The (School Board) Enlightenment

With the sun glimmering off of our skin on a warm Wednesday evening, the Ivy League cohorts and I were mingling outside of Lovonya Dejean Middle School. While most humpdays are simple reminders that the mounds of work on one's table are due at the end of the week, this particular Wednesday was a reminder that being part of the Ivy League Connection is most certainly not a free vacation, but an honorary program in which the school district and sponsors see huge potential within the futures of its students.

Once we were all called inside, I saw the stage in the multi-purpose room filled with tables end-on-end with microphones beside each chair and a giant timer across a podium. This entire set-up felt as foreign as a South American jungle. It was my first time attending (let alone watching) a school board meeting, so I didn't know what to expect.

Little to my surprise, the main focus of the meeting was to recognize the ILC and its accepted students. Many of these faces were familiar and I was quite delighted to see some classmates in the program whom I didn't know were even in it.

Each chaperone went up to the podium to announce which group of the program they were representing and many of the insights and anecdotes these adults shared were entertaining to listen to. In fact, various alumni of the ILC went up to share their tales. Yueming Wang's experience at Cornell was perhaps the most memorable for me.

Amusingly enough, the fact that these courses will be very difficult has been drilled into our heads so many times that when Yueming went up to that podium and talk, I was already desensitized. It was enough that when she shared the specific struggles at Cornell, I simply shrugged my personal concerns of my class off of my shoulders.

When the sponsors were to be recognized as well, it actually shocked me that these were not corporations or large businesses that helped fund the program, but citizens who actively participate in the community.

It's not as if I did not have any appreciation for the Ivy League Connection prior to May 4, but when the meeting concluded, I left as a scholar who appreciated the program ten times more.

Just a Teaser

The 2011 Ivy League Connection cohorts, their chaperones and parents gather for a group photo after being presented to the West Contra Costa Unified School District on May 4th.

Stay tuned for more photos.

My "Birthday Party" at the Hercules Public Library

April 21 2011: my 17^th birthday.

My birthday morning was spent at the Hercules Public Library learning all there is know about blogging from the one and only Don Gosney. The tutorial lasted a solid 2 and a half hours and was very enlightening. As a student who has never blogged before, Don’s crash course was extremely necessary.

Genevieve Simmons and I arrived early to assist Don and a few other students in preparing the room for the session. The Library’s white room, Don’s projector, and the dull light of computer screens set the stage for the morning. The session commenced promptly at 10:30 A.M.

Don kicked off the session with a run down of what he would be covering. Topics such as: “Blogging 101”, “Photography”, and “This and That” entertained the morning. With each category came new knowledge for me. As comfortable and confident as I thought I was with computers, Don put my knowledge to shame with his vast knowledge about everything involving the programs of blogging and computers in general. Thankfully, though, he was kind enough to bestow all his wisdom on us eager students, and we soaked it up like sponges.

I am very thankful for Don’s crash course, it gave me the necessary knowledge an helpful tips on how to prefect my blog posts.

Blogging and Picnicking in Hercules

Aside from a shaft of light coming through a small window, the meeting room in the Hercules Public Library where the Ivy League Connection blog tutorial was taking place was bereft of any light other than the glow of multiple computer screens. Sounds were limited to typing, a few whispers, and Don’s lecturing voice- but only after a serenade to my cohort Taylor Doty with everyone singing her happy birthday!

Our tutorial agenda included the following headings: Blogging 101, Photography and This And That. We covered most everything you could imagine about blogging, from simple formatting rules and tips to spicing up our posts by adding graphics. I found most of this information review as I am fairly comfortable with using computers, but Don's expertise on photography was good insight as well as what is necessary on manipulating photos.

The rest of the time was spent with a brushing-up of ILC responsibilities, future dinner obligations, and looking ahead to all of our respective trips this summer. Kelly pretty much sums up my fellow Cornellians and my enjoyable jaunt in the park afterwards. This fun get-together certainly was a sign of many good times to come.

I also wanted to add a small note about the information session I attended on Chicago University at El Cerrito High, hosted by Callie Brown. It was nice to have a chance to meet her before this summer, and I look forward to being able to ask her more questions about the wonderful information she provided us about Chicago University!

A Beautiful Day for Beginner Bloggers

Image courtesy of http://www.friendsofhercules.org/publiclibrary.htm

The sun shone brightly over a lovely spring morning as we gathered inside the Hercules library meeting room for Thursday’s blog tutorial. Students and chaperones quickly set up extension cords and laptops, then took their seats and mingled before Don began speaking. Although I’d met most of my fellow Cornellians before at the U of Chicago info session, this was my first time seeing many of the other ILC students. We met up with our chaperone, Ms. Neal, and it was wonderful talking to her again after our last brief encounter. I found her to be a very approachable and helpful person.

Before I get any further, let me introduce myself. I’m Kelly Xi, a sophomore and a member of the ILC’s Hercules High school cohort journeying to Ithaca this summer for Cornell’s Hotel Operations and Management course. It’s my first time blogging, so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the ILC for their support, and readers, whom I hope will stay tuned for all our adventures!

Now, back to the tutorial… Don guided us through the basics of blog-posting, which I appreciated and thankfully found out to be pretty simple. He also reinforced many of the important points that had been mentioned in his previous packets. I will certainly remember the What-not-to-dos.

I read with admiration Austin Long’s Bulldog Days, the sample blog we were provided. Improving my blogging skills will be among my summer resolutions, and hopefully it will reflect in better writing and sharper critical thinking, as Don pointed out.

Overall, the session was very informative. I was intrigued by the many tools available to explore with Photoshop Elements. The tutorial inspired in me the desire to capture as much of our journey this summer in photos as possible, because pictures really do communicate much more than words can.

By the end of the tutorial session, I was famished. We Cornellians had made plans to hang out together afterwards, but I was consumed by a hunger that only two McDoubles could fill (it was my wallet was prepared for). I ended up adding a McChicken and fries to the order, and the seven of us (Genevieve, Jobel, Joe, Kevin, Taylor, Nick, and I) convened at Refugio Valley Park with our takeout.

Image courtesy of www.ci.hercules.ca.us

It was really fun getting to know each other better and enjoying the beautiful day together. For me, it was certainly a welcome departure from the endless AP test and SAT prep, AP Bio reading guides, AP world write-ups, research papers, Calculus homework, physics e-portfolios, Spanish essays, and general chaos consuming my spring break. To top it off, we went to Kevin’s house for an afternoon of DDR.

I'm sure Jobel will have the photos up on our gallery page soon.

Lessons From Outback Steakhouse

Hello, my name is Taylor Doty and I am one of the four lucky students chosen to attend Cornell's Freedom and Justice Program this summer. My first post will be about the wonderfully insightful dinner I attended, along with my fellow "Freedom and Justicers," at Outback Steakhouse this past weekend.

The purpose of the dinner was to inform us newly accepted "Freedom and Justicers" of what we will be facing this coming summer and how to prepare accordingly. All four members from last year's Freedom and Justice program sat across the table from us and talked about the ways in which they worked together to manage the rigorous work load.

One of the most important steps in preparing for Cornell, that I picked up, was forming a study group. The four previous students mentioned how one of the most important portions of the class is the books we read in preparation of Mr. Kramnick's lectures. They mentioned the importance of getting the reading done ahead of time, along with taking in-depth notes and having discussions to really absorb and understand the reading. This insight was accompanied by fact that the homework assignments will be reading from the books; meaning that by getting the reading done ahead of time there would be more time to spend doing other things. This stuck with me because I fully intend on enjoying myself while at Cornell this summer, not to say being stuck in my dorm reading all day wouldn't be fun but I am pretty confident that I can manage my time from now until the summer to read the books, which will then lead, as mentioned by the previous students, to a less stressful trip.

The previous members also discussed the format of the program. They mentioned having a lecture everyday followed by a TA session, a writing course, and guest lecturers. As a Junior, and soon a rising Senior, I found this to be the most exciting part. I can not wait to go off to college and I am overjoyed that this program gives me the opportunity to see what being off at college on my own will be like. The students mentioned not having our moms or dads there to keep us on task. I have to admit I do not know how to use a laundry machine, and when told by students that I would have to do my own laundry because my wonderful mother could not come with me, I did panic slightly. Looks like I will be learning a whole lot of new things during this trip not only involving through the courses I will be taking, but also through being off on my own and in charge of myself.

The dinner with the previous "Freedom and Justicers" was prefect. I can not imagine a better way to further understand how the program works than being told by those who attended the previous year. I would like to thank those four students for their time and insight. I know my fellow "Freedom and Justicers" and I took it to heart and have already started forming our own study group.

Advice and Encouragement: A First Look at Cornell 2011

Hello, my name is Genevieve Simmons. I am a sophomore at El Cerrito High School that will be attending the Freedom and Justice program at Cornell this summer.

My first entry is going to be based on the dinner this previous weekend held to inform my fellow Cornellians and I of what to expect of this summer and how to prepare accordingly. All four students who attended the program last year were there to share their experiences with us, so I got to hear on a first-hand basis the best advice there is to be had.

The first thing that struck me was how articulate each of these students were, not only making it easier to understand what I needed to do to ready myself for this summer, but also inspiring me to look ahead to the future and how my public speaking might evolve to such a level after this ILC experience.

Study groups. We were assured these meetings to discuss our readings (our books were given to us that night, and not light reading either) were of the utmost importance and crucial to our success this summer. Homework would be mostly comprised of reading, so getting ahead of the game in this aspect is something I fully intend on taking advantage of, and am thankful for both the opportunity to do so and the advice given to me.

All the information on what to expect was very instructive. It qualmed any fears I had about problems I would face, and got me looking forward to summer even more. All the anecdotes about fun times there at Cornell, activities to be had on campus, and tips on what to do and expect fueled my excitement for this opportunity. I also got to meet my chaperone, Ms. Tiffani Neal, and am looking forward to getting to know her better as well.

The dinner was a great success in my eyes, especially as I looked around the table into the eyes of my fellow ILC Cornellians, reveling in the opportunity we had and were soon about to undertake together.