn alumni, Leslie Mah. While I learned a lot from everyone at the table, I found Leslie the most informative because of her experiences at UPenn as a student. Among the many things I learned were what class sizes to expect, what the dormitories are like, where the nicest places to exercise are, and very importantly, that the food trucks serve cheap, delicious meals. When I asked several UPenn alumni about why they chose UPenn over other excellent schools that they were accepted to, I thought it was promising that all of them said that they chose UPenn because of the atmosphere, and how friendly the other students were. On the way back from Scala’s, I also had the pleasure of talking with a current UPenn student, Cristina Pelayo, who told me a lot about her first year at UPenn.

I’ve found an interesting phenomenon when I compare my own blog posts with Julia and Alex’s posts. Although we are going through the same orientations and meetings, in our blog posts we already seem to have significantly differing perspectives. Coming from a very diverse school, I see differing backgrounds and opinions all the time. I think it’s really cool to think about how we will all learn the same material, but understand it and use it differently. Just as two different professors can teach the same curriculum in vastly different ways, I am looking forward to this summer so much because more importantly than anything else, I will get a new perspective on my education.

A Taste of What's to Come

The dinner at Scala’s Bistro with the UPenn Ivy League Connection was both exquisite and thoroughly enjoyable. As decadent as the food was, what made the night exceptional was not the meal, but rather the company. Despite the fancy attire and silver platters the mood in the room was genuinely welcoming as Mrs. Kronenberg’s opening speech was interspersed with the occasional witty comment from alumni Phil Schlein (‘57).

After the introduction, Beth Topor (‘80) talked briefly about leadership and what it takes to succeed in a leadership role – words I took to heart as they are particularly relevant to what I will be experiencing when I return from the program as I help spread the word about the Ivy League Connection.

After a speech of gratitude from Alex Elms and a delicious salad, the main course was presented and the small groups at each table began chatting amongst themselves.

I was fortunate enough to be seated with School Board member Tony Thurmond, the Assistant Principal of Pinole Valley High School Yolanda Bulls, and UPenn alumni Mahendra Prasad ('04). Each one of my tablemates had an interesting perspective and valuable advice to give.

 

Yolanda, having been through the program as a chaperone once before, assured me that the most important part of the trip was to make the most of my time there by submerging myself in the culture of the school and identifying the unique qualities at each of the schools I would be visiting.

Tony Thurmond, a resident of Philadelphia for twenty years, described the must-see places such as the beautiful walk along the Schuylkill River. Mahendra discussed the possible dorms I might be living in as well as what dorm life was like for him. He also gave some helpful hints as to how to survive the summer weather.

The speakers at the dinner and discussions at our table about both the University of Pennsylvania and each individual’s personal college experience got me more excited about the program than I have been since my acceptance. Conversing with a group of genuine and intelligent members of society who are passionate about education gave me a taste of what is in store for me this summer at UPenn.

Penn is in the Air...

Don always reminds us that we need to blog about three specific events before we head back east. These events are the “Don Gosney Crash Course in Blogging”, the WCCUSD School Board Meeting, and our group dinners. Don refers to these as “Milestone Events”, and let me tell you, they are aptly named. Last night was certainly a milestone in my Ivy League Connection experience. My peers, my supporters, and I enjoyed wonderful food and even greater company last night as Scala’s Bistro and it is quite an understatement to say that it was just a milestone.

We gathered at the El Cerrito Plaza BART station to begin the night. In addition to my mom, Mr. Ramsey, Ms. Kronenberg, Don, Brian, Julia, and my cohort’s parents, I was pleasantly surprised to see some other familiar faces that would be joining us for dinner. First was my chaperone from last year, Ms. Sewellyn Kaplan. It had been quite some time since I had the opportunity to speak with her extensively, so seeing her last night was quite a treat. I also did not expect to see Ms. Bulls last night, but thankfully I was able to enjoy her company as well. The most surprising though, was my friend and former policy debate mentor Cristina Pelayo, who will soon be completing her first year at Penn. I could tell just by the turnout at the BART station that last night would be very memorable.

I was fortunate enough to be able to talk to Ms. Bulls on the ride to San Francisco. Despite the roar of the train, we had an excellent conversation about ways that I can make myself appear unique and stand out amongst my peers when applying to college next year. We also expressed our mutual joy for the end of AP testing (woo hoo!), as well as our excitement for our respective Ivy League excursions this summer. I could not have asked for better company for the train ride over.

I was finally able to speak with Cristina on the walk to Scala’s. I was anxious to hear about her experiences at Penn, as well as tell her all about what has been happening on the Pinole Valley Forensics Team. She was able to relay her impressions of Penn, tell me a little bit about the school of engineering, and even give me a few tips concerning where (and where not to) go in the area.

Upon our arrival at Scala’s, we were escorted through a dimly lit, but exquisite dining room into the grand foyer of the connecting hotel, and from there to the wine cellar dining room. Mr. Ramsey strategically seated us at our respective tables and then the evening really began. I was seated with my mom and two Penn alums, Luis Chia and Beth Topor. Luis graduated from Penn in 2007, currently attends graduate school at Stanford, and in his spare time, conducts interviews with prospective Penn students. Beth also graduated from Penn and is an Admissions Officer at Penn, who primarily conducts interviews with prospective students. I could tell from the moment that we sat down that I was going to be able to tap into a wealth of information about Penn that night.

I was certainly able to get two unique perspectives of Penn from my conversations with Luis and Beth. From Luis, I was able to hear about the university from the point of view of a recent graduate. He told me all about how great Penn’s faculty is and how helpful they are with regard to life after college, which in today’s competitive environment would be an invaluable asset. He also told me about his favorite types of classes, research opportunities, things to do in Philadelphia, and even about the types of students that attend Penn. I was able to relate to Luis very well, seeing as both of us have the minds of scientists, and I found his information very helpful as well as exciting.

Beth offered another perspective. She too told me about Penn’s faculty, atmosphere, etc, but she also gave me a look at the inner-workings of the admissions process at Penn. She told me that personal essays and the Penn interview were critical parts to the application because they allowed prospective students to speak a bit more extensively about themselves. Beth said that even though the interview does not hold much initial weight in the overall decision, it mainly acts as a tool used to make-or-break a student if the admissions committee is on the fence about whether that person will fit in at Penn. Both Luis and Beth were very generous to give me so much information and I appreciate the different perspectives of Penn I was able to receive. Where Luis provided a more “boots in the mud” point of view, Beth gave me a look at her view from the inside. I must say, Mr. Ramsey’s seating strategy worked out especially well for me.

The four speeches were probably the most memorable part of the night. Ms. Kronenberg opened for us by introducing everyone in the room and giving a wonderful speech about how the Ivy League Connection has united us all and that we are a family. I hadn’t realized just how diverse the group was until Ms. Kronenberg introduced everyone. In addition to my peers and their parents, there were also a number of Penn alums, district employees, as well as two generous and dedicated sponsors of the ILC, Phil Schlein (the former CEO of MACY’S) and Wally Gordon (a prestigious local architect).

The next speaker was Beth, who spoke about what it means to be a leader. I think the statement that resonated with everyone is “It is not always the one who raises their hand and offers to lead that makes the best leader, but those who lead by their actions.” Her speech spoke volumes and I enjoyed it very much.

My speech followed Beth’s and I was quite nervous. I hadn’t actually given a speech for quite some time and I felt a bit rusty, so I was a little shaky. I got through it though and managed to say what I needed to without stumbling over myself. I did make one mistake however. I stated that I would never be able to repay the ILC for all that they have done for me. I would like to amend that by saying that I feel I will never be able to fully repay the ILC, but I will do my best to give back to the community and the ILC by sharing my experiences and my knowledge with the students here in the WCCUSD.

Mr. Ramsey concluded the speeches by discussing how far the ILC has come, what it is doing for students in the District, the connections it has made with prestigious colleges, and how it has played such an important role in the lives of everyone involved since its formation. Mr. Ramsey capped off the speeches very well and a wonderful evening followed.

It seemed that in the blink of an eye, Mr. Ramsey announced that we would be leaving soon. Time had flown since the conclusion of the speeches and I wished that I could have spoken with Beth and Luis for much longer. I had gotten lost in the captivating conversation and the amazing food so much that I had lost track of time. Sadly though, we had to part ways as this Milestone Event came to a close. As I said before, these events are aptly named. I learned so much about Penn last night and had the opportunity to dine with excellent company. Last night’s dinner reminded me very much of the dinners that we have back east with admissions officers (only on a larger scale) and it made me that much more anxious for my departure in a month and a half.

Once Again We Eat Well

This is what we in the ILC refer to as The Dinner Season.  This year we had six dinners where the ILC brings their 35 ILC students together with alums from the schools they'll be attending, the sponsors who finance the program, the school administrators who help facilitate the application process, the chaperones who represent the District and play the part of the doting surrogate parent to our cohorts while back East and the panelists who helped interview our applicants during the selection process.

We allow our cohorts to dress in their finest and host the events at some of the finest restaurants.  Our goal here is to acclimate our students to a life other than the fast food joints and grunge clothes they may otherwise frequent.

After a two year hiatus, this year we will be sending three of our cohorts to the Physics Academy at the University of Pennsylvania.  Brian Seegers and Julia Martien from El Cerrito High will join Alex Elms from Pinole Valley High as they show the rest of the world that the WCCUSD has the students to compete with the best.

While many of the 24 guests that joined us at La Scala's in San Francisco may have attended for the pomp and ceremony, and some for the speeches, and even more for the camaraderie with people of importance, some of us were there for the food.

With a choice of entrees that included sea bass and filet of beef, options were there for satisfying even the most selective of palettes.  While the filet looked pretty good, I'm still sure that my choice of the sea bass was the right way to go.  Then again, the individual apple pie topped with housemade vanilla gelato almost made me forget what the main courses were.

Aside from our invited alumni partners we also had former ILC alum Cristina Pelayo with us.  Cristina is always a joy but the fact that she has now concluded her freshman year at UPenn gave our new cohorts to talk with someone who could tell them first hand what it's like to come from the WCCUSD and attend Penn.

Of special importance was the attendance and participation of former Philadelphia resident Tony Thurmond.  Tony is a former Richmond City Council member and currently serves on the WCCUSD School Board.  Without the support of Tony and his fellow Board members, the ILC would have a much more difficult time to provide services to the youth of out District.