2010 ILC at Brown

Decisions, Decisions...

2011-04-25T00:53:00.000-07:00

The college admissions process is almost over for the high school class of 2011! With a deadline of May 1^st to turn in a Statement of Intent to Register to the school we’ll be attending in September, I’ve been thinking about and revisiting my decision again and again.

My final three choices were Swarthmore, Brown, and Oberlin (down from an intimidating list of 14 schools where I was accepted to, 14/14). Here’s some advice for this year’s ILC students: do not apply to as many schools as I did. Really. Narrow it down to a number as small as 5 – as long as you keep a diverse acceptance rate in mind (highly selective, selective, backup school), I’m sure you’ll be able to go somewhere amazing. It’ll save you a lot of stress later on, too.

So, to help with my final decision, I decided to visit again during Spring Break. Luckily, Swarthmore was offering an all-expenses-paid visit on the 14^th and 15^th of April. It was a bit of a struggle to arrange a return date in the middle of the week so that I could see Brown again, but we managed to do it.

My plane took off from the San Francisco International Airport at about 10pm Thursday night. I wasn’t too excited about flying on a red-eye, but it didn’t seem that bad until I realized that I had stored my contacts case in the suitcase which was in the overhead bin – and there were two people sleeping to the right of me! I decided to leave the contacts in, and that turned out to be a terrible mistake as my eyes got more and more irritated with every uncomfortable hour. Once I landed in Philadelphia at 3am West Coast time, I made my way to the Swarthmore student group with bleary eyes and a crick in my neck. Red-eye flights are not a good idea on college visit trips (I later couldn’t keep from nodding asleep in a political science class and I felt really terrible afterwards for doing so, but my body just couldn’t handle being awake for so long).

The other admitted students immediately cheered me up. They had taken it upon themselves to gather in a huge circle and go through introductions, and I spotted someone who I had found on the admitted students Facebook group and exchanged a few messages with beforehand. Everyone was very cheerful but also extremely sharp. Once I got to campus and met my host, I got a chance to reflect. I really liked Swarthmore and what it had to offer on paper, but the vibe just wasn’t quite right. The fact that they paid for my flight was so helpful, and their financial aid package was astoundingly good, but little things jumped out at me and showed me that Swarthmore wasn’t exactly the right fit for me. For example, the admissions office was very lavish (as opposed to Oberlin’s, which just did the job and felt like the perfect combination of down-to-earth and welcoming). The students were also very driven and passionate (which is good) but had a certain air of intensity and a little bit of social awkwardness. Sometimes, they pushed themselves past the limits of what they could handle with courseloads and extracurriculars. Guiltiness washed over me as people asked if I would attend Swarthmore – I answered with a sad “probably not” and knew that I couldn’t see myself living the life of a Swarthmore student. However, Swarthmore is a great, great place with interesting people, endless opportunities, and wonderful academics; for this year’s ILC students, I recommend at least looking into it. It might just be the place for you.

My grandmother picked me up from Swarthmore on Friday night. She lives about 30 minutes away from the campus, so I stayed with her through Sunday morning. I’m very grateful that I was able to do that. It was so nice to spend a bit of time with her, too.

On Sunday morning, I took Amtrak from Philadelphia to Providence so that I could visit Brown. I walked from the train station to Keeney Quad (which was a pretty short walk) and met Cynthia Fong outside her dorm. I had been emailing her before I left with questions about Brown and she was nice enough to let me stay in her room for a few days. We dropped off my bags and headed off to find some food, which wasn’t hard because there were free snacks by Wriston Quad in celebration of Spring Weekend (a festival at Brown that gives students a chance to release stress and have some fun). The SciLi (Science Library) was our next stop, so that we could eat and finish some homework. At 2pm, Cynthia excitedly led me back to Wriston to see Dave Binder perform as part of Spring Weekend. I had never heard of Dave Binder, but people were apparently pretty excited about him. He played lots of covers and sweet acoustic songs; the crowd went wild. I think they were just happy to be able to relax. I did see some drinking, but it wasn’t overwhelming, and it seemed like everyone was staying safe and no one was being pressured. No one was indecent or obnoxious. Cynthia and her friends told me that Spring Weekend is not typical of Brown at all – usually, on the weekends, people are busy studying.

A flash mob surprised us by dancing to “Forget You” by Cee Lo Green. It was really well done and people loved it. Cynthia and I left Wriston happy and smiling. After dinner, I went to Faunce Hall and checked out the LGBTQ Resource Center. It was closed for the night (since it was 9pm already) but I noticed a group talking in the adjacent room. I poked my head in and introduced myself as an admitted student; the group, which was very friendly, turned out to be the Queer Alliance Coordinating Committee (QACC). I was really excited to have found the college organization that corresponds with the Gay-Straight Alliance at my high school, since I’m the club president and I’m so involved in the activist world. They were just finishing up their meeting, but I did ask a few questions about clubs at Brown. Clubs draw up a budget every year and submit it to a committee of students, which then almost always gives the clubs however much money they need to carry out the projects they have planned. I thought that was great – having grown up in California public schools, I would never, ever expect to get that kind of funding and support from my administration (although they probably do wish that it was possible for them to do so). The QACC supervises a variety of subgroups (I think about 15), which range in focus from support to social events to activism.

The leader of the main activist group (QPAC, or the Queer Political Action Committee), whose name is Gabe, actually had Brown and Oberlin as his final two choices just like I did. Because we had that in common, he understood what was so hard about my decision. We both like Oberlin because the atmosphere is so politically diverse and full of creativity. The music scene at Oberlin (classical, jazz, composition, performance, student groups) is also naturally strong because of the conservatory. In spite of Oberlin’s isolated location, there’s no way to be bored, because the student body is so active and interesting. What most impressed me was that everyone was so welcoming; each student pretty much automatically became my friend the second I stepped on campus. However, Gabe chose to go to Brown mainly because of the diversity in ideology among the students – although Brown is a progressive place, there’s enough of a range of opinions that groups like QPAC could actually be making a big difference, whereas at Oberlin QPAC would pretty much be preaching to the choir. That’s the main thing Cynthia emphasized to me, as well. The location is also very convenient and not isolated at all. It’s easy to get around New England on Amtrak and the Rhode Island statehouse is only a 10-minute walk away. QPAC makes good use of the closeness of the R.I. legislators and often visits to make the biggest impact on policy.

I stayed at Brown until Tuesday afternoon. I visited a few classes (Intro to Political Thought, Econ seminar, literature class on Heaven and Hell focusing on Paradise Lost, and a class on Black Lavender theatre) and also stopped by the Third World Center, the Swearer Center for Public Service, and Meehan Auditorium’s ice rink. Unfortunately, Meehan is a seasonal rink, so I wouldn’t be able to figure skate there all year; I did look up some rinks within an hour or two of Providence, though. It seems like it would be possible to start a recreational figure skating club if I wanted to. The last three classes were quite small, and I felt like there was no lack of personal attention. The professors really seemed to care about the students as individuals, and every student participated willingly. Each class also grabbed my attention and held it for the whole duration – for the most part, I had no problem understanding what was being covered. That was a relief. TWC and the Swearer Center came off as great resources with super friendly people working and hanging out inside.

All of this reassured me that Brown could have a small feel and a sense of community without feeling too small. The location, the resources, the friendliness, the diversity of class offerings, and of course the diversity of the students ultimately convinced me that Brown is the school for me. Oberlin will always be special to me, but I’m confident that Brown is the best place for me to spend the next four years of my life.

Again, I’m really grateful to Cynthia, her roommate, my grandmother, my parents, Sue Kim, and the ILC for making it possible for me to get to this point. I almost can’t believe how much I’ve learned and how much I’ve grown since last November. Thank you all so much.

The Big Apple Adventure

2011-04-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

Since I was given a day to go out and explore New York City, I decided to take advantage of this opportunity. My mother and I had breakfast in our hotel before we went to the ferry. Once we got to the ferry, my mother asked me where I wanted to go. I told her, “Everywhere! But let’s start with Times Square.” I was really excited. I felt adventurous.

We took the ferry so we could get to Manhattan. Yesterday we also took the Ferry to go check out Wall Street, but I was not able to get a good picture of the Statue of Liberty. I had low battery on my camera, but today was a different story. I managed to get a better picture. The Statue of Liberty is beautiful. I could not take my eyes off of it! It is, indeed, a great gift from the French.

Once the ferry ride was over, we took the train to go to 42nd and Times Square. I was really excited to go out and get to explore the city. After all New York is the big apple, so I wanted to see exactly what makes NYC so famous.

We arrived at our destination and as soon as we got out the Subway, I was really amazed. Uptown New York is awesome. I literally did not know where to go from there. I did not know whether to go to my left, right, or just walk straight. I let my curiosity guide me.

While we were there, my mother and I walked into a lot of stores. The stuff here is really amazing, but it is somewhat pricey. We did not end up purchasing many things, but we still had a great time. We probably walked into more than 30 stores, so it is hard for me to remember all the places. I gladly got “lost” in the crowd. I had a lot of fun!

We decided to walk to Central Park, so we could also get that experience. It was a really nice place to walk through. I really liked the peacefulness that I felt there. It was also fun to take pictures of some of the statues that I saw there. I ended up taking a lot of random pictures of statues because I thought that there were really interesting.

Overall, my day was really busy. I did my best to make this experience a memorable one. I definitely had an amazing time while being here in New York. I hope to come back and visit NYC later in the future.

P.S. My camera’s battery is currently charging so I am not able to post up pictures today, but I will do so first thing in the morning tomorrow. There are many lovely places that I took pictures of and would like to share!

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As promised last night, here are some pictures of what NYC has to offer.

-Statue of Liberty in the day-

-Statue of Liberty at Night-

-View of Manhattan from the Ferry-

Downtown NYC:

Uptown NYC:

After being in NYC for 3 days now, it is time to go back home. I am really thankful for everything!

Exceptional Class of 2015

2011-04-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been filled with emotions. I was nervous about what I would think of Denison, once I arrived I was nervous about the difference in culture, and then when I got up this morning I was nervous about if Denison was the right choice. I have come to the conclusion that Denison is an absolutely amazing school that offers exactly what I want from my education. They have small class sizes, great professors (all with doctorates), rigorous classes, an array of extracurricular activities, and good people. Although they are only NCAA division III, the school is still filled with spirit. In talking to the current students, everyone is proud be a part of Denison.

I read an article in “The Denisonian” today that talked about this year’s acceptance rate going down to 48%. I didn’t really understand the value of this until the article explained that less than half the universities in the United States have an acceptance rate under 50%. The article talked about how the class was “sculpted a class rather than simply making one”. This article really made me feel like I had earned my spot into Denison’s class of 2015. After the past few days filled with confusion and frustration I can finally rest a bit. This article makes me feel as though the Class of 2015 will be knowledgeable, hardworking, and passionate about being a student at Denison. What I mean by this is that the students value hard work, but also appreciate having fun. Choosing between UC Davis and Denison has gotten easier because of this trip. If not for the amazing Carla and the generous ILC, I would have never truly known how great Denison really is. My choice is now between a big school or a small school, but I think I’m close to a decision after this visit.

Denison Delight

2011-04-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

Today was amazing. As my mother and I drove up to Granville I immediately thought that it was an adorable little town. The houses are quaint, the lawns are trimmed, with a brick road leading up to Denison. The atmosphere of Granville is great, it may be in the middle of nowhere, but it does not feel like it. The town has about everything you need. There is a strip of stores from CVS to a cute little frozen custard shop that is a student favorite. As you walk down the strip there are four churches one on each corner, contributing to the town’s quant atmosphere.

Denison itself is on the hill overlooking Granville. The school is beautiful. The brick buildings and old style architecture give the school personality and class. The school’s slogan is not Big Red for no reason. I got a tour from Carla and was able to attend her biology, German, and kinesiology classes, I met current students of all grade levels, and I got to talk extensively to some about their experience and thoughts on Denison so far.

The first thing we did was attend Carla’s Biology class. The professor was great. She was organized, knowledgeable, and you wouldn’t believe it, knew everyone’s names! I was actually able to talk to her about some of the pathways that there are at Denison for a Biology major. I was happy to hear that they have exactly what I wanted, molecular biology and biochemistry. The professor was engaging and seemed really easy to talk to if someone needed help. I was really impressed by the atmosphere and size of the class. Next we went to Carla’s German class. The professor mostly speaks German, but she still manages to keep me interested, making the hour seem like 20 minutes.

After her German class we went down to town and got lunch. The main entree was good but the desert was ever better. Carla took us to Whit’s were we had some of the best frozen custard I have ever had. I had the Denison Delight and it was definitely delightful. After lunch Carla took us to her kinesiology class. She had been telling me about how fun this class was all day, so I was really excited about being able to go. The class started with everyone (15 people total) , holding hands with our eyes closed and passing on the squeeze. One person would squeeze your hand and then you had to squeeze the person’s hand next to you. This gave me a weird sensation. For the main exercise we were experiencing the movement of our connective tissues and fats. We were to crawl and flip and roll around on the floor working our body. It was quite an experience. At first I was laughing at how dumb I felt rolling around on the floor, but by the end I really got into it. We then discussed the exercise and the professor asked me why I hadn’t talked yet and then she remembered that I was just a prospi, the short name for prospective students. I thought this was funny and flattering. This class really emphasized how personal and entertaining that the Denison classes are.

Throughout the day I personally talked to about 15- 20 people who all told me that Denison was a great school. They emphasized how personal the professors are and the relationship that lasts throughout the four years. They also emphasized how great of a balance Denison has when it comes to fun and school. Talking to all of these students gave me confidence that Denison would be the school for me. So far Denison is amazing

My Realization and NYC

2011-04-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

I woke up with a single thought in mind yesterday: I’m going to visit Wagner College! I was really excited and anxious to go, but I had to wait until 1 PM for my campus tour. Since we were hungry, my mother and I had breakfast in our hotel. We relaxed for a little while and then called for a taxi at noon. The taxi arrived promptly and took us to our destination.

I got to Wagner College at about 12:30 PM. I wanted to get there earlier because I was super anxious to check out the college. I really wanted to see the college that was possibly going to be my future college. I needed to know if I would feel comfortable being there.

-The first campus building while walking to the Admissions Office-

As soon as I arrived there, I noticed that it was a nice and small college. It looked really cute in appearance and I liked that. I took advantage of my time and walked around with my mother for a while. There were some college students walking around, but not that many since most were in their classes.

Here are some pictures of the marvelous view that I saw while walking around:

-Their tennis field-

-Campus Clock-

The campus was small and easy to get around. It was really calm there and I knew that it had a good relaxing feel to it. I went to Wagner College expecting the best. I wanted to fall in love with it as soon as I walked there, but sadly I did not. That really saddened me. I did not feel that comfortable there as I had expected. It was an amazing small college, but it somehow did not provide me the feel I wanted at that time.

I still ignored this feeling because I really wanted to give Wagner College a chance. It was 12:50 PM, so I told my mother that it was time to head back to the Admissions Office. The Admissions Office had a very nice feel. This is where I felt more comfortable to be here. I started to look at previous Wagner College year books. I started to think to myself, “Can I picture myself being here for the next four years?” I was still unsure.

The Admissions Office:

Then the clock hit 1 PM. It was time to go and take the Campus Tour. A really nice, freshman young lady show us around. I got to ask questions regarding Wagner College. How were the dorms there? How were the meals? I already had an idea of the academics side of Wagner College, but now it was time to learn about the student life there.

We went to see a dorm. The view was simply lovely! I was able to see Manhattan through the dorms window. I asked, “Do all dorms have this wonderful view?” Our guide told us that most of the dorms did have this view. I thought that was really nice to know. The dorms themselves were not in the best conditions, but they were quite livable.

We finished our tour at about 1:45 PM, so then I headed off to the Information Session that was provided. There I realized that a lot of the students that were with me on the tour were really interested in theater. I thought that was really interesting to know. I told the man from the Information Session that I intended to major in business. He told me that business was really popular here, something that I had already read about while doing my college research.

I was reminded about the Wagner Plan while being here. This plan allows me to explore from different fields. I really like that this school is a liberal arts school. Even though I am really interested in business, I really do want to explore other fields. I am open to learning new things.

The Wagner Plan was probably one of the main attractions that I realized I had. Wagner College is a great school, but after the Information Session was done I still was not so sure about the feel I had about it. It was a mixture of emotions. I truly loved the academic side to Wagner, but I was not so fond of the student life here.

I want to be able to go to a college in where I feel really comfortable, as I have said many times before. I am really sad to know that Wagner did not entirely provide me that feel. However, I still think that it is a great school, just not my future college. After coming to New York to see Wagner, I have realized that Wagner isn't the one.

In the end, I did not get the results I was hoping. I really was considering coming to Wagner. Truthfully, if it were not for this trip I probably would have chosen Wagner College. I was really excited about the opportunities that Wagner could provide me. All I ever did was talk about Wagner to my fellow classmates back in California. I probably really annoyed them by talking a lot about Wagner, but that was just because I was really excited about this college.

I am really thankful that the Ivy League Connection allowed me to come to Wagner College, so I could make the right decision for myself. If it were not for this trip, I probably would have chosen a school that was not meant for me. This trip has really been a great learning experience. I will always treasure this trip and be thankful to the ILC for helping me through my college decision process.

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After we finished our tour, my mother and I decided to go to the city so we could go exploring. It has always been a dream of mine to see Wall Street, so we went there. We walked around the area and really got to get the feel of the city. It reminded me a lot of San Francisco, but I just realized that there are a lot more people speed walking here. New York is definitely a beautiful place to come to see. I am sad that I will not be able to call New York my home for the next four years; nonetheless, I will still remember this once in a life time experience.

Once again, I am extremely thankful to the ILC for making this trip possible. My horizons have expanded greatly. I really did want to be able to say that Wagner College was meant for me, but sadly it is not. I feel a little bummed about that, but I am also really glad that I realized the truth.

Today my mother and I are off to continue exploring New York City. I will post more pictures up later on tonight.

Bulldog Days

2011-04-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

I woke up Thursday morning feeling sick still, but determined to make the best of the day regardless. The only problem was that I had woken up late, and was almost about to miss the tour of Science Hill that I had wanted to join. We rushed over to Dwight Hall, located in Old Campus, to try to join the tour, only to realize that the tour had already departed. Luckily, my dad still had his car, and he was able to drive until we found the tour, at which point I leapt out of the car and made a mad dash to join the tour.

Unfortunately, there were two tours that depart from Dwight Hall, one for science majors and one for engineering majors. I had stumbled upon the latter. But a tour is a tour is a tour, and it was actually fortunate because I had been thinking about possibly changing from a chemistry major to become a chemical engineering student. The thing about Yale engineering is that the student to faculty ratio is actually an astounding one to one. The ratio for the other sciences is a still amazing three to one, and for the rest of the college the ratio is eight to one, which is very desirable by any standards. The current president of Yale actually strengthened and enhanced Yale's sciences and engineering, by building many new facilities and laboratories as well as hiring the top scientists and professors in each field to teach at Yale. Moreover, every professor at Yale is required to teach underclassmen. At Yale, they really focus on the undergraduate experience, and they're willing to lengths to help underclassmen. Everyone I talked to at Yale really expounded on Yale was willing to accommodate the requests of undergraduates, by giving undergraduates access to upper level division classes, or by letting undergraduates switch specific classes out of prerequisite order to accommodate schedules better. In addition, undergraduates often have sole access to some labs and areas of campus, which ensures that they don't have to fight graduate students to use labs for work or to do research.

-Pictures of Science Hill-

After the tour, my father and I tried to go to the Freshman Experience Panel, which had freshmen from Yale talk about their experiences, but the entire room was filled beyond capacity, with prefrosh sitting not only in the seats of the auditorium, but also in the aisles and on the stairs.

We decided to go to lunch instead, as it is difficult to enjoy the beauty of Yale on an empty stomach. We had lunch in the Commons Dining Hall (where the ice cream social was held the night before).

-The Outside Rotunda of the Commons Dining Hall-

-The Commons Dining Hall-

The food was surprisingly good, even if mass produced. The vegetables didn't taste bland, the fish was tasty without being too fishy, and the sweet and sour pork was delicious. I even considered getting seconds, but I was already too full on the asparagus and the lemon herb chicken. They even had soft serve ice cream, which I can already tell will be a problem for my waistline if I go to Yale.

After lunch, my father and I went to the official welcome address from the deans of the college. The address was held in a giant auditorium, where they use it for official concerts, addresses, and performances. As we entered, we were welcomed by the melodious sounds of the giant organ in the hall, played by one of the professors at Yale.

-Welcome Address-

The welcome address was surprisingly informal, as the deans introduced us to Yale University, and to our futures as Bulldogs. Most of the stuff they told us was stuff that we could have easily found online on the Yale website, but it was reassuring to hear it again from them, especially because all were very in touch with the students. The informality that they presented is a testament to how the staff at Yale really make a point of being approachable, so that they can get connected with the students of the university. In contrast, the faculty at some other colleges and universities have an elite status, and an air of superiority that makes them unapproachable by the students there.

After the welcome address, I went to the Academic Fair and the Extracurricular Bazaar, located in the Yale Stadium. Outside, the Yale Precision Marching Band was playing the Yale fight song to encourage us to go inside.

-Academic Fair-

At the academic fair, I was able to visit the chemistry table and meet with one of the chemistry professors in the department. In chemistry at Yale, there are multiple tracks and specializations of chemistry, and I was able to learn more about each of them from him. The best part is that none of them are mutually exclusive, so I have the option to take the classes that I'm most interested in and slowly specialize my way up. In addition, I was able to learn more about the Yale STARS program, which is designed to help underrepresented minorities in the sciences get extra help and assistance in succeeding in college, as well as paying for summer classes to get ahead. I plan to apply during the summer to be a part of STARS. I also had a chance to learn about PERSPECTIVES, a program for undecided freshmen science majors. It offers those students a sampling of a variety of science classes, to help those students get a feel for every field so that they will have a better idea of what they are interested in pursuing.

-Extracurricular Bazaar-

Next I went to the Extracurricular Bazaar, which was conveniently located adjacent to the Academic Fair. Inside, there were throngs of people everywhere, and the atmosphere was electric. There were glee clubs singing, bands playing, people cheering, and everywhere I looked, prefrosh were being recruited to join clubs. As I made my way through the aisles of clubs, I did my best to learn about every club, but I must admit that there so many clubs that it was all very overwhelming. From Mock UN to Ultimate Frisbee to the Yale Symphony Orchestra, there were clubs for every type of person with every interest. Among the most popular interests at Yale must be singing and acting, as I was barraged people asking me if I sing and invitations to watch improv shows later that night.

Among the clubs I'm really interest in joining are:

Yale Symphony Orchestra
Yale Precision Marching Band
Yale Debate
Yale Political Society
Yale Chinese American Student Association
Yale Student Roundtable
Building Bridges
Chemistry Club
Model UN
and many others...

I know that there is no way I'll have enough time to do all of these extracurricular activities and go to class at the same time, but I'm really interested in doing at least some of these activities.

Afterwards, I met up with Yohanna Pepa, a current Yale student who graduated from Pinole Valley High School last year and was a member of the Ivy League Connections, for frozen yogurt. I got disoriented trying to find her at the start, but luckily enough she was able to save me from getting completely lost in Yale. She bought me frozen yogurt (which I really appreciate), and told me a lot about Yale. Before I talked to Yohanna, I was very scared about Yale, and about fitting into a college which is drastically different from Pinole, not only academically, but also in the composition of the student body. But after Yohanna explained to me how well people get together and become friends, I felt a lot better. In addition, she also explained how the atmosphere is not competitive but cooperative, because there is no need to compete for resources or classes, as Yale will accommodate the students needs. Unlike at a University of California, Yale classes are rarely too full, and there is greater professor and student interaction. Yohanna also told me a lot about student life, and about how important it is to balance academics with extracurricular activities, so that I won't overextend what I can do. Honestly, before talking to Yohanna, I was very intimidated by the prospect of attending Yale. After talking to her, and seeing how well she is doing at Yale, I feel like I have a chance to succeed at Yale as well, and I don't feel as if I won't fit.

-Thank you Yohanna for helping me out so much!-

Later, I met up with my dad who had been listening to the Yale Symphony Orchestra, and he was completely blown away by how great they sounded. Throughout dinner in the Common Dining Hall, he could not stop talking about how great they sounded, and how much he wished I could have been there to listen to them as well. Dinner tasted great as well, and afterwards we quickly headed over the Law School to listen to a presentation on careers and opportunities at Yale.

-Presentation on Abroad Programs-

Yale has the intention of having all of its students spend at least a portion of their four years studying abroad, because they intend to transform Yale into an international university. There are so many opportunities presented by Yale, but there is also the option to get a fellowship by discovering your own program you want to help and Yale will help fund your trip. In addition, there are many internships that Yale will also help secure for students so that they can have the maximum potential to learn.

Thank you to Yohanna again, and I learned a lot about Yale from everyone. Thank you to the ILC for making this possible for me!

Austin Long

Pinole Valley High School
Brown '10

An Amazing Oppertunity Just in Time

2011-04-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning and was excited about finally seeing Denison. As my dad dropped off my mom and I, my stomach was filled with butterflies. I hope to have a strong feeling when I get to Denison. I have been going back and forth between UC Davis and Denison, so being able to visit will really help me make this life changing decision. The ILC presented the opportunity for me to visit Denison just in time; I was literally seconds away from accepting my admission to UC Davis when I got the email.
I have been talking with former ILC member, Carla Ramirez Velasquez, about her experience at Denison. I first met Carla at an Environmental Science Camp over the summer. We were talking about television shows and high school and then she mentioned the ILC. I was extremely excited about meeting a former ILC member. She told me she would be going to Denison in the fall with such enthusiasm. I latter heard about Denison through the “Colleges that Change Lives Seminar” and was really impressed by what they had to offer. From that point on I talked with Carla about her experience at Denison, the good, the bad, and the beautiful. I feel as though this trip will give me the opportunity to see for myself how amazing Denison is and if it is the place for me. I will be able to make a knowledgeable choice about where I should go for the next four years. I have only been in town for an hour and have already had people telling me what a great school Denison is.

Exploring Worcester

2011-04-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

My father and I took today, which was the day we had nothing Clark related to do, to explore Worcester. We went mainly around the area around Clark University. A lot of it reminded me of Richmond. On the other hand, it felt nothing like home. It in some way made me feel uneasy. After seeing the surrounding area my mixed feeling about Clark increased. The academics and resources available at Clark are impressive and something I really like about it. The campus life and the community surrounding it not so much. I will definitely have to think a lot about my choice. One thing about the surrounding areas, which I did like, was the fact that there are several stores nearby so it does not seem like Clark is really in the middle of nowhere like I had been told previously.

Overall, I really enjoyed going around Worcester! Thankfully, it wasn’t that cold even though there was a bit of rain.

New York--an exciting adventure and my possible future?

2011-04-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

As I lay in bed last night, my excitement deprived me from obtaining the proper sleep. I could not believe that I was going to come to New York! Enthusiastically I got up at 3 AM, so I could make sure that my belongings were ready. I did not want to miss my flight, so my mother, Maria Perez, and I arrived at the San Francisco airport at 4:30 AM. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 6 AM.

Once we were checked in, I started to feel the lack of sleep starting to have an effect on me. However, that was not a problem, since it is a case that coffee can easily solve. The only issue is that I am still feeling a little sick. I have had a slight cough and headache throughout this week, but with my handy inhaler packed in front of my bag, I feel prepared to take on this adventure.

The reason for my travel to New York is so I can visit one of my top college choices: Wagner College, located in Staten Island. I had not heard of Wagner until my college advisor, Sue Kim, told me about it. In one of our weekly meetings, I commented to her that I found New York appealing (especially since I intend to be a business major) and she told me that she had visited a great small, liberal arts college named Wagner College.

After having the marvelous experience of taking part of the summer program at Brown University this past summer, I realized that I wanted a college with small class sizes. So when Sue Kim advised me about Wagner College, the size of the school really captured my interest. There are less than 2,000 students—I like that. I want to be able to approach my professors to ask for help when I need further elaboration or clarification on a subject.

Wagner College is indeed one of my top two choices, but I am currently really undecided on my college choice. I have done my homework and researched as much as I possibly can on Wagner, but that is still not enough. I like Wagner a lot, but I want to see if it feels right for me. I want to make sure that I make the best choice for myself. Therefore, I asked the Ivy League Connection if they could pay for my flight to come visit Wagner College. As supportive as they always are, they agreed to make the arrangements. With their help, I will be able to come to a better decision for my future college.

So far, Staten Island is really relaxing. The hotel that we are staying in is really nice and has a peaceful feel to it. Today we will take some time to relax. I am still feeling a little sick, but I am really excited for tomorrow. I talked with the hotel clerk and she said that Wagner College was “simply beautiful”. Those words brought out the kid in me because now all I can think about is going to visit Wagner College tomorrow.

I really like the fact that Staten Island has a quiet and nice feel to it. I can see myself living in a suburban environment. I realized that New York looks so much like San Francisco, which is good because it makes me feel welcomed and at home.

I can’t wait for campus tour tomorrow at 1 PM. I have also made arrangements to meet with my financial aid officer at 2:30 PM, so some of my questions (regarding my financial aid letter) can be answered. At the same time, it will be the perfect time for me to ask any other questions about Wagner that I may have. I want to be sure that I am going to reside in a college, for the next four years, in where I feel comfortable living in. I am anxious and excited to see if I will be part of Wagner College’s Class of 2015. This trip will definitely help me make the right decision. I hope for the best. I will upload pictures tomorrow of the college.

I would like to thank the Ivy League Connection for making this trip possible. I greatly appreciate all your help in everything. This program has definitely expanded my horizons and has helped me realize that there is much more to look in a college. I never thought that I would be here in New York this year trying to make my college decision. Once again, I truly thank you!

Clark University Admitted Student Open House

2011-04-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

“Challenge Convention. Change Our World.” -Clark University Motto

Today was the day that I would finally get to see Clark University in person. Before my father and I reached the campus in a way I felt unsure and worried about what lay ahead. There were countless thoughts going through my head from whether I would like the life of the student body on campus to whether Clark could be my home for four years. I felt like a little girl going into a fun house except that there no silly mirrors obscuring my view, everything was out in the clear. We drove up little by little until there it was Clark University with its green lawns and red brick buildings.

We had woken up early in order to be on time for Open House Registration. From La Quinta Inn, it was supposed to be about a ten minute drive, but before we could leave my dad reminded that we needed to have breakfast, which of course is the most important meal of the day. We grabbed a quick bite, I only ate a yogurt because of my anxiousness and the fact we were running a couple minutes late. We drove out of La Quinta’s parking lot and made our way down through Auburn, Massachusetts until we reached Worcester.

What caught my attention the most was the clear change of surroundings between Auburn, whose big and fancy homes gave it a more sophisticated, and high class look, and Worcester, whose streets seemed to be surrounded by liquor stores and smoke shops giving it a gloomy and lower class look. Surprisingly, Worcester reminded me in great deal to Richmond, CA. Though on different sides of the United States they shared many things in common, which in part eased my worries of not being able to transition into living here if I were to attend Clark in the fall, but also made me think about what so many people back home desire which is to get away from the poverty and violence. A question immediately surfaced in my mind, the moment I saw a Latino father and his child walking out of a market: Was my goal in attending college to escape my community and all its problems? That little boy I saw reminded me of all the kids I see in Richmond walking to school. I asked myself, was he too in danger like the kids back home of falling under the influence and of crime? I didn’t know the answer to that, but before I could continue pondering the answer we reached the parking lot.

We had run a couple minutes late, but apparently many people had come to the event because every parking spot was already taken, so we had to park outside on the street. All over Clark University there were students posted to give visitors instructions on where the Registration was for open house. We made our way to the second floor of Higgins University Center. In order, to get there we crossed through the campus square passing right in front of the famous Jonas Clark Hall, which is the building shown on most material sent by Clark to potential students. I never imagined that I would stand right in front of the building that I had been seeing on pamphlets and on the Clark website, www.clarku.edu, since the fall. This would of course not be possible if it were not for the Ivy League Connection, who has opened so many doors for me.

Once we were inside I had to check in, receive a lunch ticket, obtain a red Clark tote bag that contained all that I would need throughout the day, and make myself a name tag so that I could be identified. We were offered to get a light breakfast of: coffee, tea, orange/apple juice, bagels, and muffins. We grabbed some food and looked for a place to sit. There I became completely aware of the great amount of people who were present. All the seats had been taken at the tables, but people had made due with the surroundings and sat on a stage that was to the far left of the room facing a huge window that overlooked campus square. We went and joined the people sitting there. Immediately I faced what many back home had warned me about which was the culture shock. I in the second went from being a majority at RHS to the lowest minority at Clark. Including my father and I there were probably around five Latinos in the room. There were approximately ten African Americans present and approximately twenty Asians, as well.

After some time, of just looking around at the people, who were concentrating on their own personal conversations I looked behind me to the view from the window. I took a couple of pictures and talked a bit to my dad. The attention of the room was suddenly switched to a man directing everyone to exit and follow onto the welcome or introduction of the day’s events at Atwood Hall. Everyone filed into Atwood Hall and soon enough the place was packed. My father and I grabbed a seat and waited for the presentation to begin. The speakers in this section, welcoming us to campus, were President David P. Angel, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Don Honeman, Student Council President Lisa Johnson ’12, and Assistant Director of Admissions Liz Magier ’09. The each told us about Clark and why we were all here. They told us that each one of us, were potential class of 2015 “Clarkies,” as Clark students are called, because each one of us demonstrated in our applications certain qualities that matched with life at Clark and the university’s goals. They read the profiles of a couple of the students who had along with me applied and become accepted. From a person who engaged in research while in high school to a person who traveled with a circus for an entire summer while in high school, Clark’s diversity and wide ranged student body came into view. I thought about what about me had matched with Clark. In the end, I concluded it was probably my dedication to serving my community and academic performance. The congratulated all of us and told us they hoped we joined them in the fall before directing us the next part of the program which would be a classroom experience.

There were several choices to choose from, many appealed to me, but I would only get the chance to attend two courses. I chose out of all the available choices: (1) Are you an Adult Yet? The New Life Stage of Emerging Adulthood and (2) John Edwards Comes to Methods Class: Analyzing Language and Body Language. Both of my choices are courses offered by the Psychology department. The first, which took place at 320 Jefferson Academic Center, was more of a lecture experience for me. Professor Jeffrey Jensen Arnett spoke to us about the importance of the stage of life were a person is emerging into adulthood. To introduce himself he told us how he ended up teaching at Clark, from his early days as an undergraduate and his experience in the different jobs he gained though his major in Psychology. I was very interested in his lecture and enjoyed the points he made throughout. In addition, I liked how he gave us the audience a chance to ask questions or discuss certain points he had made.

Afterwards, we made our way to my second choice which took place in 001 Jonas Clark Hall. We arrived a bit late because the previous class had ended a bit late and because of the extensive crowd of people making their way into Jonas Clark Hall. This class, taught by Professor Michael Bamberg turned out to be much more interactive. Professor Bamberg was humorous and allowed everyone to have a say in the lesson he was teaching. He made jokes but kept the audience under control at the same time. The classroom environment consequently was alive, but not too chaotic. I really enjoyed his lesson and it got me thinking deeply about the topic at hand.

Next on the list, was lunch at the Higgins Café for the admitted students and at Basset Admissions Center for parents or family members. I got to eat along with the other class of 2015 students, but also with current Clark students. The food was good they had a bit of variety, but it is not the reason why I enjoyed my lunch. Another student visiting from Connecticut came and sat at the table where I was sitting and soon enough another student from the East Coast sat with us too. The three of us had a great conversation about college, school, and what we liked/disliked about Clark so far. It was interesting to hear about the colleges that my two lunch “buddies” had applied to. Not only where the schools mainly in the East Coast, but they were small privates just like Clark. What kept our conversation going the longest was talking about our lives in high school and the classes we got to take. Both of them compared to me went to rather small high schools. From our conversation I could tell that their schools were very high on having their students take AP/IB classes. One of them had even enrolled in virtual AP classes that are taught online. In addition, they mentioned how a couple of their friends had even gotten into Ivy League colleges. When we spoke about our likes and dislikes of Clark one clear thing was that like me they also were greatly considering how much financial aid Clark University was offering them. After, I ate I reunited with my dad and we took a tour of the residential halls.

During the tour, was when I got to hear about how actual Clark students felt about the school. A couple of them showed that they had started off not to into Clark, but that now they really enjoyed their time there. A main topic they brought up was the excellent academics and the vibrant life on campus. I for one was greatly looking forward to seeing more of the student body out doing things around campus, but seeing that it was Saturday a great majority of the students were at their dorms resting. Bullock Hall, which was the residence I visited and the home of freshmen, was completely renovated. It looked quiet modern and very innovative, with recycling bins available throughout the entire building. In addition, it not only had laundry rooms on the bottom floor, but on the top floor as well. The rooms where quiet spacious and cozy. The rooms I saw where each two people, but Clark also has dorms with more than two. Roommate wise the students I spoke too where quiet pleased. Apparently, Clark staff individually looks at each housing applicant and categorize so that they can better match them with someone that is much like them. The housing staff therefore gets to know each student that lives on campus pretty well. They brought to our attention that if we end up going to Clark and applying for housing that we should be as truthful as we can in our application about pet peeves and our ways of acting.

After my tour, I returned to Higgins University Center for the academic fair, where I got the chance to speak directly to more Clark students, faculty, and staff. Everyone was very nice and helpful. They answered all of my questions and also helped me realize that I am really interested in not just pursuing one degree, but maybe even a double major. One thing I really liked was the chance that Clark gives its students to create or more like combine majors to make one for themselves. Not only did I speak with the representative from the psychology department and women studies major but also with the head coordinator for the pre-med program at Clark. He told me that he begins working with students from day one because the process to get into medical school is long and hard. He gave me the requirements for medical school and in a way they reminded me of my A-G’s. I guess applying to medical school will be much like applying to college except that I will need to demonstrate my abilities in the medical/health field only.

Later on, I got to attend to sessions of my choosing to help me get a closer look at Clark through the voices and experiences of Clark staff. I attended: (1) The First Year Experience (Week One Orientation & Clark Trek) and (2) Study Abroad. In the first session, I learned about Clark’s summer programs that begin a week or two prior to school actually starting. All of the programs mentioned are aimed to help incoming freshmen with the transition into college. Students who take part in these summer programs move onto campus a week or two before the rest of the student body. I would definitely want to participate in the ALANA (African, Latino, Asian, and Native American) summer program. I did not get to meet with any current Latino students while I visited, but I learned about what they do on campus. In addition, I realized how much priority is placed on helping new Clarkies adapt to their new surroundings and college life. The Study Abroad session was very informative. Clark provides its students with numerous opportunities to study abroad from London to Japan. The program they offer that caught my attention the most was definitely their Central America one. In this program students of any major can go for a whole semester to Central America. You spend one month in El Salvador, another in Nicaragua, and lastly Guatemala. I would definitely want to take advantage of this opportunity. I think it would be incredible to study in my native country even for a short period of time and have the chance to visit the bordering countries.

The last part of the day was the farewell session, were admitted students and their families were treated to some snacks and each student got a complimentary Clark gift. It was sad to see how the day just went by so fast but I was satisfied that I got to visit Clark and I even got a Clark water bottle! After, we said our farewells my father and I took the chance to take some last pictures on campus.

Overall, I had a great day visiting campus, now all I need to do is make my decision!

East Coast Once More!

2011-04-15T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today was basically a day of travel for me and my father, who is the one accompanying me on this exciting trip. We flew from San Francisco to Newark and then to Rhode Island. We missed our connecting flight, that left prior to its departure time from Newark, and this led me to miss my chance of speaking to a Clark student today in the afternoon. Hopefully tomorrow I get the chance to speak to other current Clark students at tomorrows “Admitted Students Open House,” so that I can get a better perspective on the student experience at Clark.

After the amazing summer program I did at Brown University, I seriously yearned to come back to the East Coast. Though, my present location is not Rhode Island I am still happy to be here because I will have the chance to visit Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. Clark University is one of my top college choices; I have however never been on the campus. I became interested in Clark as Sue Kim told me about it and I did my own research on it. The liberal arts, community involvement, diversity, size, and mission of this university greatly lure me.

However, coming to Clark consists of so many other considerations. From financial aid to its location going to Clark would be an immense change in my life. For the past 14 years of my life I have resided in California and have rarely been away from both my parents. Going to Clark for four years would definitely mean that I would practically be on my own. If anything where to occur it would all be on me, my parents being in California would obviously not be able to assist me as much and maybe even not at all. In addition, being able to see my family and friends would be a limited event that would make me increasingly homesick. Due to the high price of plane tickets and the fact that certain holiday breaks would not be long enough for me to make a trip back and forth from California to Worcester, for the most part of the year I would not be able to see my family and friends in California. I have also seen this from a different perspective where I will grow and flourish into an adult because of my distance from home.

There is a lot that pushes me towards Clark and a lot that does the opposite too. I think that the defining thing will be whether I like the feel of Clark. By this I mean not simply academically, but socially as well. I personally want to attend a university where the student life is vibrant, where there is lots’ happening on campus, and the environment is both peaceful and inviting. Basically tomorrow when I am on the campus I want to see whether I can imagine myself as a Clark student not only flourishing in academics, but in my other passions as well.

I thank the ILC and all those involved with the program for the chance to get an up close look at Clark, so that I can better make my decision as to whether or not I would like to be a part of Clark University’s Class of 2015.

Yale!

2011-04-14T07:20:00.001-07:00

As we arrived at New Haven, I was amazed at how the scenery before us transformed. As the tall buildings and crowded freeways of New York morphed into the elegant architecture and spacious streets of Yale and New Haven, I couldn't help but think about how excited I would be to be able to attend this school in the fall.

Unfortunately, on Monday, I had gotten sick and it had only gotten worse during the flight. Upon arriving in New Haven I decided to rest up a little before venturing into Yale, and I took a short nap in my dad's hotel room to regain lost energy from the trip here.

-Prefrosh at Registration-

-So Many Prefrosh-

Upon waking up, my father and I went to Yale to register and sign in. I was amazed by the throngs of people at Old Campus, and at how many people were here. I definitely suffered from a little bit of culture shock, as the majority of the people there were tall, blond, and white. I felt a little out of place, but I tried to focus upon the fact that we all were equally accepted to this prestigious school, and that if Yale has decided that I'm good enough for them, that I should feel that way too.

During registration, I had originally signed up to room with a Yale host, but I decided that because I was feeling ill, I didn't want to pass it on to my host. I (regretfully) had to decline rooming with a host and instead decided to spend the night in my father's hotel room.

After registration, we were stuck in between blocks of activities, so my father and I drove around the campus to get a feel for the various parts of Yale and the community of New Haven.

New Haven and Yale are amazingly beautiful. The pictures that I post do not do justice to how truly stunning the architecture and the buildings are. The beauty of Yale is present not only in the architecture, but also in how lively the campus is. Everywhere I looked, there were Yale students who looked as if they were taken straight out of the college pamphlets and fliers. They were smiling and actively talking to the prefrosh around them. Most importantly, they were all wearing Yale related apparel. I know it may sound strange that this is important, but I remember during the summer, when I visited Boston College, our tour guide remarked that the reason he chose Boston College was because there was such a strong sense of community, evidenced by the fact that almost everyone was wearing Boston College clothing.

At Yale, not only was everyone wearing Yale clothing, but they were trying to get us to wear Yale as well! They were giving out free Yale Class of 2015 t-shirts online to all admitted students, and although I had ordered one, it hadn't arrived yet by the time I left for Yale. But they were also giving away Yale notepads, pens, and even ponchos for us to protect ourselves from the darkening skies. But that is just a testament to how much Yale cares for the students who they carefully select.

At night, I went to the ice cream social party in the Commons Dining Hall, which looks a little bit like the Hogwarts Dining Hall. Apparently, this is not an uncommon sentiment, and a lot of the school looks like it was lifted straight out of a fantasy book. Inside, the place was packed with prefrosh of all colors, shape, and size. Unfortunately, as I was trying to find people to socialize with, I realized that I had no idea with who or how to be social. So I ended up walking up and down an aisle a few times, stupidly looking for someone who was also by themselves to connect with.

After making a few laps around the dining hall, I finally found another person sitting alone. I immediately went up to her and introduced myself to her, and although it was a little awkward at first, it was good to finally find someone I could talk with, without confronting a whole large group at once.

Her name was Aunica, and we basically went through the usual repertoire of questions, i.e. "Where are you from?", "What is your major?", etc. But in the middle of our conversation, we were suddenly interrupted by a loud blast of music from the front. The Yale Precision Marching Band had arrived.

They sounded amazing, but they made it difficult to talk, so Aunica and I went outside. I wanted to go to a meeting later that night for Building Bridges, a program where college students go to China for a week over summer to teach science and math to students in impoverished communities in rural areas. However, we had no idea where the meeting was to take place. I wish I could tell you that we found the classroom quickly and easily, but sadly, that's not the case. To be truthful, I am terrible at directions. We spent half an hour wandering around campus, avoiding improv groups who were mercilessly trying to persuade us to watch their show that night, before we realized the building was right in front of us.

Inside, apparently they were not ready yet, so we spent some more time dodging the same relentless improv group and roaming around the beautiful campus at night. Although it was a mildly cold spring night, the air outside was refreshing and cool, and it made me feel a lot better than I had in the morning.

When we went back later, we were treated to bubble tea by the Building Bridges people, and they gave us a short spiel about what their organization does. They take a small number of students from Yale and other schools, such as Princeton, to rural communities in China for a week at the end of summer to teach students there. At the end of the short personal presentation, I was very excited to have the opportunity to go abroad and volunteer to assist people in need. All my life I've wanted to have a chance to do something like this, and the idea that it could actually be possible for me made me a very happy person that night.

After Building Bridges, we tried to go watch an improv show, but the theater was so packed that even the aisles were filled with people sitting down, so we decided to move on to other better venues of entertainment.

We visited the Yale Student Roundtable, where they were having a discussion on free will, and if it is ever possible to have complete free will. It was a very exciting discussion, and I even had the chance to put in my own thoughts. I had a really great time, not because of the topic, but because never before had I had a chance to listen to others discuss theories of Locke and Rousseau as well as compare individual values. In addition, all of the students there seemed genuinely interested in not only hearing what other current Yale students had to say, but also what the prefrosh wanted to contribute to the conversation. I was also extremely impressed with what everyone had to contribute to the conversation, prefrosh and current students combined. I wish I could go into all of the intricate discussions and ideas that I heard, but to be honest, a lot of it was over the top of my head. But it was definitely the highlight of the evening. In addition, they also made some pretty delicious scones for us prefrosh as well.

Overall, although I was sick, I had a great time for the first day of Bull Dog Days. Thank you to the ILC for making this trip possible! I'm having a great time, and I really think that I Yale may be the place for me.

Austin Long

Pinole Valley High School
ILC Brown '10

Onward/Upward

2011-04-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

[Although it's technically been only one day, I'm going to separate it into two blogs so things are more coherent.]

Nine months ago, my fellow Brownies and I landed at Oakland International Airport after departing from my summer program at Brown University. During my trip there, I had visited many colleges, including Yale University. However, I had never envisioned that nine months later, I would be back at Yale, visiting not as a prospective student, but as a prefrosh.

Thanks to the Ivy League Connections, I was able to visit Yale for their Bulldog Days event, which is being held from April 13th through the 15th. Thank you to Mr. Ramsey and Ms. Kronenberg for making this trip possible, which will impact the rest of my life. I would also like to thank Mr. Wilson and Ms. MacDonald for writing the teacher recommendations which helped me get into Yale, as well as Ms. Bulls, Ms. Mosley, Ms. Yost, and Ms. Kahn, all of who also helped me get the paperwork and information together to make my admission possible.

Tuesday Night:

Butterflies have taken nest in my stomach. I'm nervous and scared to visit Yale as a prefrosh, but at the same time very excited to meet the new people and to visit the campus. With my favorite pair of weathered khakis, my worn-out sneakers (which might leak water), and my brother's thick jacket over my gray hooded sweatshirt, I'm ready to go out and embrace adventure.

-My Family and I-

As we arrived at Oakland International Airport, I said my goodbyes to my brother and my mother, and my father and I were one step closer to Yale. Inside the airport, the place was a ghost town. Lines were empty, stores were closed for the night, and a couple maintenance workers made their roundsVery few people were milling about, and the ones that were still at the airport were happily making the best of a long night with their families by taking pictures or telling each other jokes and stories. I had to stop and remember that without the ILC's support, I would not have had my father along with me, and for that I was very grateful to the ILC for giving me someone to take care of me at Yale.

-Empty Lines at Oakland-

-My Father Proudly Displaying the Airplane Tickets-

The flight from Oakland International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport was an uneventful flight. I fell asleep, and before I knew it, I had arrived in New York.

-Futuristic JFK-

-Rainy JFK-

The transformation from OAK to JFK was complete. Where OAK had been comfortingly small and compact, JFK was sleek and futuristic.

There was a slight problem in that the weather outside was rainy. When we had checked the weather forecasts earlier, they had said that the skies would be partly cloudy, but no rain. In accordance with that, we had packed no umbrellas, and my shoes would soak up water faster than a sponge.

Regardless, we headed out of the airport and picked up a rental car and headed down to New Haven.

As for the rest, I shall post it tomorrow. I must sleep and get some rest for an action-packed day tomorrow!

From New Haven,

Austin Li Long

Pinole Valley High School
ILC Brown '10

Guadalupe Morales is Bound for Brown

2011-02-21T18:53:00.000-08:00

RICHMOND HIGH STUDENT GUADALUPE MORALES IS IVY LEAGUE BOUND

Richmond Confidential
Ashley Hopkinson
02/11/11

Guadalupe Morales knows what people think when they hear the words “Richmond High School.” They think of poverty, crime, low-test scores and of a horrific gang rape that still blemishes the school’s image one year later.

But despite what people think, and despite disconcerting statistics about the number of Latinas who graduate high school and college into professional careers, Morales is determined to make a life for herself after Richmond High School.

Don’t feel sorry for her, she insists: This fall she is going to college. The 17-year-old senior will attend Brown University, an Ivy League school, on a full scholarship.

As she makes her way down the hallway of RHS, Morales is the subject of stares and questions. “Hey Guadalupe, what are the cameras doing here?” And “Hey, Guadalupe are you going to be on TV?”

In a brown-colored sweatshirt lettered with the words BROWN UNIVERSITY in bold, she doesn’t stop to answer. She smiles brightly but averts her gaze.

Morales will graduate June 19 at 9 a.m. It’s a date she’s been working toward for a long time. RHS is the last school in the West Contra Costa district to graduate because of its academic performance, Morales says casually on the way to her locker.

In fact, the school’s graduation rate is only 77.1 percent—four percentage points higher than the district average—according to the California Department of Education. The dropout rate in the district is 22 percent and RHS is almost double that averaging 46 to 47 percent.

Morales plans to study neuroscience; she wants to become a doctor. “The whole aspect of being a doctor is helping other people,” she said. “I like that. I feel like it’s natural to me. It’s also a way to prove something to myself. If I can make it as a doctor then I know all my hard work that got me to this point was worth it.”

Her academic achievements are a source of pride for counselors and educators across the school. As one faculty member put it: “She is a teacher’s dream.”

Guadalupe Morales in a hallway of Richmond High School. Morales said she never dreamed four years ago that she'd be going to a prestigious Ivy League school like Brown University.
Photo by Ashley Hopkinson.

Morales doesn’t quite see it that way. She acknowledges working hard, but said she can’t imagine working any other way. “My mom has always had a high expectation of me and seeing her work all those jobs taught me never to give up and to stay persistent,” she said.

In her essays that she wrote for Brown, Morales was asked to pick something that defines her and she chose the traditional Mexican dish tamales. Her parents are both from Mexico. They immigrated to the United States 22 years ago.

For Morales the tamale is a metaphor for her life — on the outside it may seem like a typical Mexican dish, but inside there’s always something unique. She recalled a period in her childhood when she perfected the art of making tamales, helping her mother make them to sell.

Her family faced some tough circumstances, but they did not break her and she is stronger because of it, she said. Her family moved often, ten times so far, she said. And once, they were evicted, she said, smile fading.

“It’s hard to keep a house because my mom has worked so many jobs. Sometimes you get a lower-paying job and can’t make the rent,” she said. “For a couple a days I felt pitiful, but I got the realization fast not to feel sorry for myself because you can overcome obstacles and do something about it.”

It’s easy to think, “Oh I live in the ghetto, I go to a crappy place like Richmond High,” she said, “but even though it’s like that I will work hard and even though I have impediments to my success I can overcome and do better than if I was going to a richer school.”

There have been times, she admits, that she’s wanted to be somewhere else, at a school where every resource is at a student’s disposal. “I’ve thought about it at times, but I like being at Richmond High,” she said. “The people that are there genuinely care for you. The teachers that are there are really there because they want and you get a sense early on who the teachers are that care about you and how well you do.”

Guadalupe Morales will attend Brown University starting in the fall of 2011.
Photo by Ashley Hopkinson.

Jean Pierre De Oliveira is one of five counselors at Richmond High School. Each has an average caseload of 400 to 500 students, and De Oliveira says they work at their jobs because they love helping students.

Still, he said, the outside socials ills seep through the walls of the school, and sometimes that makes the job more difficult. “We serve a demanding and needy community,” he said. “A lot of our kids come from homes of violence homes on welfare tough environment. … Sometimes kids come to me and they have eight problems and you have to decide which one to help them with before you can help them academically.

Eighty percent of the RHS high school population is listed as socioeconomically disadvantaged on official school accountability reports.

De Oliveira said teachers know that a student’s life circumstances affect academic performance and it makes his job easier and more joyous when one of his students, like Morales, succeeds despite life’s challenges.

“With Guadalupe getting into Brown, this just makes my day,” he said.

Plopping down on the floor between three closed classrooms doors to take a pre-approved break in between classes, Morales relaxes. Now away from the curious glances, she is at ease. She bursts into a smile, fussing with her long dark brown hair.

Morales’ first experience with studying at Brown actually happened last summer, when she participated in the Ivy League Connection Program, a privately funded scholarship organization that works closely with the West Contra Costa Unified District to sponsor a group of students to visit and study at Ivy Leagues for the summer.

The qualifications to apply are demanding: a GPA of 3.7 or above, a PSAT score of 140 or above and an SAT score of 1700 or above. The program requires an essay in addition to the academic requirements. Eighteen Richmond High Students met the qualifications to apply out of approximately 400, and seven finalists were chosen from the entire district. Of these, three Richmond High students were chosen to participate in a Brown program called 2010 Women in Leadership. With 11 AP classes under her belt and a 4.27 GPA, Guadalupe Morales was one of them.

Still, Morales didn’t know she’d been accepted to the full college program until mid-December. She recalls opening her acceptance letter in the middle of her afternoon multimedia class. “I was completely surprised and amazed,” she said. “I couldn’t really comprehend at first. It didn’t connect. But then I was really happy.”

In her blog she started keeping over the summer about her experience at Brown, Morales wrote: “I’m still amazed at what wonderful news I received just last Monday. Four years ago, I never thought that I would be attending one of the most prestigious universities in the world, much less, qualify for one. I suppose it’s the Richmond High mentality, the one where the dream school for everyone is U.C. Berkeley, and the only one. There’s nothing wrong with that—Berkeley is a great school. However, in these past couple of months, I’ve learned that there are more opportunities beyond what is here in California.”

She made the decision to attend right away.

Krista Jann, Richmond High’s college and career coordinator who has worked at the school for more than a decade, is equally happy. Jann said Morales has mastered a concept faculty needs to teach students—the ability to compartmentalize. They urge them to not forget their problems, but focus on getting an education despite them, she said.

As for Morales, “she has what it takes” to succeed, Jann said.

Jann is the RHS liaison for the Ivy League Connection Program, and she points out that even though 18 students qualified, few applied. Morales said motivation is lacking for some students. “There are supportive people here to help you but it’s really up to you to make a difference,” she said.

“You have to deal with your peers who are going down different paths and it motivates you to be an example to younger students to show them they don’t do the same thing,” she said.

Morales said that her parents are happy about her success, “but mostly I could tell they were scared that I would go so far.” Brown University is located in Providence, Rhode Island.

A few minutes before the bell rings Morales heads off to class.

“This is like the American dream,” she said. “I feel amazed. Even though I’ve come out of Richmond, all of us at Richmond can come through difficult circumstances and be successful.”

Completely Amazed

2010-12-22T14:36:00.000-08:00

I'm still amazed at what wonderful news I received just last Monday. Four years ago, I never thought that I would be attending one of the most prestigious universities in the world, much less, qualify for one. I suppose it's the Richmond High mentality, the one where the dream school for everyone is U.C. Berkeley, and the only one. There's nothing wrong with that--Berkeley is a great school. However, in these past couple of months, I've learned that there are more opportunities beyond what is here in California.

I knew there were plenty of resources at Brown University, I saw for myself this summer. I fell in love with the school and I knew I had to come back. Then school started once again and we were finally starting the college application process. Sue Kim asked me when she came over at Richmond High: "Are you applying Early Decision anywhere?" I thought to myself, well, Brown really won me over, and it is definitely my number one choice. I wanted to show that to the admissions officers there. So I told her: "Yes, I am, at Brown University." I was determined.

When I was filling out my application and supplement to Brown, I never hesitated or pondered a question; it was easy for me to show the love I had for Brown. The thing that probably made the difference in my application, however, were my essays. I know they have a holistic process when reviewing applications, but I was confident that they really did stand out. I also think my transcript made a difference as well. It reflected the all the work I've done in high school.

The Ivy League Connections was what definitely prepared me for this school. If not for the program, I wouldn't be writing this blog! It's opened my eyes to the many opportunities available to me. Going back to what I wrote earlier, coming from a place like Richmond High, it's difficult to succeed in this environment. It's possible, but it requires much effort and discipline, things that I have done in order to have a good education.

Ms. Kim has also been a great counselor! She knows how to make our best qualities shine through our applications. Without her help, my application wouldn't have been as good.

My scanner is not working right now, but I will post up my acceptance letter this week. I want to share it with the rest of you.

I'm very happy right now and I can't wait to start school in Providence next year!

Going Home

2010-11-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

Right now, it is 8:28pm, and I am flying over the U.S heading to Oakland, California Airport. Today has been such a short day even with the hour I gained through Spring Light Savings. I learned about peer motivation and had the opportunity to walk around Brown to see the campus. Irene, Ms. Kronenberg, and I were able to go to the religious life center. Unfortunately, no one was there although all the doors were unlocked. I have some filers for students as El Cerrito High. I also have Brown napkins for my family! Full proof I was there.
More proof will be what information I learned at the Symposium that I can emplace in my action plan and other services. I will have to be more patient.

You will have to forgive me. I do not consider myself an artist, in fact I am not, but do take pride in my pictures and my on-the-spot stories for my younger brother. Nevertheless, I wrote a poem regarding a stat. I learned today during a speech at the Symposium. The poem is also of a thought I had been thinking of before.

Vote

Sunday, today, was when I learned this:
Here it is- some very shocking news
Outrageous it may seem, it happened in America
Checking in the box for whom you want to lead- is it a
Khamsin?
In from one place and then to the
Next.
Going and going Spreading

Voting is a way for the people to shape their government-that shapes them
Only 40% of Americans voted six days ago
This needs to improve
Explain to me, please, why only 40%

My vision of me at 18 is holding a ballot in my hand
Excitement not contained with my hair flying in the wind
And supporting the flag that-
Not too long ago many fought and
Died for

Yet with so many people working to form an
Oasis in a desert. Minute Men, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr… was the desert
Unadulterated from their work?
And are you part of that 40% or is the answer
Negative?
Did you vote six days ago
?

Final Reflection on the 2010 Symposium for Social Action

2010-11-08T00:06:00.000-08:00

I got in bed last night at about 12:20 AM Eastern Time after doing some homework and writing my blog. My roommates and I were still pumped up from the endless ideas running through our heads and the excitement of meeting new people. A few minutes after we said goodnight, we were all lying in silence when I suddenly popped up from my pillow and asked one of them, “Isabel, how did you get involved in photojournalism?”

When Isabel and I introduced ourselves on the first day of the Symposium, she mentioned that she had taken “Leadership and Photojournalism/Documentary Filmmaking” through Summer@Brown, and that her Action Plan involves composing a photo essay telling the stories of low-level workers at a nearby branch of a big corporation. She was surprised by the seemingly random question, but I had a purpose behind it.

Isabel lives in San Francisco, and I live just across the bay with easy access to BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains and Transbay buses. She said that she became interested in photojournalism through a National Geographic seminar about photo essays, and her passion grew from there. After some more discussion across the beds, she agreed to document my Action Plan once it progressed some more. I reciprocated by offering to help her with her Plan in any way needed. The conversation expanded to include my other roommate and a larger discussion of the differences in the cultures of our schools and cities. I think we finally went to bed around 1:15!

The view from the fourth floor of J. Walter Wilson student resources building

We groggily checked out of the inn this morning before breakfast and rushed over to Wilson Hall for the events of the day. I barely had time to grab some fruit and a scone before a 23-year old named Scott was introduced to us. He just graduated from Brown this past year and was involved with STAND (an anti-genocide organization) through his interest in Darfur. He also created an “action-based curriculum” for use in colleges and high schools across the country that emphasizes the effective implementation of service learning in schools.

I was so moved by his account of the faith that people like the Kenyans had in their future even after the incredible atrocities that they had lived through – and his own determination in the face of frustrations and mistakes - that I started to cry. I was outraged because the common Kenyan people were so involved in making their country better that 75% voted in their second democratic elections ever, while about 40% of Americans voted this past Tuesday. I was outraged because the service-learning requirement in our school is carried out in ways that are, frankly, filled with corruption, dishonesty, and a complete lack of connection between the service and the learning. But I was inspired by the fact that Scott is only a few years older than me and started something so important that has been so successful. He has made countless mistakes that have seemed like they were going to derail his whole project, yet he has persevered and kept his eyes on his goals.

Next we split up into groups to reflect on what we learned from the Symposium and recognize that it was time to go home and work harder than ever! Too soon, the Symposium was officially over.

The semi-famous window of Faunce House on the street side of the quad

Dean Rose and Lexi had decided not to hire any official clean-up staff in order to save money for the actual Symposium programming. So, my friends and I volunteered for the clean-up. We were supposed to dump out several liter-sized containers of coffee and multiple trays of cookies and fruit into the trash (what a waste). I thought that a better idea would be to walk out onto the quad and see if any hungry college students would want the food. All the food was in good hands by the time I was done running around in the cold air and enthusiastically advertising it around Wilson Hall. Mission accomplished!

Different offices in the student resource centers. Although the two communities depicted (LGBTQ and religious) may seem almost like polar opposites, a "Safe Space" sticker to show support of LGBTQ people was displayed on the door of the chaplains' office.

Finally, it was time for the last goodbyes. I hugged everyone – Dean Rose, Lexi, my old friends, and my new friends. We will keep in contact and continue supporting each other’s efforts, whether they are our official Action Plans or any other type of project. Though I am leaving Providence, my motivation is stronger than ever and I am ready to change the world.

I would like to thank everyone involved with the Ivy League Connection (sponsors, organizers, alumni, counselors, chaperones, teachers, professors, my parents, and my fellow students) because I have needed you along every single step of the way since I have become involved with this program. You all have gone out of your way and been so generous with your time and effort. Thank you for having faith in my success.

Inklings Into Ideas

2010-11-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

One of many swallows flitting about near the Science Library

It was even colder today than yesterday – but I made do with three layers of sweaters. We had breakfast all together in Wilson Hall and then broke into panels with four young people who were farther along in their Action Plans than we were. I was amazed by the range of ideas and the amount of success that these people had – and they had started out just like me! One young woman had started out with the simple idea of raising awareness of the genocide in Darfur and ended up representing the entire North American continent in talks about legislation in Europe through a large nonprofit organization.

After we asked questions of the panelists, we split into our content-specific areas. I was worried that my plan wouldn’t quite fit in with the “Identity” group, which is where I was placed, and I was debating whether I should switch to the “Conflict/Violence Resolution” group. But Lexi (the organizer of the Symposium) and Dean Rose allayed my fears, and I stayed in the “Identity” group. That turned out to work really well, since the main leader of the content group is the director of the LGBTQ resource center here at Brown. The woman helping her lead the content group emphasized that she wanted us to keep in touch so that we would have a continued support line, so I’ll definitely do that.

Two other students had Action Plans relating to LGBTQ issues. Moriah from Cleveland is trying to hold a benefit concert to raise money to buy or rent space for a youth LGBTQ center. David from upstate New York is working on generally strengthening his school’s Acceptance Coalition (similar to El Cerrito’s Gay-Straight Alliance). The others ranged from working on issues of body image, gender inequality, trust among young women, and interfaith youth groups. Just by talking about and troubleshooting each other’s plans, we learned so much that we could apply to our own. At lunch (I had a slice of exotic black bean-avocado pizza on Thayer Street), I stuck with most of the students from the content group and got another chance to talk to them in person about the differences and similarities between our strategies.

L-R: Irene (myself), David, Moriah

The next workshop that I was signed up for was titled “Transitioning Your Project.” There we discussed how to pass on leadership to people that will continue working on our projects after we can’t anymore (because of college, new schedules, etc.). Again, towards the end we returned to troubleshooting our individual Plans and learned from each other. I frantically wrote down notes and completely covered 4 pages in blue ink. The ideas ranged from ways to motivate and identify emerging leaders in a group to making a binder with all the information for our organization to pass on to the next person in charge. The third workshop was focused on communication and how to effectively convince different audiences to be involved with our projects. That was also helpful but we didn’t have time to discuss our individual Plans with our peers. It also didn’t delve as deep into the subject as the other two, so I personally didn’t enjoy it as much. However, even during the third workshop I was jotting down ideas every few seconds.

After a quick break and a stop back at the inn where we are staying, it was time for dinner. Dinner was relatively uneventful, but I did sit with the group of friends that I met during the summer and two new friends.

At dinner - Lindsey, Safiya, Lina, and I were all in the same Women and Leadership class this summer. I met Emma and Nora this weekend.

Before going back to the inn for homework and rest, most of the people at my dinner table and I went on a quest to find chocolate cake for sale somewhere on Thayer Street. We failed miserably (partly because it was about 8 PM by then) but enjoyed some Ben & Jerry’s instead. Later we ended up sitting in a circle at the end of the hall in the inn, helping each other with homework like calculus and advanced Spanish while sharing our favorite songs.

Whimsical decorations on chairs at Ben & Jerry's

I loved the past 30 hours or so at Brown, but I have so many ideas for my Action Plan jumping around in my brain that I can’t wait to get back to El Cerrito and start working on them. I’m so, so, so thankful that I got to be here and be involved with the whole Brown Leadership Institute community.

Ready to go

2010-11-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

I now have answers to my questions for my Action Plan and another service project that I am doing and contacts if I have further questions. I have four pages filled of notes that will help me on my two projects. I went to the sessions transitioning your project and supporting your Action Plan with effective communication.

I cannot believe that tomorrow I will be leaving! I am very glad that I could come to Brown. It has helped me on my projects and being here when Brown is in session gives me an idea about the campus life through the many posters and flyers around.

I have had a great time.

Wesleyan and the Start of the Symposium

2010-11-05T22:01:00.001-07:00

I woke up tired from the time difference and the fact that I had to stay up late rewriting my blog post because the WiFi crashed. However, I got to nap and work a bit on the two-hour drive to Middletown, Connecticut. Once at Wesleyan, we grabbed some breakfast at the dining hall before the tour.

There were posters everywhere in there. Several student associations had put up messages arguing against affirmative action, and later when we returned for lunch a different group of students was standing on tables arguing passionately for affirmative action. Another set of posters had to do with raising awareness of sexual violence and promoting a safe atmosphere on campus. The students of Wesleyan are an active bunch, and these are only two examples of the issues they are concerned with.

Although it was a rainy day, I was equipped with three sweaters, and several people were kind enough to let me share their umbrellas throughout the tour. I had heard mixed reviews about the appearance of Wesleyan’s campus, but personally I think it’s simple and pleasant. The clean smell and dewy droplets left everywhere by the rain made it even more beautiful. The tour guide, Spencer, introduced me to a “social justice and anti-oppression program house” called 200 Church Street, the College of Social Science, and “service learning classes,” which piqued my interest. The “service learning classes” which combine community service and traditional academics for class credit (e.g. Prison Education). When we met with Chris Lanser, the admissions officer for Northern California, he explained more about these programs in detail.

Chris explained that 200 Church Street is one of several “program houses” that are options for student housing at Wesleyan. It’s not a co-op, but it provides many opportunities to volunteer around Middletown, brings in campus speakers, and hosts events relating to social justice. Wesleyan’s system of student housing encourages students to live more independently with each year, which I like. Freshmen can choose to live on coed or single-sex floors, with only other freshmen or sophomores as well. Juniors and seniors can live in apartments and houses owned by the university, in small groups.

The College of Social Science appeals to me a lot. Everyone who I talked to about it said that it was extremely challenging, but that only made me more interested. The Colleges at Wesleyan (the others are the College of Letters and the College of the Environment) are their own majors, with about 2 classes per semester for 3 years. The College of Social Science is run through colloquiums and seminars and admits about 25-30 students each year. The Colleges are extremely interdisciplinary by definition – if I’m not mistaken, the required areas of study include history, government, economics, and philosophy. Final exams are very rigorous, giving an oral exam and a 5-page paper every day for a week.

Wesleyan also has an ice rink that’s open from October through March, and nearby Cromwell has a year-round rink with many coaches and figure skating programs, according to Chris. It turns out that his 14-year-old daughter also figure skates like me, and just recently landed her double salchow! As far as I know, Wesleyan is probably one of the only colleges that I am interested in that has such close and convenient connections with figure skating. They also have a relatively high-level marching band (at least from my point of view, having only participated in a small high school marching band), which my other college choices do not have. Barnard and Brown have scatter bands, and Oberlin has a tiny, kind of disorganized marching band.

Below, you can see the description of an interesting piece of art that we came across at one of the Wesleyan student art galleries. There's also a view of the dining hall and a picture of me in front of the admissions office.

Back in Providence at the Leadership Symposium, I was reunited with some of my friends from the Women and Leadership summer course. We went to dinner where Dean Rose and several young panelists presented their own social justice plans that were in progress. There were even two siblings from Chicago whose goal was to put transparent shields on school buses to make them more aerodynamic and therefore more efficient in terms of gas usage. Students were given time to ask questions of the panelists, and I asked some questions mostly directed towards the GreenShield siblings.

We closed up with some community building exercises, as always. We played some name games and some fun icebreakers, then were free until midnight, when we had to check into our rooms. My roommates are very nice and friendly. Tomorrow I’ll be attending the content-specific workshops and the 2 other workshops that we could choose. I’ll wrap up now, since my roommates are trying to sleep and I have an early morning again tomorrow.

Fall

2010-11-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

I miss fall. The orange, red, and yellow leaves that paint the sky filled with thunderous and dark clouds that remind me of romantic piano music and the strikingly green grass. We toured Wesleyan in a sprinkle of rain that left the cool air fresh and cleaned the buildings after we visited a class, Islamic Art and Architecture.

The class was great because the teacher interpreted the facts to form conclusions. I raised my hand and pointed out that the Islamic building from Spain and India both had walls around the main building, when the teacher asked the class if they saw any similarities. I guess it was not an educated observance. I guess I would have to be there for the other classes.

Anyways, on the ride to Wesleyan I flipped through the different radio stations to find out what this region listened to, and found that most of the stations were political -- many more than what we have at home.

At Wesleyan we toured the school, listened to an info session, and talked for a whole hour with Mr. Lancer, who gave thorough answers to our questions, liked his school, and was willing to provide contact information to answer the questions he himself could not answer. I took notes and grabbed the school’s “propaganda” (as I have always thought to be and what Mr. Lancer called them) and course catalogue.

At Providence we were one of the first to sign up for the symposium. Yes! I get the bed in the two person hotel room for three people.

The first event for the night was a dinner and then learning from a group of people working and moving forward with action plans of their own. They gave very good advice such on the importance of getting a support group and how to get one. Afterwards we played games!

I am looking forward to the sessions tomorrow.

Back At Brown, Ready For Action!

2010-11-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

It's almost like deja vu, being back in Providence again. We're checking into the Symposium for Social Change tomorrow. The aim of the Symposium is to help the most serious and motivated Summer@Brown Leadership Institute students move forward with their Action Plans.

As you may know, my Action Plan entails developing and carrying out peer-to-peer workshops in my high school about how and why to stop homophobia. As President of the Gay-Straight Alliance at El Cerrito HS, I have partnered with similar clubs at two other schools (Berkeley High and Portola Middle) and trained our club members. The first workshops are happening on November 10.

I have questions and issues to be resolved, though. Thankfully, the Symposium will be full of opportunities to get these problems worked out. There will be leadership alumni panels, skill-building workshops, and people who will help us with content-specific resources. I hope to return to El Cerrito with a wealth of new knowledge, skill, and confidence, ready to press forward and combat homophobia.

The decorations in the Hotel Providence.

Ms. Kronenberg, Lydia, and I arrived at the Hotel Providence a few hours ago to check in - and what a treat! They gave us a $100 dinner and a $40 breakfast gift certificate for the hotel restaurant. We suspect it was because the Ivy League Connection has been such a loyal customer, sending students and chaperones to stay here year after year. We engaged in some lively debate over dinner - we talked about teacher evaluation methods and the rights of student immigrants. I learned so much just from conversing with Ms. Kronenberg. She's so knowledgeable about practically everything having to do with schools.

We're leaving early tomorrow morning for Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. I plan to do homework in the car. Once we arrive, we're scheduled for a tour, an info session, and a quick meeting with the admissions officer from Northern California. I'm really excited - Wesleyan is one of my top choices for college, so I can't wait to set foot on the campus.

Lydia's prediction about tomorrow, formed by Scrabble tiles in the hotel lobby.

Living in an airplane

2010-11-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

Today started like a normal day - only an hour earlier. However, it quickly changed to me being in Providence. During the airplane ride here, I reflected upon my Action Plan and wrote an email for it. I have many questions to ask during the symposium, and hopefully they will be answered so I do not butcherly try to help others.

We had a meal coupon… somehow from somewhere…for the hotel we are staying at....

Tomorrow, we will see Wesleyan.

I did take pictures but.... they are on my camera. When I get home, I will post them with these blogs.

Looking back

2010-08-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

I may not always remember every detail of “Women and Leadership” at Brown University or even everyone I met but I have been changed internally for the better with the lessons and knowledge I brought home.

The lesson on speaking assertively has had immediate benefits and I am confident will assist me in my future endeavors.

The knowledge is that I, being a responsible individual, can go off to a university and live “on my own.” Well, somewhat, every one needs the help of others.

Being assertive and responsible are necessary for me to carry out my action plan and I am looking forward to doing so! Many problems, I feel, are because of lack of or low self-esteem. My action plan is to raise young women’s self esteem through helping them in developing their talents. However, such a topic is a delicate one and to get to that point of being able to help them in such a way requires many steps. My steps are to build a culture of trust with in my church’s girl youth group (ages 12 to 18). From that point, I hope to build a supportive group that can expand and from there help young women help each other develop their talents.

The first step, as mentioned above is to build trust among the young women. Trust between individuals in a group cannot be built in one night of games and discussion groups. I have learned this summer that creating an atmosphere of trust is all that a leader can offer. My strategy is to offer get-to-know-you games, keep the situations light so it is fun and safe while maintaining kindness.

My participation in the Ivy League Connection was a great experience. In addition, through my goals of developing a culture of trust leading to a supportive community that allows the safety required for young women to develop their individual talents, I will distribute the lessons and knowledge that are now intrinsically a part of me.

If I were to wrap this adventure all in one word, it would be spectacular. Thank you to all who made this adventure possible!

My Summer@Brown

2010-07-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

This summer trip was an absolutely terrific adventure. Through the course on Women and Leadership, I was able to take at Brown, I learned a lot about leadership and ways to improve in it. I also learned about the obstacles that we as women face in our lives and about those women out there who are trying to set an example for all girls out there when it comes to following the gender norms set by society.

Furthermore, I was able to meet some really amazing and inspiring people while I stayed at Brown. My class was so diverse not just ethnically, but in opinions and perspectives as well. Discussions were so interesting and eye opening because of the diverse point of views that were brought forward. Both Kisa and My attested to having been able to see how each and every single one of us changed over the two week course.

The entire trip is memorable, but the moments that were the most impressive for me were the Amazing Woman Project, Action Plan, College Tours, and guest speakers.

My Amazing Woman Project on Dolores Huerta allowed me to learn more about a woman, who through her actions, has shown great valor, cunning, and tenacity. However, even through all that she has done for farm workers and the rights of others, she still remains in great part unknown and unrecognized for her achievements. It was really interesting and new to me to do a monologue in front of others -- specially representing Dolores Huerta. Kisa, my instructor, even mentioned that it might be a good idea to email or get in contact with Dolores Huerta through some other method. I have thought about it and maybe I will do this later on.

My Action Plan really made me think about all the issues and necessities of my community. I really thought about a wide variety of things I could address, keeping in mind what is feasible for me and what isn’t. I feel that the idea of coming up with an action plan is not a bad idea it really encourages students to think and act towards a good cause. When I did present my plan I also got the chance to hear the plans of some of my fellow peers. Their plans varied from health, the environment, awareness, to poverty. The few parents that were in there to witness our presentations really paid attention and gave their comments. Some even asked questions to clarify points in our plans. It was fantastic and really concluded the summer program for me. Most significantly, it showed what we had learned in the two weeks we spent at Brown.

The college tours and my time at Brown University allowed me to become more aware of the aspects and characteristics of college campuses that I like and don’t like. Connecticut College (CC), Boston College (BC), Wellesley College, Harvard University, and Brown University were all very impressive, different, but in some things similar. Each of these institutions in the East Coast offer a great education, without any doubt, but obviously different college experiences. Thanks to the time I spent on each campus I learned a bit of what each institution offers.

CC, in New London, Connecticut is strong in the humanities and has really good study abroad programs. In addition, students there are able to schedule their finals and take them without any proctors.

BC, affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, has two campuses and offers students a wide diversity of academics and sports. The main campus’ architecture is quiet Gothic. BC’s curriculum requires students to take courses in science, math, history, literature, writing, philosophy, art, social science, etc. The curriculum makes students take classes that maybe otherwise they would not have taken. At times these classes can change students’ goals and make them realize new things about themselves.

Wellesley College, is an all women college located in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Its campus is around 500 acres and includes Lake Waban. Apparently, some of its most popular majors are English, psychology, biological sciences, political science, etc. Wellesley requires its students to take a certain amount of units from a wide variety of fields. For example, students must take three units in language, art, and literature. Like CC students are able to take their finals without a proctor and because of the honor code there exists much trust among students.

Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is like a city with a constant stream of people going to and from campus. Here most of the campus life occurs in the main yard. Though Harvard offers a wide variety of majors’ students also have the option to create their own major. In addition, Harvard offers cross-registration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Harvard requires its students to take eight courses from six different fields.

Brown University located in Providence, Rhode Island is a liberal arts college where students are encouraged to explore their creativity and curiosity in all fields. Brown has multiple grassy lawns around its 140 acres. Students take four courses every term so that by graduation they have completed thirty two courses. Brown students as those of Harvard have the choice of creating their own major if Brown does not already offer it. Brown’s study abroad programs allow students to spend some time in one of fifteen different countries.

Moreover, I really enjoyed each of the guest speakers that I had in class. They each came and shared their experiences and perspectives with us. Each of their contributions made the class even more interesting and entertaining. What I liked most was that they were all outgoing and outspoken women. Many of whom are professionals in their fields and others community activists.

Now that Summer@Brown is over I am back home and soon enough school will start! Next year, my senior year should be fun and challenging, but also a chance to show my fellow peers some of the things I learned in the past two weeks.

Thank you, to all those who allowed me to engage in such a challenging and life changing experience. Mr. Ramsey, Ms. Kronenberg, Ms. Stewart, Don, Mr. Vilar, Ms. Champion, Mr. Medrano, and everyone else who encouraged me to do this, who believed in me, and who provided me with the necessary things for this trip, thank you!

Ms. Stewart I specially thank you for the care and responsibility you showed me and my fellow Brownies. Without you we might not have made it and survived all those stairs. Thanks a lot for being down to earth and real with all of us. Have fun this upcoming school year!

Mr. Ramsey, Ms. Kronenberg, and Don please continue this program and allow others in our district the chance to take part in programs such as the Women and Leadership one I participated in. Let our district see the rise of more and more leaders, because youth are the future not just of the world but of our community as a whole. Continue doing the excellent jobs you do because without you my trip would not have been as it was.

Coming Together for Change - My Final Reflection

2010-07-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

What's unique about the Women and Leadership course at Brown is that they don't only teach leadership skills for young women, but also social responsibility and a truly open mind. An open mind doesn't just mean being respectful of ideas other than your own, but honestly trying to see things from a different perspective. It means treating others as you would like to be treated in every way, even though initially they may seem so different from yourself. That's what I learned firsthand inside and outside the classroom at Brown.

I wasn't so concerned about being on the East Coast, because I've been there before to visit family. What really hit me was meeting people who were truly from all around the world. We each had different ideas because we were individuals, but more often than not, we were essentially the same in one respect: we all were at Brown because we wanted to change the world for the better, starting with ourselves.

My self-confidence has increased exponentially throughout the course of the program. I think that self-confidence is the make-it-or-break-it factor in leaders and in anybody who wants to be successful in life. It also means being comfortable with yourself - with your heritage, your skills, your interests, and your ambitions. No matter what the external obstacles may be, self-confidence always has to be there so that you can move past them.

The final project in the Women and Leadership course was my Action Plan to implement interactive peer presentations in classrooms to combat homophobia. By moving this plan forward, I will not only improve my school and community, but put into practice my improved leadership skills. I've seen how it's possible for an incredibly diverse group to come together and support each other through difficult times. I always thought that "coming together" was a cliche that didn't actually happen in real life, but I was proven wrong. I want to bring this feeling back to my community so that everyone can learn just like I did.

Looking toward my own future, I'm very excited about getting placed with a mentor who is an alumnus of Brown University. Everyone who I've talked to who has gone to Brown is a very accomplished yet humble person who is focused on helping. I know that I can learn a lot from an older and more experienced person who comes from that kind of background, and I'm looking forward to it.

I want to help in my own way. Hopefully, I can continue to get guidance from the Brown Leadership Institute through the Symposium for Social Action. Students from summer@Brown will share how they have progressed on their Action Plans during the weekend of November 5-7. I know that the ILC can help me attend, and I'll do my best on my end by helping my community in the ways I've outlined above.

I want to thank everyone who has helped me get to this point. No matter how small the contribution may be, I am incredibly grateful to you all for this amazing experience.

My Reflection

2010-07-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” -Peter F. Drucker

It find it difficult to fit all that I've felt, learned, seen, heard, and changed into one blog. However, I will do my best to make sure anyone reading my blog will comprehend all that happened to me during my stay at Brown University.

All I've learned since the first day I stepped onto campus and the last day I glanced back at Brown has formed a new character inside of me. Everything: the class, the people, the activities, are all part of my experience on the East Coast. There was no single moment or single person that defined my time and growth at Brown University; they all are interlaced within each other in an intricate manner. It was all the laughs we shared; it was all the mornings at the Ratty; it was all the times we found something new to learn in class; it was everything.

From the first moment I stepped into class and heard Kisa Takesue utter, "Well, good morning! How are you young ladies doing today?", I would be in a completely different setting for learning. Her enthusiasm and humor made the class fun and intriguing every single morning and afternoon (her laugh always made my day). The high level of intellect in the class made it that much more interesting to participate in. I would always wake up with a smile on my face, looking forward to go to head off to the Watson Institute, where our course would take place and I would have another day of learning about the amazing women leaders in our world. Each day would balance learning of women roles in the world as well as the leadership skills deemed necessary to have.

One of the first things we noticed in class (though we knew we would face this because of the course's title) was the lack of boys in our class. The majority of us have an equal number of boys and girls in our classes back home (only one girl in our class goes to an all-girls school) and so we found it rather awkward and a bit unfair to be surrounded by only girls. Only after the first day did we no longer notice this different set-up. Initially, I thought this setting would reinforce the idea that women and men must be separated to learn. However, it was only after a couple of classes and evening activities did I realize this structure of learning does not segregate genders, it empowers women to become leaders without the supremacy of males often felt at times. I don't mean to say men would have ruined learning in class because of their "machismo", I mean to say that the material we learned in class would not have been as relevant to them as it is to us. The lack of boys led us to build a stronger bond with each other and a better understanding of our similar struggles. Though I don't mean to be cliché, the class was all about women power.

In the first days of class, I kept asking myself: "Am I truly a leader? Can I mobilize a group of people towards a common cause? Can I act the way a leader is suppose to act?". These were the questions that kept popping into my head whenever someone mentioned we were leaders; and yet these were the questions I could I answer without hesitation after a week. It took me some time to first realize what kind of person and leader I was, then I realized afterward what my passions and strengths were.

I am a leader. I am not ideal definition of a leader (because no one is), but there is no definite way one can lead. The only way one can lead is to use one's own strengths instead of focusing on the weaknesses. I learned that pursing my passions will lead me to become a better leader rather than spreading myself thin with other interests. Who wants to look up to someone who is not passionate about their own work? Passion is key to any accomplishment. This is the best way to motivate people together.

I enjoyed that our class was based more on discussions and analytical thinking rather than lectures and tests about women's history in the world. I can't tell you how many debriefs and circles we shared in class and even after the clock struck 3:30; our class found themselves chatting in circles after-hours and we found this the best way to talk with each other since it gave everyone an equal presence in the group. The class allowed us to think for ourselves and, agreeing with Irene as she said in one of her blogs, we were not taught by what a textbook said. It was okay for us to each have our own opinions; however, we were presented with other perspectives as well. It was up to us to learn to be empathetic towards others.

One of the highlights of the Summer@Brown were the people and the students we met from all over the world. Of course, there were some people that were not as enthusiastic being there, but they don't matter. The friends I made were amazing and each one had a special talent. There was a champion jump-roper, a chef, a lifeguard and a swimming instructor among other things. Lina, from Massachusetts, and I shared a passion for immigrant justice. Though we both on the opposites of the United States, it goes to show that distance has no role in social justice. We often talked about the DREAM Act, something we feel needs to be passed. We each are doing this type of work through similar organizations at school. This was one of the many bonds I had during my stay.

I do agree that my experience was indeed life-changing. However, I think in order for my summer at Brown to become an integral part of my leadership style and thought-process, I must constantly reflect back on what I learned and utilize the skills I gained in class. There have been many times where I've attend a class or workshop specialized to teach a life-long skill and yet they do not find a good way to maintain the sustainability of the skills obtained. Women and Leadership, though, practically places these skills in our hands and shows us where to go. What a better way to hone our skills than through an Action Plan?

My Action Plan consists of holding workshops focused on college-readiness geared toward underclassmen in my school. Coming from experience, there were few workshops held about college when I was a freshman and it made my sophomore year confusing when it came to prepping for tests, financial aid, and classes. Though there are workshops held at school, I do not think they are I want to reach every student in the school and hopefully, be able to increase the percentage of students graduating and attending college with the collaborative work of other college-prep programs. I hope to do so with the newly acquired skills I learned.

My task now is to contribute to my community on what I learned on the east coast. I will continue to pursue my passions; I will continue to be an active and concerned member at my school; I will continue to lead others; I will continue to do the best that I possibly can.

Reflection on the Summer I Will Never Forget!

2010-07-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

The summer@Brown program has changed my life forever. When I first arrived at Brown University I was a little bit shy. However, after the first day in class I felt comfortable and started to be myself. I learned that I have to come out of my comfort zone more often so I can experience new things.

I learned so much in and out of class. In class I learned how to become a better leader. I will take everything I learned this summer and apply it to myself so I can make a change in my community. I did my best to represent the WCCUSD and my high school. I gave my best in all my work.

During class I always had an amazing time. We would always do fun and educational activities. These activities were intended to help us get to know each other and ourselves better. They greatly helped me. I was able to be more amiable with all the young women in my class and I got to know what type of leader each person was. I also realized that I am more of the helper and the one who cares for everyone when I'm in a group. It was great to finally find out exactly what type of leader I am and what I need to work on. It definitely opened my eyes and made me look at myself even more.

I tried my best to grab as much information as possible during class. This summer I also learned that I am more of the attentive listener. I loved learning new things! The class was always engaging. Even when I was feeling a little tired from lack of sleep at times, the class always kept me alert and entertained. I learned something new every single day I was at Brown.

Our afternoon activities were always beneficial. This is where I got to know the other girls and myself better. The activities required a lot of trust. Before I went to Brown I was a little afraid to trust others right away. As a child I was taught to be cautious. However, I was able to completely trust everyone there. We all were true leaders who had problems, but that has never held us back. I felt honored to be part of this program.

I also became more comfortable with myself. I never considered myself to be in the best shape to do sports or other activities, but the day at the Ropes Course made me think otherwise. I was able to do every single activity and I had support from my peers too. It felt good to know that everyone wanted me to do well. It encouraged me to continue going on. This is what true teamwork is. I learned that I need to be more open. I always thought that I was an open minded young woman, but I realized that I still can be more open everyday. This has made me see things from a whole new perspective.

I will take others opinions into consideration more often. I learned that it might make someone feel uncomfortable to do certain things and that I have to make sure that they are okay with it first. In the Ropes Course I learned that instead of asking if they are okay I should ask "What can I do to make you feel more comfortable doing this?" I learned that I need to rephrase my words so I can get a better response from someone.

Being with a group of great and intelligent young women really motivated me to do much more. I need to challenge myself in order to get better results. I plan on challenging myself daily. My goal is to try new things so I can help my family, my community, and myself. Everything I learned I will apply it in my community. I will continue helping my family and friends.

My Action Plan is to increase awareness of the different kinds of colleges that there are. Before I was aware of the ILC, my main goal was to apply to a UC. Now that I was given the wonderful opportunity to go to the East Coast and visit different colleges, my mentality has changed. I plan on applying to Brown University and I definitely will look more into other smaller colleges. I never thought that I would like Wellesley College as much as I did. I thank everyone who made this trip possible because it was a true eye opener.

Since I was lucky to be sent to the East Coast and to attend Brown Univerity for two weeks, I want to get other students aware of the different possibilities. I want to encourage my peers at Richmond High School to think of smaller and private colleges too and not just focus on the UC system. I'm not saying that UCs are bad because they aren't, but there is much more than just that. I was able to see that this summer at Brown.

Overall, my trip to the East Coast was beyond amazing. I learned so many new things. I am more confident than ever before and I plan on making a change. I want to thank everyone for giving me the opportunity to go to the East Coast and have a great new learning adventure. I am filled with gratitude therefore I will do my best to give back to my community.

The Last of a Lot of Things

2010-07-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, due to lack of Internet last night, and an incredibly busy day today, it’s taken me too long to get this final (for now) blog entry posted.

Yesterday was my last day at Brown. It was my last for a lot of things:

Last time I would get chocolate croissants and peach ice tea with Erica before class.

Last time I would wake up, shower, and get ready in Harkness.

Last time I would go to class and be taught by Kisa, with the lovely My as the TA.

And most notably, the last time I’d see all my girls together.

These last two weeks were two of the most amazing weeks of my life. I met so many new people, learned so many new things, and had experiences that would last me a lifetime.

I’ve already got ironclad promises that should I visit India, Italy, or North Carolina that I would have a place to say, and the same goes for my girls if they ever come to California.

I didn’t cry yesterday, thank god, because I know if I saw even one person shed one single tear, I’d be inconsolable.

Despite my opinions on feminism, and the material we studied in the class, I do believe it really helped me grow as a person, especially in my ability to let other people voice their opinions, and to not be so defensive when I am criticized.

I also formally presented my Action Plan yesterday, which was not nearly as nerve wracking as I thought it would be. There were only about fifteen people in the room with me, and we were so cramped that we all ended up presenting sitting down, which really helped us all feel more comfortable.

It went well, and I made sure to videotape it so that my parents back home would be able to see it, too.

And even though I’m home now, and the feeling is bittersweet, I wouldn’t give it up for the world.

My deepest thanks to everyone in the ILC program, because without all of you, this wouldn’t be possible, and I am so glad I did it.

Memorable and Life Changing Summer!

2010-07-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

Sadly, yesterday was the last day at Brown University. I simply cannot believe that the program is over for us. It feels like if I was only at Brown for 3 days. There is still so much left to do. I wish I could have stayed longer. I fell in love with the campus and everyone there. The staff members were amazing. I will never forget this summer and everyone who shared this experience with me.

Over these past two short weeks I have learned so much. I have learned how to become a better leader in my community. This class has really inspired me to challenge myself. I have grown as a woman and as a leader. I am more confident than ever before. My main goal is to be more outspoken and assertive.

During class we wrote a letter to ourselves. Kisa will send this letter to us within the next 6 months. After we were done writing our letter, we all sat in a circle and passed around a piece of paper with our name on the top. Then people wrote down something that they admired about us or wanted to tell us. It was a really nice activity, but it made me sad that we were all going to leave. At that moment it started to sink in that perhaps we will never see each other ever again. However, I am glad that I got everyone's contact so we can all stay in touch.

Then we all went to lunch in the Ratty for the last time. There we studied for our Action Plan presentation. When it was my turn to present I felt really comfortable. I knew my subject very well that I rarely looked down at my flashcards. There were about 8 people in the room I was in. The Women and Leadership class really made me feel less nervous about public talking.

Furthermore, I became really close with everyone in the Women and Leadership class. I ended up making great friends that share the same passion to make a change in their community and ultimately in the world. It was really hard to say goodbye to everyone. I felt like I really needed to have more time to spend with everyone here. I got so attached to everything and everyone.

Kisa and My really encouraged me to continue following my passions. They were really supportive and always motivated me to come out of my comfort zone. Even when I came out my comfort zone, everyone made me feel so comfortable. This summer has been the best learning experience I have ever had. Before I came to Brown University I knew it was going to be awesome, but it has really blown me away. It has by far exceeded all my expectations. I definitely plan on applying to Brown University.

All the staff members were amazing. My RA Christine was wonderful. She was so friendly! Everyone was so amiable and encouraging. I feel like I am part of a big family here at Brown University. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. It was 5:45 PM and it was time to leave. I was so sad to leave my friends.

We came to Boston in where we stayed at a Hilton hotel near the airport. We all met down in the lobby to go to a restaurant in the hotel to eat our last dinner together in the East Coast. It was awesome. I had a great time, but then Mariana and I decided to go to the room to get some rest.

Today we left the hotel at 9 AM. Some of the girls were a little worried that someone would end up having an overweight bag, but thankfully none of us did. Since I have seen a Dunkin Donuts everywhere I could not leave without buying something from there. I bought a bagel and hot chocolate and then we all boarded the plane. I sat with Irene and Mariana.

We arrived at San Francisco on time. I was happy to be back home, but I was also sad that I had left the East Coast. I will never forget my experience there. I loved it. Hopefully, I am able to return to the reunion in November. That would be amazing!

Overall, I would like to thank everyone who made this trip possible. I had the best time! I had so much fun, met new people, and learned so many new things.

Brown is not Dull -- Brown is Beautiful.

2010-07-24T07:12:00.000-07:00

I woke up with a heavy heart. Today was our last day at Brown University. Everyone in the class was special to me in a unique way. I would miss Kisa, My (our leadership fellow) and every single one of the young ladies that I bonded with. The growth I achieved from being in this leadership class is more than I have gained in my entire life thus far. So with a sorrow for leaving Brown but a joy for learning so much, I left for class.

My roommate, Kristi!

My awesome friend, Tierra and I!

From Durham, North Carolina, Erica!

The more, the merrier!

We did not do any workshops or lectures today. Instead, we were told to write a letter to ourselves that would be sent to our homes near December. The purpose was to remind ourselves of what we learned during the summer course and to apply to our daily lives; we didn’t want this to be something we would forget. So I wrote to myself and hopefully by the time I get the letter, I will not have forgotten the priceless things I learned about women and leadership. As I’ve said time and time again, Summer@Brown was a life-changing experience.

Writing

My, Kisa and Selene

Class Picture!

We continued on with writing positive comments about each person in our class. Every person in the course was special to me in some way or another. I made it a goal to write something different for each person that related their presence to me. There is so much I learned from the other girls. Their cultures, their histories, their backgrounds, all contributed to my understanding of diversity. I underestimated what diversity is and now I know that it does not only mean a difference in race and socioeconomic status, but also a difference in childhood, beliefs, and ethics among other things.

Looking back at what I've learned in class, I realized many things. Real learning does not take place as memorizing facts, dates and books; learning is taken from life experience. We learned about life from a woman's point of view, not that it cannot only apply to women, but to everyone. Learning is taking a bit from every part of the world and implementing that into our daily lives. We've had that very concept integrated into our course this summer. As I will use in my presentation today, "Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself." This quote, by the American philosopher John Dewey, inspired me to think about what education genuinely is. It describes our experience at Brown perfectly and I know that I finally found some closure to our class on the East Coast.

Discussing in class

My proud friend hailing from Chicago, Trina. She was an inspiration to me.

The leadership fellow from our class, My (as in Me but spelled differently) and Kristi. We were being silly

My was such a great person! We all bonded with her

Just thought I'd like for everyone to know what snacking at Brown while studying for two weeks ends up being...

We concluded the last class and headed for lunch. I spent my lunch working on my Action Plan to polish it off. I was a bit nervous about my presentation, but I knew that if it didn’t go as well as I wanted, I would only learn from it. Life is about making mistakes, and if I mess up, it’s okay. I have plenty of time to learn. I kept in mind that my confidence and public speaking skills have improved considerably since day one and I would be fine. With those thoughts in mind, I left for our presentations.

Dean Rose welcomed everyone to the Leadership presentations. I loved how she integrated all we’ve learned into her speech -- she was very inspiring. We finally split into groups and I was to be presenting to Dean Rose herself. As usual, I was a bit jittery before I presented but I managed to get through it. It was now or never.

Dean Rose introducing the Action Plan Presentations

All in all, it went well and I was very pleased that Dean Rose told me I did an awesome job and I articulated myself very well. She said I did better than most, but being very hard on myself, I found this comment surprising but joyful and I appreciated it very much. When it comes to presenting, the saying, “practice makes perfect” comes to mind. With experience, it becomes less and less difficult to talk in front of a large audience. I will make sure to push myself when I present so I can become a better leader for all.

Afterward, we met on the Main Green on campus and took final pictures with our new friends and professors. Although the weather was raining on our parade (literally, except for the parade part since there was no parade obviously), it did not stop us from our good-byes and departures. It was sad to see some friends leaving already; I felt like we each had a special bond with each other. We’ve grown not individually, but together, interlaced with our experiences, passions, mistakes, doubts and most importantly, our hearts. We’ve each taken to each other in a special way.

Dean Rose, Irene and I

Groupies

Kisa and I

- - - - -

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." -Anais Nin

In the last few hours, we spent the rest of the time we had just hanging around with our friends. I already packed the night before so I made sure to spend those last few moments with our friends. We made one last run to Thayer Street to buy any things we needed or just wanted. One by one, friends started to leave until there was only a few of us left. Finally, it was time for us to leave and I was so sad to leave everything: my friends, the dorms, my roommate and even the weather (Although I kept complaining about the humidity, I have to say, I am going to miss warm nights in Providence). I looked back at the campus and said my final good-bye. For now.

At the train station, leaving

We spent the night in Boston and had one final dinner together as the Ivy League Connections Brown Session II group. Ms. Stewart very generously treated us for dinner that night and I was so grateful. I looked around the table with all of our ILC members and although I was happy, inside I was sad that our time in the East Coast was almost up. Tomorrow morning, we would fly back to San Francisco. Back to home. So I made sure to make the most of our last night in Boston. I know I did, so I’m glad about that.

Our room at the Hilton

The view from the hotel window on the ninth floor

And so, I finish this blog with a spirit of joy. I am happy to have been in this program. I am happy to have learned so much. I happy to have met so many amazing people.

I am happy.

Good-bye, East Coast!

I Surprised Myself

2010-07-24T06:08:00.000-07:00

When I first came into this program, I thought that I was really open-minded. However, I slowly realized that the Women and Leadership program at Brown would challenge me intellectually and emotionally more than I had thought it would, and make me even more understanding of all kinds of diversity.

I thought I had my mind mostly made up on what feminism was and what leadership was, but we attacked these issues from all possible angles, and Kisa let everyone come to their own conclusions. All the professors, the TAs, the RAs, the Leadership Fellows, the staff, and the students were so approachable. Nobody ever told us, "this is the way it is because I said so," or "this is the way it is because it's written in a textbook." I really love that way of learning. As Mercedes Domenech said, in the end it doesn't matter so much what you're learning as long as you expand your horizons and learn how to see the world in a different light. I was surprised about the program and about myself in the best way possible.

I also realized that I can't be a "supergirl." I can't be perfect and I can't do everything perfectly, but I can certainly try. I will try. If I make a mistake I won't dwell on it, but learn from it. I will concentrate on doing what I love, whether it's skating, playing clarinet, or leading a community organization.

~Kisa gave us bracelets with inspirational words on them. Mine says "lead."~

I teared up so many times on the last day of class. Two weeks seemed much too short. I would be so incredibly happy if I could go back and learn in that environment again. Before this program, I never would have seriously considered applying to Brown, but now I will definitely apply to Brown and other highly selective universities.

I learned that there are still obstacles for women and for many other groups of people in the world, but that the final barrier to success is always one's own self-confidence.

If I believe in myself and others, and believe in our dreams, I'll surprise myself yet again. Thank you to everyone who made this experience possible for me.

The Grand Finale

2010-07-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day at both Brown University and Providence, Rhode Island. These two weeks just flew by and now we are well on our way back to Boston to stay overnight so we can leave for California tomorrow, Saturday. It was so sad to say bye to all the new friends and people we met and were able to interact and learn with. I am really going to miss the other twenty two girls enrolled in the Women and Leadership course and plus the other people that I had the chance to meet.

I really felt comfortable in Providence and loved everything I was able to learn in the short time I got to spend here. Reflecting back to my initial worries about being away from home, I see that in the end it was that exact thing that allowed me to experience all that I did. I really had fun even when I had something to do every single day. However, not always were these things for my class, but a few times it was to socialize and get to know people more. You really have to balance academics, socializing, and fun out.

The closer we got to our departure date the less we wanted to hear about having to go our separate ways. By we I mean Bianchi, Diana, Vanessa, and the rest of my lovely friends. It seemed that the days slipped one by one and next thing we knew it was time for us all to go back home. Bianchi and Diana will return on Saturday afternoon to New Orleans and Vanessa went back to Massachusetts with her family, who came to pick her up. We all have to get back to our lives back home. Bianchi and Diana will have to start their junior year in high school at the International High School of New Orleans. Vanessa will be starting her senior year in high school. Even though we all went our distinct ways today, for sure there will always be the bond we formed here at Brown and the terrific adventures we had together.

Through the course work and different activities that were planned for the Leadership Institute these past two weeks were terrific!

We will have to stay at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport Hotel for the night. I wonder about the Internet access there -- hope there is some. Our last night in the East Coast!

Before we actually got to the goodbyes we all had to present our Action Plans'. My Action Plan was actually to create a blog in which one male and one female student can each give their perspective on issues such as the environment, laws, politics, etc. The purpose of this would be that that way through the blog other people, other youth in particular will have a chance to voice their opinion. By voicing their opinion we will help increase self-expression especially in adolescents who face a hard task in transforming from children to adults. Gaining all the responsibility can trouble and at times shut youth out from reality. They can become quiet and shy, unwilling to show the world what they really think. Even though I have this plan I feel like it might change in some of its aspects. I guess all we can do is wait and see.

“Every End is a New Beginning"

2010-07-22T22:25:00.000-07:00

Indeed it is almost time to leave. I am very sad to be leaving Rhode Island and on Saturday, the East Coast. I've been so happy at Brown and I do not want to leave this campus. I can truly picture myself going here for college. But it's time to go back and utilize what we've learned here in our communities.

Action Plans are the most important thing we are focusing on right now. We split into several groups to practice our presentations, focusing on improvements from our fellow peers. It went well, but I realize that I still need to practice a lot more.

Although it may seem like an easy task to talk about the change you want to have in your community, speaking to a crowd it harder than it looks. It's hard to find out what to say when you can't ask your audience directly if they are bored, amused, irritated or content when you're up on the podium. But with the time I've had to practice, I've improved drastically and I can say that it will become easier over time to speak in front of a large audience.

My friend, Tierra, from New Orleans and I!

After the morning practice, we once again got into groups to discuss ethics. When faced with a difficult situation, what choice would you make? What actions and things what you do? Would it be the right or wrong thing? Are you aware of the consequences of our actions? These were some of the questions asked in several hypothetical situations given to us.

For most of them, I could promptly make my decision while others took me some time to decide what I would do. Would I tell on my best friend that she was smoking on school property when it is illegal to do so? Or would I sympathize with her because she's going through a rough phase in her life? This I was a bit more hesitant about answering, but I finally decided that I would leave her with a warning with a caution that if she were to do it again, I would talk to the principal. Overall, I think I made the right choices. Maybe I couldn't please everyone, but I chose to do what was best for everyone in the situation.

Leadership is not mean you have to please everyone, but rather it is making a decision and sticking with it until you follow through. It means not being passive, not being aggressive, but being assertive. Consider others before making a final decision but also be decisive about your own ideas as well.

After lunch, we had a self-defense class which I was really excited about. Michelle was the instructor and she showed several types of moves we can use when we are in a dangerous situation.

I learned a lot through the program and Michelle mentioned that she has never had to use self-defense in a very dangerous situation. She said that after people take the class, they have a new layer of confidence that can be seen from the outside. Observing her, I could see what she meant and I knew that a guy would not want to mess with her. The empowerment that women obtain through these types of programs are amazing and it encourages them to become women of authority, even in their own survival.

I've taken a self-defense class for a while at Richmond High School on Fridays through PE. It was only a short-term integrated course and I wish it was longer. However, I will look into self-defense classes once I get back home to take over the year.

During the evening, we had a final social event, specifically for our house: Harkness House. There was a dance (which I thought would have been nice, but trying to fit 60+ kids in a small, stuffy lounge results in a hot and sweaty room and an unpleasant musty odor.) and a games room in the other lounge. We ended up playing Apples to Apples with several of our Brownie friends.

It's sad to see everything coming to a close, but the show must go on. I will miss my new friends terribly and hopefully I will see them again one day in the future. My Action Plan is be presented tomorrow and I am both excited and anxious for it. I have prepared myself for this moment.

On the good side, I am almost done packing! There's no procrastination for me.

(Pictures will be up tomorrow. The internet is taking so long!)

Party at Harkness!

2010-07-22T22:23:00.001-07:00

Oh god. The second to last day is over. This means that tomorrow may very well be the last day I ever see some of these amazing people again.

It has been an incredible experience, meeting all these people and really growing as a person. I don’t even really want to write about it, just because that means it’s becoming a reality, and I don’t want to accept it!

Tomorrow is the real presentation of our Action Plans, but I think I’m confident enough in my Plan that I can handle the presentation and any questions that are thrown at me.

We had a dance tonight in celebration of our last night in Harkness. I’ll miss this place more than I can possibly imagine, even the lack of air conditioning and the bad food.

Wish me luck!

Entertaining Way of Learning

2010-07-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

We started off the class by breaking down into small groups so we could present our Action Plans. I was in a group with Bianchi, Ritika, and Tierra. I was the first to go up and give my presentation.

After I was done they gave me suggestions on how to improve it. Being able to practice in front of some of my peers was really helpful. I benefited greatly from the advice and I plan on working on it when I'm presenting tomorrow. I'm a little nervous about presenting, but I'm also looking forward to it.

Once we were all done presenting, we met back inside the classroom and finished the activity on Ethics. We were given scenarios in where we had to decide as a group what the person should do. It was really interesting to hear different responses from everyone. There were some that didn't consider some things that bad, while others completely disagreed.

After lunch was over, we had a very fun activity. We were taught some skills on self-defense! It was really great. I learned how to defend myself if I am attacked. However, the instructor told us that there are times when it would be smarter to just give in instead of trying to resist. It would be completely illogical, if we fought someone with a weapon. We would be putting our life in jeopardy.

It was exciting to get to scream, kick, and punch. It was a very fun activity, but with a serious purpose to it. I really liked it. I got really excited when it came to scream "NO!" that my throat hurts me now.

Since I still had my books from the Rockefeller Library, I went with Thara and Guadalupe to return them. We were initially planning on taking them all the way back to the Rockefeller Library, but then Christine my RA told us that we could return them in the Science Library. It was much closer.

Sadly, we only have tomorrow here in Providence so I decided to go to the Book Store and get a Brown t-shirt. I was with Guadalupe, Thara, and Heidi. After we were done buying our shirts, we headed off to CVS so Thara could buy some sandals. Then the clock turned to 5 PM and we all felt hungry. We decided to go eat some Thai food. It was the first time I had ever tried Thai food and it was really good. I liked it.

After we were all full, we returned to out dorms. I practiced my Action Plan presentation and finished my interview assignment. Time went by so fast that before I knew it, it was 7:00. All the girls in the Women and Leadership class had another mandatory meeting.

The activity was really interesting. We all had to close our eyes, while My would read directions on what to do. There would be two people who would touch us if they felt that the statement said applied to us. It was really touching to see how close we all have become.

At 9:30 PM we had some activities in our building. There was a dance going on in one side and games on the other. I ended up playing a game with the girls. It was fun. Plus we ended up getting Ben and Jerry's and pizza. It was a really fun day. It makes me sad to think that it will all soon be over.

Second to Last Day of Class and Self Defense

2010-07-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today went by very quickly as now I am considering how this whole trip went. It is kind of sad to think that I only have one remaining day here at Brown University for this summer.

Well, today for class we had a pretty interesting day of practicing our Action Plans and dealing with ethical situations and the kinds of decisions we would make in every single one of them. We practiced our Action Plans in small groups, in my group there were only two other people, Lindsey and Cara. It was fun to practice our Action Plans and get some feedback from our group members.

Afterwards, in the same groups, we went into a discussion of six different situations where our ethics might be compromised. Most situations were basically of things people of our same age group could go through. For most of the situations I had a very clear grasp of what specifically I would have done, but for others I had to really think about it and the effects it would have.

Afterwards, Kisa informed us, just before we were dismissed for lunch, that afterwards we would be participating in a self-defense session. Kisa did not come with us to the session but My did and it was absolutely great. I really learned and it kind of encouraged me, like our instructor said, to seek a place to learn the techniques more in detail and so I could learn to master them. She personally said she has never really had to get so physical with anybody as to have to use the techniques she teaches.

By the way, she teaches all of this here at Brown in two different kinds of sessions one is a twelve hour one. I liked the fact she was really open to our questions and gladly answered them. She also encouraged us to think up situations so that she could explain ways to get out of it. We practiced our defensive positions, shielding, punching, kicking, screaming, and combinations. We had to practice with her near the end and as always the entire class encouraged everyone.

After class I returned to Harkness to finish the details of my Action Plan and to get ready for the party that Harkness would be holding as a goodbye for everyone leaving. I had fun and it was terrific to spend time with my classmates once more out of class!

Hammer fist

2010-07-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

I just came back from the closing floor meeting and about to go to a good-bye dance party with Ben and Jerry’s ice cream!

The closing was a game where we would all sit in the chairs formed in a circle with our eyes closed. Two of the girls would tap someone or people in the group that matched the description My read. For an example, she asked the girls to tap someone who you believe in and tap four people who you really respect. This activity really touched me. I did not know some people viewed me in some ways.

Before that, the class had a self-defense course for the afternoon session. I really enjoyed this class because it involved physical activity and yelling. We learned different punches (one which was called the hammer fist) and kicks and how to deal when someone is trying to choke us, pull us away, and has us in a bear hug.

In the morning session I practiced my action plan in front of a small group in class. Their feedback was to slow down.

I cannot believe that tomorrow is my last day at Brown!

I am off to a fun but probably sad good-bye dance party.

Project Belén

2010-07-22T14:53:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Wednesday, and I presented my Amazing Woman monologue.

It was exciting for me, because the person I chose was Tamora Pierce, an author who has been my inspiration since I was in the early years of elementary school.

I know I said a little bit about her the other day, but I’d like to elaborate, considering her huge influence on me.

She grew up in San Francisco, just like me (well, Bay Area) and when she was little, she loved to make up stories to entertain herself. She was drawn to science fiction (like Star Trek) and fantasy (like Lord of the Rings). Her early love of literature and writing mirrors mine, and she knew she wanted to write from a very young age.

I am like her in this respect. I love reading and writing, and fantasy/science fiction is my favorite genre (though my own stories tend to be more realistic fiction).

From the very first book I read by her, Alanna: The First Adventure, when I was in the fourth grade, I knew I wanted to read and write for the rest of my life. In that book, a young girl named Alanna decides she wants to be a knight, instead of being sent to a convent like all other girls her age. Through the series, she accomplishes this, first disguising herself as a boy, then revealing her womanhood, and fighting the discrimination from the men around her.

What a message for a young fourth-grader like myself. Not only was I learning from my parents to be confident in myself, and not to be constrained by trivialities like gender, but I was getting it from the books I loved too.

I can say with certainty and pride that a large part of the woman (and budding novelist) that I am today is die to this woman.

My presentation went flawlessly, and I just hope I imparted a little bit of what I learned from her to my fellow classmates.

Also, in my research for the Action Plan paper I had to turn in today, I found the perfect charity.

It’s called Project Belén, and directly benefits Belén, the area of the Amazon that I visited. I’m not sure if I really talked about my Action Plan yet, so I’ll go in depth now.

When I visited Peru (Belén in particular), I saw a lot of poverty. This was the stark reality of the country I had idealized for seventeen years. But it didn’t diminish my love for Peru in any way. It only made me sad, but that sadness awoke a fire inside me that demanded I help, demanded I do my vest to change the situation of the people there, as they couldn’t do it themselves.

So coming to Brown only a day after my return from Peru was really the best thing that ever could have happened, as we learned about this Action Plan project, where we picked a cause to benefit the world, and act on it.

I knew immediately that I wanted to help the people of Belén, and last night, I found the perfect organization to do so. Project Belén provides healthcare, food, counseling, and more to the poverty stricken residents there, and sends volunteers down to work with the locals and improve their situation.

I’m so excited to go back home, talk to the presidents of the Interact Club at my school, and set up find raising activities to raise money for the charities.

Ethics, Hip-Hop, and Self-Defense

2010-07-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

The ethics discussion that we ran out of time for yesterday was moved to today. We were presented with multiple ethical dilemmas and acted out how to deal with them in an effective, assertive way. I definitely think that the solutions were easier said than done.

I practiced presenting my Action Plan to a small group of classmates. They gave me feedback on the content and the delivery. I still need to give my presentation its final revision and copy some bullet points onto index cards.

Mariana and Ritika

I ate lunch extra quickly so that I could go back to class to see a short film about hypermasculinity in hip-hop. Most of the aggression in the lyrics is focused against other people who are suffering, not necessarily the oppressors. There is blatant objectification of women in the music, and it's different from the rest of American culture in that that's the only way that women are portrayed in hip-hop music videos. The worst insult against another man in hiphop is to tell them that they are feminine, yet there is some not-so-subtle homoeroticism in the way rappers often pose. I was getting very interested in it because I had never heard some of these views before, but unfortunately, we didn't get to finish the film. Hopefully we'll be able to finish it tonight at the evening social activity.

Tierra blocks "punches"

We had an interesting self-defense class in which we learned some basic techniques to defend ourselves and buy some time if we were physically threatened. We got some time to practice these techniques and hone our reaction times, too.

Ritika in action

The amazing RA and TA, My

I'm going to eat quickly and then see if I can take a nap before the evening activity. I'm exhausted.

~Later~

I didn't end up taking a nap, but I did finish two homework assignments and went to dinner. I'm going to revise my Action Plan and practice presenting for tomorrow, then go to the final socializing event - a dance/movie/game night/snack party, which is all one big event. It's exclusive to Leadership Institute students, and since Harkness (our dorm) is the only dorm for Leadership kids, it's taking place in the two lounges downstairs.

Just 15 minutes ago, I was in our last class bonding activity. We played a special game where everyone closed their eyes except two people. My would say things like, "Touch three people who you respect and admire." We took turns being the people in the middle. I never knew that so many people appreciated me enough to tell me, even though it was anonymously and silently. I feel so much closer to all the girls now. It was just really cool. I can't imagine not keeping in touch with them after I leave.

Dolores Huerta Presentation!

2010-07-21T23:58:00.000-07:00

Today I got the chance to present my monologue on Dolores Huerta. It was terrific to present. I had a real fun time. Many of my classmates also presented and it was interesting to hear what each woman did.

In class, we also, had a panel of guest speakers who talked to us about their experiences in life and what steps they took to get there. We also got the chance to ask questions. What was interesting to hear was that a main concept the emphasized was that keeping a balance in life is crucial to being able to do what you like. When they spoke about balance they mostly referred to family and work. One of the women actually is a psychologist! The time they spent with us went by really quickly and before we knew it it was over. Nevertheless, their words were special and I greatly appreciate them.

After class I did not do much other than go to the Rockefeller Library. I really like it there are so many books and I love the fact they have so many computers available for usage. The times I have been there I have never seen people waiting to use them, but then again it is the summer. The librarians are really nice and people are most commonly very helpful and willing to lend a hand.

Have to work on my Action Plan!

Action Plan

2010-07-21T20:24:00.001-07:00

Today I presented my monologue and wrote my Action Plan paper.

In class successful women came in for a panel and gave us very good advice, such as doing what you love but not spreading yourself out so much. One of the women brought her young daughter of age 5 to class. During the panel I sat next to her. She reminded me of children I had babysat for and my own younger brother. Her little bunny reminded me of my younger sister.

At lunch I meet with Mercedes Domenech. She was very funny and straight to the point.

There was a blood drive, of which I wished I could participate in but I was too young. You had to be 17. Someday I hope to give blood -- if I can take the physical strain of doing so.

Follow Your Passions!

2010-07-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

We started off the class with our Group C Amazing Women Presentations. I knew that in the afternoon it was going to be my turn to give my presentation. I was a little nervous, but I decided to not think about it. Instead, I focused on all the wonderful women that were talked about.

Shortly after Group C was finished, we were broken down into groups of four. Kisa gave us a big piece of paper in where we drew a shirt. Inside that shirt, we wrote down qualities that we agreed that a feminist should have. Outside of the shirt we wrote down negative things that people classify feminists as being. For instance, feminists are not "man haters". Since there are many misconceptions about feminists, my group and I decided to call ourselves "womanists" instead. We all want equal opportunities as men, but that does not mean that we hate men. We talked about how we need from one another and that all we need is to work together.

After we were done sharing our thoughts on feminism, we had four guest speakers come in and talk to us. They talked about some of the challenges they had to face when they were younger because they were girls or because of their race. One of the women was Puerto Rican. She talked about how her counselor told her that she was wasting her time applying to Ivy League schools. That did not stop her and when she went back and showed him all the acceptance letters she received he just said that it was because she was a minority. This story really stayed in my mind. The counselor was wrong. It was not just because of her race that she was accepted into an Ivy League school, but because the woman was really smart and determined.

All of the women examples were really encouraging. I felt even more motivated to try my best. I will also follow my passions just like the women did. Now they are all happy with what they do with their lives. They advised us to not go that hard on ourselves. We shouldn't spread ourselves too thin or try to do everything because we should just focus on what we love to do.

Furthermore, we met with Mercedes during lunch. We were able to ask any questions we had. Since I am interested in Business but also like art, Mercedes encouraged me to try to do something with both of my interests. I shouldn't just limit myself to one thing. We talked about the admissions process and about interviews. She said interviews were strongly recommended. I had such a great time with her. However, the clock turned to 1:20 PM and we had to head back to class.

I was the first to present my Amazing Women Presentation from Group D. I was oddly not that nervous. I felt comfortable talking in front of my peers. Everyone was so encouraging. It was fun to give my presentation from Oprah's voice. It made me feel more connected to my amazing woman. After I was done, I got to hear many more great presentations. Then we all tried to refresh our memory by mentioning some important points on each of the women talked about in the presentations.

Then we had some time to talk about Ethics and Leadership. We didn't finish talking about the topic because it was time to go. This shows how fast time goes by in our classroom. We lose track of time because we are so focused on what we are learning. I really like this class.

At 7 PM, we met with Ms. Stewart in the Ratty to talk about our trip back home. It was sad to get reminded that we have only 2 days left. I wish I could stay longer. I have met so many new friends. I am having such a great time here that I don't even want to think that its almost over. Sadly, I know that my days here are limited.

Overall, I had another great day today. Tomorrow we are presenting our Action Plan in class. We'll see how that goes.

A Breakthrough In My Thinking

2010-07-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

We finished presenting the Amazing Women monologues today. My presentation went well - I felt like my legs were shaking the whole time, but I asked people later and nobody noticed at all. The other students asked several questions after my monologue about Rigoberta Menchu; I think her story came across as unique and interesting. Dean Rose came in as we were discussing the Amazing Women as a group and asked what we had learned from their experiences. I volunteered my belief that they all pushed past both external and internal obstacles, and that the internal hurdle of self-confidence is the most important to conquer.

Kisa brought in a panel of professional women, which was very diverse. Their professions ranged from educators to doctors to leaders of community organizing groups. One of the women was rather soft-spoken, and I was almost surprised that someone quiet could be a successful leader. It was great to have role models that everybody in the room could relate to. Another brought her five-year-old daughter in and said that child-rearing was much harder than any career. Even those that did not have children said that it's important to stay connected to people that are important to you, such as mentors, family, and friends in order to keep a balanced life.

Today at 12:15, Lucero, Lupe, Lydia, Selene, and I made our way to the V-Dub. This was because last week, we (the ILC students at Brown) had arranged to have lunch with Mercedes Domenech of the Brown Admissions Department. We had met her 2 times before at ILC events, and she offered to answer any questions about the University or about admissions that we had. We learned more about the interviewing process and how students are selected. What stuck out was how she emphasized taking challenging courses in high school not just because they would look impressive, but because if we got accepted to Brown, we wouldn't have distribution requirements or any required classes at all (excepting majors). Senior year is our last chance to show how much we love learning.

Mercedes also emphasized how important it is to study what you love even if it might not seem like it leads to a concrete career path. For example, Ruth Simmons, President of Brown University, holds a Ph.D. in French. Who would have projected her position now with her chosen field of study? Mercedes got me to think about how it doesn't matter as much what I choose to study, as long as I am educated in something and I know how to think and analyze. Undergraduate majors that are very specific are actually limiting because people may change their minds even if they initially think they're set on something.

I still have to finish my Action Plan paper and polish my Action Plan presentation, conduct another interview with a fellow student, catch up on my journal assignments for the past week, and meet with Ms. Stewart at 7 about the logistics of our departure. It's sad that we're already talking about leaving. In some ways I miss my family and others who are close to me, but in other ways I fear missing my friends, teachers, and mentors at Brown even more.

"Women Hold Up Half the Sky"

2010-07-21T14:24:00.001-07:00

Indeed did Mao Tse-Tung capture the importance of women. There are many amazing women in this world and today we presented few of the numerous women that make a difference in lives everywhere. Five of us did so today: Irene, Lucero, Selene, Mariana and I.

The 3rd round of the presenters presented theirs first thing this morning. Each woman I heard about was individual in passion and personality. We had students that did theirs on: Toni Morrison(author of Beloved), Maya Angelou(poet), Dolores Huerta,(activist) and many more.

Afterward, we had four women come in to form a discussion panel on their professional and home lives. Qualities, achievements and education were some of the topics touched upon. Each women had a different background. One was from Harvard, another went to Brown, one had two kids while still another had none. This range of perspectives and backgrounds allowed us to see how similar (or not similar) their difficulties and/or opportunities were like.

The discussion was very informative for me. I had living proof in front of me that women could both hold a great job and also have a great social/family life as well. Some women chose to have kids and others did not. For me, this was a big topic to talk since each of us is going to have to make that decision when we're older. But one of the ladies spoke about priorities. She said that we would come to realize what each of our priorities would be once we've gained enough experience and wisdom, whether it would be our family, jobs, friends,etc. I marked this side note in my head. Nikki, who graduated from Harvard, discussed the "vision" we all create in our minds of what we want to accomplish. Sometimes, our dreams change, or perhaps it only shifts and you realize that there are infinitely many opportunities and jobs out there that you might want to try, is what she said.

Leaving to the V-Dub

During lunch, Irene, Lucero, Selene and I met with Mercedes Domenech to discuss any questions we had about Brown. She was very humorous and down-to-earth once again when we spoke to her. I found out more about the PLME (Program in Liberal Medical Education) which, although seems nice, I do not see myself applying for it.

Considering the PLME, I am not entirely certain I want to enter the medical field. I love medicine, however, I would also like the opportunity to explore other options as well. Politics is my other passion, and I find hard to choose between the two. However, I was told by someone that there are many politicians that have an MD among other degrees and balance the two. I find it won't impossible to combine both.

We also discussed other admissions doubts. I felt like I learned a lot during the lunch and every day, I picture myself at Brown more and more. It is the perfect learning environment for me. I am a very curious person and the type of education offered here would give me the opportunity to explore other subjects: engineering, art, anthropology, Egyptology and so much more. The financial aid package is generous, which is also a plus for me. Come December, I will submit my application to Brown university.

Meeting with Mercedes, the admissions officer.

After lunch, it was time for my presentation and Lucero's as well. Lucero went first and I think she did an awesome job! Then, I was right after her. I practiced a lot the night before and it paid off. I stumbled a bit at times but overall, it was fine. The public speaking workshop we had earlier in the week helped me a lot with this presentation. It gave me more confidence and skills to present myself in an effective manner.

After class, I decided to participate in the blood drive that was on campus today. It was may first time doing so, but I had my friend Thara to accompany me on my new experience. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about it; I have never donated before, but I kept telling myself I would save lives.

Turns out, it was not as bad as I thought and I feel very good about saving three lives. The volunteer was was proctoring my donation pointed out a woman in the hall who was saved by a blood donations while she was giving childbirth. If it weren't for the donations, she would have not survived. This made me feel very happy that I could make the difference in someone's live just by donating blood. It is something simple one can do to good in the world. This is why I am drawn to medicine: you can help save lives.

Nervously waiting...

My blood being drawn...I have yet to know my blood type.

This bag of blood can save 3 lives.

I'm trying to be Rosie the Riveter but instead I'm "Lupe the Blood-Giver" -Irene Rojas-Carroll

We met with Ms. Stewart during dinner and we had a blast. She gave us the departure information for Saturday.

I am sad to be leaving Brown. I feel like I have a home here now in the Rhode Island community. The people here are amazing and I love my class and the professor as well. There is so much that I learned from being here on the East Coast. However, every beginning has its ending, and with that, another new beginning emerges, ready for us to grasp hold of it for a new chapter in our lives.

Tomorrow, we will practice for our Action Plan presentations for Friday.

Homework is calling me.

There's Always Someone There to Help

2010-07-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of the Amazing Women monologues. Everybody did very well, and we supported everyone if they felt nervous at all. Through listening, I learned things that I never knew before - for example, that Mother Teresa was Albanian by ethnicity and that Mary Wollstonecraft experienced all kinds of abuse at the hands of various men in her life.

We watched a film called about women in politics today, which brought attention to the shocking dilemma of the low numbers of women in national public office. The United States ranks 85th in the world in terms of female representatives, while developing countries such as Rwanda and Chile are making astonishing improvements with gender equality in political representation. Although Rwanda suffered through a devastating genocide in 1994, it has made great political and economic advances in recent years.

Why hasn't the United States made such improvements? Jeanne Sheehan, former governor of New Hampshire and current US Senator, told her interviewer that she sees what's happening in other countries but that she believes change at home will happen slowly but surely. Anna Hidalgo, a former TA for Women and Leadership, led a debriefing after the film and urged us repeatedly to consider running for political office in the future. She told us that it is very hard to run for office, and that there's a 98% rate of success for incumbents, but that the biggest obstacle for women in public service is not the outside world, but their own lack of self-confidence. About 2/3 of men rate themselves as having basic leadership qualities, but women consistently rate themselves lower though they may have these qualities already.

Personally, I am very interested in political science, and I took her suggestions into serious consideration.

Here are two youth leaders named Kakeena Castro and Susan Anderson after their presentation to us. They introduced us to their organization, Youth in Action, which advocates for youth rights in the Providence area. They showed us a "Youth Bill of Rights", which asserted that, among various things, all youth should have access to free health care, healthy and enjoyable school lunches, a voice in the selection of their teachers and administration, and affordable public transportation. I agree with all those points. I wouldn't say that decisions should be left to youth and only to youth, but I believe that we should be allowed to have input which should be valued by adults. Kisa serves on their joint adult-youth board and they stressed the importance of finding and utilizing mentors who can help you every step of the way. It opened my eyes to the fact that there's always someone there to help. I'm very glad that I heard these two women present.

After class, I went to the Partner Scholars gathering for Summer@Brown students who came here on a scholarship or with a group. It was lots of fun - we ate pizza while we asked questions of the 4 panelists who were all first-generation college students. I met Mo, who I believe is a Leadership Fellow here, and Soyoung, who is a student like me.

Amazing Women

2010-07-20T21:08:00.001-07:00

Every day we get closer and closer to the end of the program. I know it’s pessimistic to think that way, but it’s true.

Today was exhausting. I didn’t even stay up that late, but the blinds are broken in our room, so no sunlight gets in the room in the morning, and my roommate and I always sleep in, leaving us tired. I was falling asleep in class today, but I had to remember to prepare for my Amazing Woman monologue tomorrow. I will be presenting a monologue pretending to be Tamora Pierce, my favorite author. She got me into reading, into fantasy literature, and her books always feature strong heroines.

I am not exaggerating when I say her books have a huge influence on who I am today. She taught me to be strong and confident in my femininity, and not be struck down by gender barriers, as her heroines often break down the traditional gender roles.

So I’m excited to be doing my monologue on her, and showing the class something about one of my favorite women, and favorite authors.

Also, the end of the Action Plan gets closer and closer every day. I’m still working out a few kinks in mine (such as the right charity to get in contact with, as I can’t remember the name of the charity I learned about in Peru, and I may not be able to help the specific area I wanted to). Still, it’s incredible that this program is even giving me the ability and chance to do something like this, so soon after I had my life-changing experience in Peru. I never would have thought to do this without this class.

Well, like I said, I’m exhausted, and it’s time for me to get to bed.

Presentation tomorrow. I want to be well-rested!

Practice Makes Perfect

2010-07-20T21:06:00.001-07:00

Do you think that no woman has yet to become President? Think again. In several parts of the world, women are in positions of high authority; in places like Chile and Rwanda. In Chile, former President Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria was in office from 2006 to 2010. In Rwanda, a country in Africa, 50% of the seats in Parliament are held by women. These countries put the United States to shame.

I learned these facts from a video presented today in class. It was a documentary presented on PBS and also followed the lives of girls on a debate team as well as a women running for a Senate position in her state.

During class, we also had Ana, a Brown student, come in and talk about politics. She felt that each of us in the class had the qualities to run for office. I, being interested in politics myself, was very intrigued by this workshop she presented us and it made me think a lot more about holding a public office to contribute to my community.

We also had the first round of presentations of the Amazing Women today. The girls were awesome, and I can see why each of us is in the class. One thing I always kept in mind was to never underestimate my fellow peers. Lydia was of the first people to present and she did an awesome job of the monologue as well as answering the questions afterward.

Some young women came into our class today to talk about their program: Youth in Action. The program outreaches to youth in Rhode Island to provide opportunities they might not have otherwise. Mentoring, SAT prep classes, leadership building are all offered by YA. I realized that it does not matter what age you are, you can make a difference in your community regardless of your background or experience. One of the speakers was 17 and she amazed me by how well she spoke and the confidence she carried. Nothing is impossible if you just try.

The Youth in Action speakers!

I realized that all the women that were talked about today each faced various obstacles in their lives. Most of the time, it was sexism, but also racism when the women were Latina, Middle Eastern or African-American. However, though their difficulties prevented them from accomplishing their goals sooner, they overcame their difficulties to pursue their passion.

Perhaps this is a reason why I loved each and every single woman. They each were driven by their passion, their fight, their struggle to create change in the world, whether their impact was right here in the United States or in another country. They inspire to continue to pursue my passions and to never give up.

In the evening, we were invited to a pizza supper by Dean Rose in which students on a scholarship would gather and have Brown students answer any questions we had about Brown or college in general.

Following this event, I thought about the small number of students (compared to 1300+) that were in a similar situation as us. I found it both a good and bad thing.

The good thing was that all these students are very intelligent, very driven people that do the amount of work at a school like Brown. It makes me feel great that although students do not always have the advantages that other do, they still manage to do exceptionally well in school.

However, the bad thing is that I wished the number attending was bigger. I would love to see more students like us come out and see schools like Brown and experience the richness of this learning environment for themselves. I am glad there are programs like the Ivy League Connections that allow students to experience a college life hands-on.

This program has truly changed my life.

Sleep. Time to sleep. But first, I need to practice my monologue on Sonia Sotomayor. I hope it goes well!

Just thought I'd get a picture in of my roommate and I (Kristi is my roommate and she's the one on the right). Natalie, my friend from Thailand, is the one on the left.

Pizza

2010-07-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

I rushed to the library to drop off The Jane Addams Reader at the John D. Rockefeller library, checked facebook and then headed off to the Arnold Lounge in Keeney Quad. I had looked at the map and had my route figured out. I just did not know which direction I needed to go, if I should turn left or right first (to go up the hill or down the hill). (Picture of my school room)

I saw a lady driving a car by me and I asked her which way I was to turn to get to Brown Street with a map in hand and probably confusion written out on my face. She pulled over and then parked as I explained my predicament. The kind lady then led me by driving slowly for me to follow to the Keeney Quad which was not far away. She even called someone to make sure she was going the right way. I am so thankful for the kindness she showed which was not necessary or convenient. I was and still am surprised by her service. Even though much of what we hear in the news is bad events or people, I think that there is still much good in the world.

At the Arnold Lounge students, who like me, are Partner Scholars, came for pizza and to learn more about colleges in general and Brown through students advice and answers to our questions. This session was very informative and I am glad that I was invited to come.

At class, we learned about women in politics. Picture one triangle labeled men with the base touching the ground and another triangle labeled women with the tip touching the ground. Each triangle is split into three parts, appearance at the top from the ground, setting in the middle and message at the bottom.

Men Women

△ ▽

I thought that was a neat way of describing women and men in politics. People often commented on Clinton and Palin’s clothing and then their message whereas for Obama and McCain they talked about their message first.

I cannot believe that tomorrow will be Wednesday!

Presentations, Politics, and Pizza!

2010-07-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Our class started off with the first group of Amazing Women Presentations. It was great because I got to know more about Mother Teresa, Maya Angelou, Cleopatra, and the other great women chosen by my fellow peers. It was more interesting to hear the girls talk from their amazing women first person point of view because it made the biography seem more real. I enjoyed listening to the presentations.

After we were done with the first group, we all gathered around to watch a film in Women and Politics. It talked about women and how the United States is racked 85% for having women in cabinet and other political positions. This amazed me. The movie was great. It also talked about women status around the world. There was a section in where the ex-President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, talked about women and how the peoples mentality is starting to change. It was another great educational film.

We had a special guest speaker named Anna Hidalgo who then talked to us about women and politics. She talked to us about the 2008 campaign. She focused on the way Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin were portrayed. I agreed that both women were judged on their appearance. Sarah Palin was classified as being too girly. Both women were attacked a lot because of their appearance or personal issues like Palin's pregnant daughter. Then Anna said that there have been experiments in where it showed that women are first judged on the way they look while giving a speech and men are more judged on their speech and what they actually said. I found this very interesting.

Anna Hidalgo really encouraged us to get in politics. I completely agreed with her when she said that women issues are global issues since we all come from a woman. Even though I had a mild headache, I was still able to listen to what Anna was saying. It really captured my interest.

Then it was time for lunch. Since I was feeling a little tired and had a headache, I decided to just stay with the girls in the Ratty for the rest of lunch. I took Tylenol and my headache got better. I was able to have a good conversation with Irene, Selene, Diana, Guadalupe and Thara. They were saying jokes which really helped me feel better. I have gotten really close with all the girls here that I consider them my family. They are able to make me feel better even when I'm feeling sick. I am so glad that I have made such great friends here.

When we returned to class we continued the Amazing Women Presentations. As soon as the second group had finished, two new speakers came into our class and talked to us about the Youth in Action program here in Providence. They talked to us about what the program was about and it reminded me a lot about some of the programs we have back home. I found it interesting that the Youth in Action actually did a Youth Bill of Rights. It was quite interesting to hear all of their ideas. One of them was that we should be allowed to vote at 16. This really sparked some great discussion points in our classroom.

With the women from Youth in Action

Dean Rose and I

In the afternoon, Dean Rose invited everyone who was in the Partner Scholars to go eat pizza and ask any questions we had. We were privileged to be part of the Partner Scholars because we are part of the Ivy League Connection. I was really happy to be there. I got to talk with Cindy, a current Brown student and former San Leandro High School student, about the whole college process and financial aid help. It was really nice to get to know someone who was also in EAOP and PCA in high school. We were able to connect over that.

In the group with Cindy

With Jamillah

Ryan, Moe, Jamillah, Dean Rose, Cindy, Mayte, Ana, and many other people talked to us about college. It was really nice to know that three students (Ana, Cindy, and Mayte) were actually from California. I had so much fun talking to everyone and eating pizza. The pizza here tastes a little different and is thinner, but I liked it.

Moe and I

With Ana a Brown Univ. student.

After the meeting was over, I headed back to my room in where I practiced my monologue out loud. I don't want it to exceed 5 minutes since that is our maximum limit. I'm presenting tomorrow afternoon, but I'm a little nervous. Now all I have to do is continue working on my Action Plan paper and finish my journal entry for the homework assignment.

Women and Voting.

2010-07-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

Voting. It's a bloody and enduring battle for many groups of people to gain their right to vote. In the 1900's, it was time for another battle. The Progressive Era was a time of radical change in the United States. For women, it was a time of struggle, violence and discrimination as they fought for their right to vote in society dominated by men. We saw that reality in Iron-Jawed Angels, a movie that depicts the life of Alice Paul and her efforts and consequences of gaining rights for women.

During the day though, class was more hands-on than usual. We had a discussion about the readings we've had for homework each night. Several peers were chosen to facilitate our group, including Irene. She did an awesome job of keeping the class focused on the questions and not digressing.

The discussions are both a good and bad thing our class. Everyone in our class is an intelligent, active speaker and that's a dream for every teacher. However, at times--and I can tell by the look on Kisa's face--we talk TOO much. We'll easily start debating about something and then our class time runs short. Our professor has been trying harder to keep the responses as concise as possible, depending on the time. From this experience, I learned that when facilitating a group, it's important to keep track of the time. It's also good to let other, quieter students an opportunity to talk. So far, from my facilitating experiences, it's not a thing for me to do, but it can be at times.

In the afternoon, we watched a short documentary on the effects of racism. A group of students decided to do an an experiment with baby dolls and young school children. They were asked to choose between a white doll and a black doll and most chose the white one because it was more appealing. They've been taught that "white is always better".

It saddens me to see that popular culture still depicts being blue-eyed, white and thin is the ultimate person. There's nothing I have against poeple that fit that description, however, there are many other looks and skin tones and eye colors that are just as before. I realize that there is a lot we have to change about our society, especially when it comes to the subconscious mentality of people today. This internalized oppression is deeply embedded in our conscience and we, as a collective member of this nation and to a larger extent, the world, must work to change this.

In the afternoon, we spent the rest of class in the computer lab to continue researching our amazing woman and work on our Action Plan.

Like I mentioned above, we watched Iron Jawed Angels, a movie I've already seen before in my history class but nonetheless a great movie worth watching twice. I love the movie and I was inspired by Alice Paul by her deep passion of achieving equal status for women.

One thing I have learned about that particular struggle for rights though is that women were too focused on gaining just voting rights rather than equality as a while. Alice Paul also thought the same. Though women were finally enfranchised, there was still an imbalance in society. It continued after their victory and it still continues today. But I know that each generation has a different issue to work on and that includes us to continue fighting for women's rights.

Now, time for pizza.

Pizza and Women in Politics!!

2010-07-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

Class has gone great, today we had another very interesting day. It was lots of fun as always to contribute our perspectives on the issues and topics we talk about. As on most days, today we had a couple of guest speakers one of which was Anna Hidalgo, a Brown Alumni and an old participant of the Women and Leadership course.

Ms. Hidalgo came to class to present to us a video, from PBS's show called "Now" on Women, Power, and Politics, and then an analysis of it and how it relates to our lives as women today. The movie concentrated on the topic of women in politics. The movie was interesting and brought to my attention how even though the U.S. is considered an advanced nation it has fallen behind when it comes to women participation in government. The U.S., according to the video, is ranked 69th in the percentage of women holding office, which according to Ms. Hidalgo we found has become worse because now we are the 85th.

In the movie we got a good analysis of the ex president of Chile who was a woman and her perspective on the issue of women involvement in politics. In addition, we got to see the great progress of an African nation after its genocide and how in its parliament women form almost half of the representatives. It was very impressive to see how a nation that not long ago was devastated to such a great degree rose back and progressed in such a great aspect. There, women involved in politics are not put down or viewed wrongly because they believe in a woman's ability to lead and make important decisions. Additionally, they understand the great contributions that women make to society.

In the movie, we also got to see a girls debate competition and its participant's view on the subject of being an unspoken woman. Moreover, we got the chance to see the campaign efforts of a New Hampshire Senator as she ran for office. Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin were also mentioned in the film. What all the women shared in this video was the determination to represent and share their opinions with the world.

After, the video was over we got into a little discussion of the issues and themes that it presented. One very interesting thing that Ms. Hidalgo said while she was speaking to us is that for a woman it is necessary to hear the words, "run for office," or something along those lines, at least six/seven times for them to listen. Therefore, throughout the time she spent with us she told us that around four times and Kisa told us once. I guess we all just need around one or more of these encouragements and we will be off for mayor or something (according to her fact). In addition, Ms. Hidalgo mentioned what exactly is viewed or criticized in women politicians. She mentioned how a lot of attention is placed on their wardrobe and femininity.

The time passed and it turned out that today we went for lunch at around 12:20 PM instead of 12:00 PM. Nevertheless, it was well worth it.

After lunch time, we had two more guest speakers, this time from Youth in Action, a non-profit organization from Providence. They spoke to us about their organization and its history. In addition, they went into detail on some of their actions and goals. To me this organization sounds like a really active one, but it is only located here in Providence. One of my classmates spoke about beginning another one of these organizations in Chicago, which to me does not sound bad at all. One speaker said that they would surely gladly aid if that became the case. According, to what they told us the organization really aims to help youth in different manners from expression to activism.

Class ended around 3:30 PM as always. Today, however, there was an event planned just for students like us, the ILC, that came here to Brown through some program. It was great to meet a couple of new people, eat pizza, and speak to first generation students as many of us are. The Brown students that were present told us a bit about themselves and their history. Afterwards, we were divided up into three different groups in which one or two of the students answered some of the questions we had asked through index cards when we had first arrived. The student who lead the group I was on was coincidentally from San Leandro, California! She was really nice and informative, just as Ryan, one of the organizers of the Leadership academy, and the other college grads in the room.

More to come later!!

If you want to see the video that we watched today in class follow the link below:

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/437/index.html

Mondays.

2010-07-20T10:20:00.001-07:00

Mondays. The beginning of a week. Often, the day that most students wish didn’t exist.

My Monday was pretty good. During class, I couldn’t stop talking while we were sharing our interviews. I was so proud and happy to be sharing my mom’s (and my own) views on feminism that I completely forgot that I was supposed to be stepping back, and I talked. A lot.

It was also really eye-opening and inspiring to learn about everybody else’s mothers (as the majority of the class did interview their respective mothers) and see that they share many of the same views.

It differed from country to country, but there was a lot of common ground, I thought.

Later in the day, for an evening activity, we watched the film Iron Jawed Angels, starring Hilary Swank. I was much more impressed with Vera Farmiga’s supporting role in the film, myself. On the whole, it was a really good movie that brought to mind what I really think of when I think of true feminism: the suffrage movement, and the struggle for equal rights. That’s a feminism I can be proud of.

Monday was probably the most eye opening day of this entire course so far, and I’m really glad we did what we did.

Another Fun, Busy Day

2010-07-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

We started out the day by discussing the weekend's readings. We began in small groups and moved on to a discussion with the entire group. Kisa asked for a volunteer to facilitate the entire group, but I didn't raise my hand because I had just run our small group meeting. Just my luck - since nobody raised their hand at all, Kisa immediately chose me. I grinned and went up to the front of the class. The discussion went extremely well; I asked several open-ended questions and just directed the flow of conversation towards people who hadn't spoken up much before. Kisa stopped us when we ran out of time, and later she joked that I should be the one running the class!

Later we watched a short film in which young black children were shown two dolls - one black, one white - and asked to choose which one was better behaved, smarter, and prettier. In 15 out of 21 cases, the children picked the white doll. The clip illustrated how stereotypes become internalized both by those who are stereotyped and the rest of society.

The rest of class time was spent at the computer stations about a block away from our classroom. I finished all of my monologue, and I only have to rehearse to make sure that it's smooth. I learned a lot more about Rigoberta Menchu. I never knew that Spanish wasn't actually her first language, though she lived in Guatemala. She was Mayan, so she learned an indigenous dialect before Spanish. It shows that even if you have language barriers, you should still believe in yourself and your dreams. It was very nice to be able to use the practically new computers just by logging in with my Brown ID. I also quickly met with Kisa in order to go over my Action Plan once again. She thought it was a great idea, and I can't wait to present my idea to the panel on Friday. The whole process of research, preparation, and presentation will be exciting!

The evening activity consisted of watching a movie called "Iron Jawed Angels" about the women's suffrage movement. The pictures above show us getting ready to walk to the movie.

The movie was lots of fun. The soundtrack didn't seem to go with the movie, but it really brought my attention to how much the early women's rights pioneers truly struggled to gain what we have now. It's striking that only about 60-70% of women now utilize those rights to actually vote. I think that everyone who can should try to participate fully in our democracy.

When I was about to take a shower, I realized that I was almost out of clean clothes. I didn't want to forget to do laundry tomorrow, so I went down to the basement with Selene so that we could combine our loads. Unfortunately, the card reader connected to the washing machines was broken. We tried going into other dorms to do our laundry there, but we couldn't get in, and anyways the people who lived there said that their card readers were broken too. So we scrounged and exchanged money with people to finally get enough change to wash and dry two loads.

Today was a very productive yet enjoyable day. I hope tomorrow is just as good.

Action Plan, Monologue, Pizza, What Else Could There Be?

2010-07-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

So much goes on in one day at Brown. For example, today I decided to sleep in for a bit so that I could rest a bit more. When the time came and I knew if I slept even a little bit more I would be late I woke up. Plus, I had to go to the library to go print out a summary of an interview I had conducted.

I walked all the way to and fro the Rockefeller Library where there are printers. Each black and white copy costs ten cents, not a bad price. The hard part of printing was figuring out how to do it. The librarian, one of the lady's on the front desk, and another nice woman who was printing where of great help. In the end, I was able to print and so I headed for class.

In class, we had discussions concerning our first interview and the assigned reading. Previous to the discussion Kisa, the professor, passed back our journals, which she had looked over and commented.

After our discussions we headed to the the CIT, Center Information Technology, so that we could use the computer for whatever we needed. Some people decided to work on their monologue, others their action plan. At the same time, that we were at the CIT we had to meet with Kisa in regards to our Action Plan.

We spent a great deal of time in the CIT, which was really awesome. They had both PC's and Mac's so that people could use them. When lunch came around we realized it had begun to rain, so we had to cancel our plans to go to the V-Dub and instead we had to go to the Sharpe Refectory. We all got a bit wet, some of us were not wearing the correct shoes or clothes and some of us did not even have an umbrella on us.

Once I went to see Kisa, she really questioned what I am planning to do, which really helped me identify the aspects that I still need to work on.

Class ended so I headed back to the dorms and started a bit of my reading assignment while it came time for our evening activity, which was to go watch "Iron Jawed Angels." The movie was only going to be shown to the Women and Leadership students because the other students in the leadership academy were going to watch their own movie depending on their class. For example, my friend Vanessa, was going to watch "Food Inc." because of her class called Food Fights. I also went to dinner and it was a blast. I even met a girl named Rebecca, or becca as she prefers. She told us all about herself and we introduced ourselves. She apparently will only be here for a week and today was her first day in class.

After dinner we only waited for a bit as 6:20 PM came and it was time to meet in front of Harkness in order to go watch the movie. I really liked the movie and it showed clearly the struggle of women to get the right to vote. In addition it showed the cruelty of peoples' response to this idea, especially that of men. I really disliked how the women were treated in prison and how the police completely abused of their power. They were incorrectly charged because they were not distracting traffic they were expressing their point of view. However, in the end it was great to hear that their efforts and sacrifices were worth it and women could vote.

When, the movie finished we went back to the dorm and as I was beginning to think about doing my reading, Irene came by and asked if I needed to do laundry. I really needed to and even though I was waiting for Vanessa to come back, so I could get my laptop from her room and do my blog, I left. I decided to ask Diana if she could please do me the favor of getting my laptop for me and then I would come and pick it up.

The only dilemma we faced for doing laundry was that the card reading machine was out of order, so we had to use quarters. In the end, we were able to get enough quarters. As we washed I read and had a conversation with Alexa, Irene's little sister.

For now I have to go to sleep so until next time!!

Tomorrow I am Jane Addams

2010-07-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I am to present a woman who I found amazing through monologue as her. I choose Jane Addams because as I sat trying to remember women who were amazing Jane Addams accomplishments that I learned in the beginning of 8th grade came flowing through my mind. She is an amazing woman. Her goal to improve the life of immigrants through charity and education were fulfilled through the Hull House and the many social reforms she helped with in the Progressive Era. I find that she did so much good and was the first domino in a line of great and needed social reform to fall amazing. I am trying to say things the way the accomplish writer, Jane Addams, would.

It rained a bit today but over all the weather was nice. I like that there is a great diversity of characteristics.

I facilitated a discussion in class today; it was fun. However, I think next time I should try to ask more engaging open-ended questions to try to have those who are more shy to participate. I just need to find out what they think is captivating.

Here are some pictures from pervious activities.

I look forward to the experience of doing the monologue but not actually doing it.

Iron Jawed Angels Motivation

2010-07-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

I was awakened by my alarm clock at 8 AM. I was glad I put my alarm on because I probably would have overslept. So I got up, took a shower, and headed off to the Ratty to go eat breakfast. Guadalupe was still in her room, so I walked with her to the Ratty. It took me a while to completely wake up, but as soon as I ate my cereal I got energetic.

After I was done eating, I walked back to class. Kisa broke us up into groups of 3 in where we talked about our interviews. I was with Cara and Chelsea. We noticed that all of our interviewees said that woman have come a long way, but that we still need to strive to get more.

After about 15 minutes of discussing our interviews, Kisa chose Irene to be the facilitator for the whole class. It was a good discussion in where I found out that many of the women interviewed didn't consider themselves feminists. Some women didn't really know what feminism is. Others believed that it meant that women were trying to be too independent and say that men aren't needed. I completely disagree with that belief, but it showed me that everyone has their own definition of feminism.

Then Kisa asked us to discuss the reading. This time I decided to be the facilitator in my group. We all liked the women timeline because it was a good way to see what has happened over the years. One thing that I did not like from the reading was a quote that Nixon said that women should not be allowed in government because we are more sentimental than men. This made me upset because it reminded me of some sensitive men that I know. My nephew is a really sensitive boy. He gets so emotional when watching sad movies that he cries. I don't find anything wrong in that, but it upsets me when other family members try to make him stop crying by telling him that boys aren't allowed to cry. It also made me angry that Nixon assumed that just because women are sentimental it means that we shouldn't be in politics. However, this was to show how far women have come along and have changed society's views. It brought up some good discussion points during class.

After we were done sharing our ideas as a large group, we went to the CIT building to get time to use the computers and do research. I managed to finish my Amazing Woman monologue and start on my action plan. However, I'm still not typing all of my Action Plan today since I will meet with My and talk more about it.

Then the clock turned to noon. I had not noticed that it was actually raining outside until Selene told me it was. I was just really happy that I had carried my umbrella in my backpack, so I wouldn't get wet. Oddly, I decided to wear tennis shoes today and it turned out to be a wise decision. However, I learned that I need to check the weather news more often. In the morning it looked sunny. Even though it was raining, it was still really humid. I liked that.

During lunch, Irene, Selene, Chelsea, Lydia, and I went to the Ratty to eat. We had fun talking and eating ice cream. Then we went back to the CIT building to continue doing research.

In the afternoon, I had some time to talk with Kisa about my Action Plan. She helped me narrow it down. I plan on doing it on increasing college awareness beyond just the UC system. I want to talk to motivated students about smaller colleges, Liberal colleges, and other colleges. I am aware that many students at my school get discouraged about private colleges because they know they are more expensive. However, I want to inform them that a private college can actually cost less than a UC because there is more financial aid available. My told me that when she was in high school she did a similar project so she is able to help me.

After class was over, we all walked back to our dorms to leave our stuff. Then Lina, Ritika, Trina, Tierra, and the other girls and I walked over to Starbucks. Once again, I bought an iced green tea. Then we all headed back to our room to do our work.

All the Women and Leadership students met outside of Harkness at 6:20 PM. We went to go see a mandatory movie named "Iron Jawed Angels". This was actually my second time seeing it, but I still find it to be an amazing movie. Alice Paul and the women during that era really fought for women rights. This makes me appreciate what I have even more because it reminds me that women struggled so much to get to where we are today. It is a really great and inspirational movie.

Interviews and Epiphanies.

2010-07-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday. Sunday. The end and beginning of a week.

While new students poured in, I remembered what it was like for me, just a week ago, not knowing anyone, wondering how classes would be.

I thought back on my week. I was now halfway done with this program. Where was I as opposed to one week ago?

I’ll tell you.

Although I’ve expressed my opinions on the class already, I do think so far it’s been an interesting and valuable learning experience, and I’m so glad I decided to do it.

The people I’ve met have been incredible, and it’s insane how every single day I continue to meet more people, make new friends, and connections.

Tonight is movie night, and we’ll be watching a film called Iron Jawed Angels, with Hilary Swank, so we’ll see how that goes.

Yesterday I completed an interview with my mother for the class. I asked her many questions about her experiences growing up as a woman, her opinion of feminism, etcetera.

It surprised me to see how much of my mother’s daughter I really am. I thought back to the interview process that got me into this program. I remember telling the interviewers that it’s said that you always turn into your mother, and even though many girls dread that, I look forward to it.

They chuckled, but I was entirely serious. And while interviewing my mom, I realized that we are so much of the same person, but I came to be that person on my own. My mom ever tried to force her beliefs on me, tell me how to think, or say I had to do this or that.

I grew into the person I am until her careful guidance, but I came into how I am on my own. And that is the most incredible gift a parent can give their child.

Fire in Water

2010-07-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday I slept, ate, did homework inside, outside, and at the library, went to the city and went to a dance party.

The John D. Rockefeller library was amazing. I have never seen so many books in my life. Whenever I saw a really old book, I would touch the spine in amazement. That library is very cool and in tempter wise as well. Unlike the dorms, it has air conditioning. The science library has a very nice secluded section of Macs.

In the city, I saw a bunch of mini bonfires held in black cages placed in a river with Diana, my roommate, Selene, Bianchi, and I. The place was packed with people taking pictures and walking around. You could hear romantic music being played.

Dunkin’ Donuts gave out free samples to a mad crowd eager for free food/drink. The blue glop in a small clear plastic cup was not bad. Dunkin’ Donuts is quite the rage here in the East Coast.

After we watch the firelight reflecting in the dark water we walked back to Brown where there was a dance party for a fake wedding. It was Ok.

Today I did homework and laundry. On Saturday, I did Friday and Saturday’s reading assignments so today I only did Sunday's. I now know my action plan. After many of my ideas were slaughtered by logistics I was left with an area I could do. I talked to my Young Woman president from church on facebook as to what she saw was needed. She said trust and I formed my plan to invite everyone and play some trust games, of which I have played many. I hope that this will build trust.
I took this picture of myself by myself.

Relaxing Sunday

2010-07-18T18:46:00.001-07:00

I woke up really late today. It was already noon! I feel like I have recovered all the lost sleep. Since I was not done with my interview with my sister, I woke up to work on it. I typed up her responses to my questions and then I added my personal response to them.

The assignment could be either typed or hand written, but I decided to type mine. When I was done with my interview paper, I met with Thara to go to the library. Since I didn't really know how to print my paper, Desarae the librarian helped me. I first had to insert my Brown University card and then select the paper I wanted to print. When I had tried to do it on my own I would insert the card afterwards when it asked to pay, but then it wouldn't print. So today I learned how to print papers at Brown. It is actually pretty simple. All I needed was 15 cents for a two page copy.

After I had my copy, Thara had to put money on her card so she could be able to print tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, the card machines were not working. So she was not able to put money in her card.

Since I had missed breakfast, I went to Starbucks to get a tall Iced Green Tea. The drink really made me wake up and get active. However, drinking the tea was not the only thing I had for breakfast/lunch. I actually had some fruit and a piece of bread. I was not that hungry since I had some snacks in my room such as granola bars.

Then I came back to my room and worked on my women monologue project. Since I have a single I felt a little lonely, so I decided to go to the Rockefeller Library with Selene, Irene, Brianchi, and Guadalupe. I was able to look up books on Oprah Winfrey to get more information for my research. The library has a program called "Josiah" in where we can type in what we are looking for and it gives us the location of the books. This made my life easier because I was able to locate the books really easily. This reminded me of the Richmond Public Library back home. Except that this library was really pretty! I wish I had my camera with me at that moment to take pictures of the library.

After we were done gathering our books, we decided to go eat. I was glad we were going to eat because I was getting a little hungry. Then we headed back to our building because we were going to have a mandatory floor meeting with Christine, our RA.

In the meeting we went over our past week at Brown University. Christine asked us to write about what we liked and disliked about the program so far. Many of the girls liked the Ropes Activity, the Diversity Activity, and getting to meet new people. The vast majority did not like that there is a lot of reading so we have to go to bed late. Christine suggested that we should start earlier on our homework or try to get ahead on our reading if we have time. Then she had us write what we hoped for in the next week and what we were nervous about. Almost everyone wrote that they were nervous about the action plan presentation on Friday.

After we were done with that activity, Christine surprised us by getting cake to celebrate some of the girls birthdays from this week. It was fun. Guadalupe and Trina even started singing and dancing. Then when we were all done with our cake, we head back to our rooms. I actually ended up going to Guadalupe's room and relaxing for a while.

At 9:45 PM, I had a meeting with My in where we discussed my idea for my action plan. She was really helpful and encouraged me to try to work with Guadalupe since we both want to work on something having to do with education.

After I was done talking with My, I came to Lina's room in where it was filled with girls watching a movie. I stayed there for a while until it was time to go back to my floor and check in with Christine.

Overall, it was a pretty fun and relaxing day. I am ready for class tomorrow. We will be working more on our monologue and on our action plan.

Food, Shopping, Library, Food, Meeting, and Interview

2010-07-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

The title of my blog today pretty much sums my day up. I woke up pretty late, so I missed breakfast, on purpose, I really wanted to rest and plus after a week of pasta, potato, and bread you can get full. Now I am both seeing and realizing what Session One Brownies were talking about. Seriously, I am kind of getting tired of the food, but then again I have been eating the same thing everyday for the past seven or so days. It isn't that the food quality diminished it is more like my appetite is the one that is diminishing. I will start eating a more healthy diet instead of all those carbohydrates.

Continuing onto a more pleasant subject, I went to the library today more specifically the Rockefeller Library. It was huge with tons and maybe in reality tons of books. It was amazing and awing to walk through those aisles and see that all around me where books and more books. It was really quiet inside which gave it a much more studious feeling like all library's I have been to. The reason for my trip was not only to check it out, but in order to find some sources for my woman monologue project. The woman that I chose to do this project on is Dolores Huerta, who worked side by side with Cesar Chavez. She is not that well known, even though her contributions to the cause made an immense impact in the lives of agricultural workers today and that of future generations as well. Even though the library was pretty big the online catalog really helped me find the books I needed. The librarians, one of which I asked for help, was really nice and approachable person. She generously directed me towards the location of the book I sought. I spent quiet a long time there. I had initially arrived with Bianchi, but later joined up with Irene, Guadalupe, and Lucero. It took me some time to find the material I sought and some extra time to look over the books. While I was helping Guadalupe look for a book on Hispanics because she was looking for information on Sonia Sotomayor, which there was barely any to be exact Guadalupe only found one book. It is kind of weird because after all she is on the Supreme Court. Moving along at the library I took the time to call my teacher, Teresa Boardman, in order to schedule some time for me to interview her for a class project. She gladly agreed and we scheduled it for tonight. Then we, Lucero, Guadalupe, Irene, and I, headed for dinner at the V-Dub.

At the V-Dub we met up with Lydia, Vanessa, Diana, and Bianchi. Our dinner conversation was quiet entertaining and fun. However, then someone noticed that it was 6:45 PM and we had a meeting with our RA at 7:00 PM. We, Vanessa, Diana, Lucero, and I, bolted out the dining hall towards our dorm. We seriously hurried and fortunately got to our respective floors on time, which was 6:57 PM. That was really close timing. My meeting started late though because we had a three people come late and we needed everyone present.

Once at the meeting we all discussed our week, through the game Roses and Thorns. As can be assumed roses symbolize the pluses of the week and thorns the negatives. After, everyone got their turn we answered six questions which also pertained to our week. We answered the questions anonymously and then we read someone else's paper without knowing whose it was. Our RA, Priya listened carefully and asked questions and comments concerning the responses. She emphasized, due to the fact that some people reported feeling little support during free time, the need for us to be inclusive. From what people wrote and talked about they really are looking forward to having fun, like I am too. I am also thinking about my Action Plan which is due this week! After, the meeting Priya handed me an envelope and inside was an invitation for an event for the students that like I are here because of some program. The Ivy League Connection was actually listed as one of the programs, which is so cool. The event is to take place this Tuesday, so now I have plans for Tuesday too. I said "too" because on Wednesday we are to meet with Mercedes.

After, the meeting Lydia, Vanessa, Diana, Biachi, and I, went outside on the front lawn to study and hang out for a bit before curfew came. We ended up a bit worried because Vanessa got a bit sick, but luckily she got checked and everything was apparently well.

I then returned to my room to call my teacher back in Richmond, California for the interview. Before we actually got to it we talked a bit and it was terrific. It was great to hear her and it was a great experience to interview her. The interview concerned her perspective on women and leadership and I loved her answers.

Well for now I am of to sleep!!

No Furniture So Charming as Books...

2010-07-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

...is what Sydney Smith said about the library, where I spent most of my day today. It's not exactly the most fun one can do on a hot, sunny Sunday, but it was something I knew I had to do.

I had a nice full night's rest, something that has been hard to do during the weekend. The day was nice, so I headed out with my roommate, Kristi, to CVS to stock up on necessities. I'm very glad that stores are within walking distance on Thayer Street, which looks a lot like Telegraph Avenue by the UC Berkeley campus back home in California.

College life is becoming much easier to accustom myself to. Although I am not experiencing the entire college adventure just yet, I'm sampling a taste of it. I can't say that I'm not anxious to go to college, I really am, but at the same time, it's a bit frightening. Although you have the liberty to do as you please and go wherever you want, there are always consequences. The friends you meet, the places you go, the amount of work that you do are all all based on your own decisions. I guess it's just a matter of making the right choices; nobody wants to end up regretting something they did.

After lunch, Irene, Selene, Bianchi (our friend from New Orleans) and I headed to the Rockefeller library, as I mentioned in my earlier blog. The library was big and also very modern, unlike the dorms which are old and plain-looking. But hey who's complaining? People do not come to Brown for the dorms, but rather for its education.

One of the rooms in the library

Looking around...

Studying

One of the many rows and rows of books.

Reading is fun.

It was rather rather difficult to find books on Sonia Sotomayor, something extremely surprising to me, seeing as it is an Ivy League library and yet, they don't contain a biography on a very prestigious woman. I even asked for help at the counter and no luck still. The only thing I found was a book about baseball and law. Sotomayor was involved with several situations in America's pastime sport, so at least one book was found.

Gathering from my experience at the library, I can definitely say that research will be difficult to do once I am in college, especially if it means looking for something that is not well-known or rare to find. I hope I can learn how to effectively do research, especially if there are people willing to help me along in this transition of high school-level work to university-level work. Of course, it'll be my duty to look for these resources to utilize.

On another note, I learned that I cannot use the extension cable Don gave us. I received a notification that extension cords are not allowed in residence halls by the health and safety inspector. There was no big issue, I just had to remove it immediately. I do not want to know what happens if I leave it connected.

Another day, another night at Brown University.

So Much To Do, So Little Time (Plus, I Love Libraries!)

2010-07-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

I slept until noon today. I woke up fully recovered from the past week and ready to hit the books. Lupe and I went by the V-Dub to grab lunch (because I missed breakfast) and walked up Thayer Street to buy some necessities at CVS. On the way there, we ducked into a small clothes store and saw this ridiculous sweater that had a useless zipper.

After having a good laugh about the silly sweater, we made our way back to the dorm to pick up backpacks and laptops. Today is an extra-warm day and we didn't want to be stuck in the dorms, so we walked to the John D. Rockefeller Library to do research for our Action Plans and our Amazing Woman monologues. I chose Rigoberta Menchu because I don't know much about her except that she was an important leader in indigenous rights. She also played basketball with my mom at 2 AM many years ago, and I've heard the story several times, so her name has been in the back of my head. Now I have the opportunity to learn much more about her and spread my knowledge.

This library has five floors and a seemingly endless supply of books. It's like heaven for me! I searched "Rigoberta Menchu" on the Brown online book catalog and almost 40 books showed up just on the first page. I wrote down most of them until I got to about the tenth one, then I realized that no matter how interesting they sound, I won't have time to read all of them. Instead, I went up to the third floor and found five books that were at the top of my list. I wish I could take this whole library with me everywhere I go. I would never be bored.

I'll spend the rest of the afternoon studying and doing research. At 7 PM, we have a floor meeting or a class meeting of some kind. I like the evening meetings, but in a way, they're a pain because they make it hard to do anything recreational in the evenings. There's a poetry slam going on tonight and a yoga class tomorrow night, but we can't go because of the meetings. Oh well. I still love it here.

Brownie Explorers

2010-07-18T09:48:00.001-07:00

Time Management. I think that's the important thing one has to deal with when on weekends. You know you have to do work, but at the same time, you want to socialize. Fortunately, I came to balance the two.

Most of the day, I spent time studying and catching up on the reading with Irene and several of our new friends. I got most of the reading done, so that's a big relief.

Study groups, as I've observed, can go either way: you can manage to get your work done because everyone prioritizes homework above all else, or you find yourself slacking off because your friends can't stop talking about famous chefs. Luckily, I was with people who preferred the former. Not that there's anything wrong with the latter, but it's easier to concentrate when you're not talking about how good the cakes on Cake Boss look.

After hours of hard work and munching on cookies, we decided to head to the WaterFire event. I've never seen it before and everyone told me how great it was. I hear that thousands and thousands of people come out to join in on the celebration.

There are so many things to do out here: concerts, shopping, socializing, dancing, singing and the list goes on and on. The WaterFire was a beautiful performance: serene and mystic, although the heat wasn't making the hot, humid weather any better. There were lots of vendors that sold food and souvenirs. There was a Dunkin' Donuts vendor as always. People here love donuts.

The river for Waterfire

One of the many bridges that cross the river.

The people who light the fire.

Reach!

One of the fire cauldrons up close

Cheese!

Although it's great to step out of the campus to explore Providence, it has its drawbacks. It's quite easy to get lost if you don't memorize at least a couple of street names in Providence. They have interesting names such as Benevolent, Hope, Prospect, and Friendship Street. Talk about optimistic neighborhoods. Taking the bus was easy; finding our way back, however, was not. In the end, we walked back to the campus, a disgruntled decision we all made. Walking up College Hill is not exactly enjoyable.

Group Shot...can you say diverse?

By the water...

Summer@Brown was hosting a dance in Keeney Quad, a housing on campus. Theme: Wedding Crashers. It was fun, I have to say. It was one of the few things we are able to attend since the Leadership Institute requires us to attend evening activities and weekend ones as well.

Dance, dance.

That is the only con to being in a leadership class; you sacrifice free time for learning. It's not bad or anything, but participating in these other activities and workshops would benefit us by allowing us to branch out and experience new things. However, this type of program surpasses the other activities in terms of life-long skills and effective community change.

Today, so far, is going well. Irene and I are in the John D. Rockefeller Library (fondly known as the "Rock"), studying and gathering resources to prepare ourselves for the monologue we are to present this week. I chose Sonia Sotomayor, a woman who inspires to never let prejudices and ethnic background stop me from accomplishing my dreams. Of course, there are many others who do the same, but Sotomayor is extraordinary beyond my words.

Time to explore the library.