Thursday, April 22, 2010

Brown Dinner

The Brown dinner was terrific! It had the best combination of fun and food that could have ever been. There were the terrific speeches and meeting new people made it all the better. It was very touching to hear from all the sponsors and the Brown Alumni and even members of the school district. Ms. Kronenberg was a terrific host and she opened everything up perfectly. It was very fun and the setting could not have been better. It was great to hear that all the positive things that everyone had to say about the program. It is very much an honor to be a part of the program. What I am not shocked from is that the program is the top program in the nation. It is a very well put together program and I hope it continues because one of the things I remember Mr. Ramsey say is "I may not be alive forever, but the district will" and that it takes more than just one person to run everything.

It meant a lot to hear from Don, who sat next to me, all that is happening around the school district. I definitely learned a lot. It was also a treat to learn how much expertise Don has at photography and it was amazing to see him in action and the size of both of his lenses were shockers. It was very nice to hear how well everyone at the table just seemed to mesh. Seems like the only time there was an awkward moment was when the waiter brought me a regular beer instead of a root beer, but that was all resolved very quickly.

What I found the most interesting is how kind and welcoming everything was. To be honest, this was not what I was expecting. I was expecting strict quietness and everyone keeping to themselves and eating their food, but it was the total opposite. It was a relaxed and friendly environment where everyone was chatting and having a great time.

One of the top moments in my book were Megan and Irene's speeches. They were great. The only problem was the lighting but that was nothing that would ruin the night. I think they were fine choices to have to represent both of the Brown sessions. It was great to hear from the mentors and how they help students like me get into the schools of their dreams. I feel that there are more opportunities and although I may still like UCLA, that bright light is starting to get more and more dim by the second.

I know this is just the first of many more events to happen and I cannot wait until the next one and everyone did a great job and see you next time!

1 comment:

  1. Thank you, Andrew! I enjoyed giving my speech too! I was also pleasantly surprised by the formal yet comfortable atmosphere of the dinner.

    What a laugh about the beer! Maybe you look older than you really are.

    I also noticed Mr. Ramsey's poignant comment about not being able to be here forever, and I agree with what you said about it. Team effort and the will to do something that is larger than oneself: those are some of the most admirable things in life.

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