Decisions, Decisions...

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.

Final Reflection on the 2010 Symposium for Social Action

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.

Second to Last Day of Class and Self Defense

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!

There's Always Someone There to Help

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.

Pizza and Women in Politics!!

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

Ups and Downs

Today's events were extremely varied. I had to rush to get out of the Hotel Providence, because we were going to check in early at the Brown summer program and then go immediately to a formal brunch with the Latino and African-American Brown alumni association. I took the fastest shower I've ever taken and ran down to the lobby with my bags. After all that, we had to wait for about half an hour for Ms. Kronenberg to take us to Brown in her rental car. The reason it took so long was because a triathlon was taking place in the city and many major streets were blocked off. It also took us an hour to get to campus. Registration also took at least an hour. I didn't realize there were so many students in the Summer@Brown program!

I learned much more from the alumni brunch than I thought I would. Mercedes Domenech (Brown admissions officer) and Joan Khattab (Wellesley alum and spouse of a Brown alum) both gave me very valuable information and advice about my college search. We will probably have an informal lunch with them this week to bond and talk further. I'm really grateful that they are reaching out to us, and that they recognize us reaching out to them.

When it came time to move in, I thought I was ahead of the crowd because I already had a fan and sheets. I was wrong. The rest of the group went to purchase those items while I stayed with Ms. Stewart. We didn't realize that they would be leaving campus to get these, since they were available for rent through Brown! Unfortunately, Ms. Stewart and I had to wait for more than two hours in the hot, humid weather. My wool dress skirt, my fancy blouse, and my new blazer were all sticking to my skin, and even my extra-comfortable foot-massage heels were starting to hurt just from the heat and the time spent standing up. We tried searching for them in the dorms and throughout the whole registration line, and Ms. Stewart must have made at least 15 calls during that time. In the end though, it all worked out, and I eventually got my bags and the knowledge that my friends were safe in their dorms too.

The stress wasn't over, though. I had left my wallet, my Brown ID, and all my registration information in Ms. Kronenberg's car. I couldn't believe I had just jeopardized my whole stay at Brown so quickly, when I had just been thinking about others being so neglectful. I went to orientation with my mind racing. After multiple tries, Ms. Stewart finally reached Ms. Kronenberg through Mr. Ramsey and brought me my wallet. I'm so thankful that she went through all that effort to bring it to me.

My new roommate is really cool! Her name is Janice, and she's from Hong Kong but she goes to German Swiss International School. I think we will get along great. The room is very nice, too. It has plenty of space, so it doesn't feel cramped at all. The day ended on a very good note.

My new bed, with my laptop's Internet running on my newly activated Brown wireless account

My new desk

Compare and Contrast

Harvard University was the only school we visited today. I knew what to look for by now - not only rigorous academics and many opportunities outside the classroom, but that special spark that told me students genuinely loved their school. I definitely got the sense of Harvard's intensive academic curriculum, and their giant selection of clubs and groups. But instead of feeling like most of this activity was being done for the sake of learning, I felt like most of the student presenters and tour guides participated in the classes and extracurriculars they did to impress others. For example, they might have their eye on med school throughout all their undergraduate years, and wouldn't end up  enjoying their classes and getting enriched as much as they could be for that reason. For me, Wellesley has that special spark, and from what I know about Brown, it does too. I'll learn about that in the next two weeks! I think Harvard is definitely the best or one of the best universities in the world, but it's not a perfect fit for me. I appreciate the info session and the tour, though, because I wouldn't have considered it nearly as much if I hadn't gone.

When we got back to the hotel, we had to grab our packed bags, stow some of them in Mr. Ramsey's and Ms. Kronenberg's car, and then take a cab to the train station. We were going to Providence! As soon as we got inside the building, a thunderstorm hit. Of course, it was still more than 75 degrees while it was pouring curtains of water. I took my laptop on the train and worked a little bit on my personal statement draft. Sue Kim, our college counselor through the ILC, asked us to have it done on the 10th, but the deadline is flexible. I'm glad that it is, since my schedule was packed before I came on this trip and now it's even more packed. I'll probably have a later draft that I can email in a day or two. The point of getting a draft out now is to have more time later to revise and improve my personal statement, which is a crucial part of my college application.

We arrived in Providence and my eyes immediately snapped to this rainbow flag over a church. As El Cerrito HS Gay-Straight Alliance President and as a person, it's good to know that Providence is a city that encourages open minds. I really liked the two icons, which most people might think is a contrast. That's not necessarily true. I think this picture is beautiful.

 

We had dinner at Mill's Tavern with the Brown Session I kids, both chaperones, Mr. Ramsey, and Ms. Kronenberg. I got to talk with them about their experience with Summer@Brown. All said not to focus so much on the classes (of course try your best) but to look at the entire experience and try new things. I'll keep their advice in mind.