Saturday, June 4, 2011

Hey Dad, I'm Not Crazy!

At 5:50 last Thursday night, my dad was absolutely convinced that I was out of my mind. I rushed him out of the house while our dinner was still on the stove, all the while explaining that when Mr. Ramsey, Ms. Kronenberg, and Mr. Gosney request your presence for an ILC orientation at 6:30 PM, they really mean 6:15, or possibly 6:00. (This might be challenging when I need to arrive at El Cerrito High around 3:30 AM to take a shuttle to the airport!) When we arrived at the ECHS library we were half an hour early, but there was already a host of people there. We signed in, sat down, and settled in for a long evening full of important announcements, inspiring speeches, and last-minute scheduling adjustments.

Ms. Kronenberg and Mr. Ramsey opened the meeting by briefly speaking about attendance and punctuality. Amazingly, they were commending us about our promptness, as opposed to scolding unlucky latecomers for tardiness. This was no small feat; the orientation encompassed every group in the ILC, so there were that many more people who might potentially be late. After these comments, everyone settled down to business. Ms. Kronenberg reminded us about our responsibilities as ambassadors of the WCCUSD and participants of the Ivy League Connection. Despite her teasing tone, Ms. Kronenberg was quite serious. I know I’ll be sure to blog daily, to prevent her from chasing after me! Of course, I was planning to do that anyway.


Eventually, we split up into our breakout groups. Ms. Williams, our chaperone for Brown Session II, and Kiana Ward, an ECHS alum and a rising junior at Brown University, made sure that we were well prepared for all that we might encounter over the summer. Mr. Ramsey, who will be staying with us for the six or so days before class starts, dropped in to discuss our busy schedule. We will be touring college campuses every day from Wednesday to Saturday!

After our breakout sessions we all returned to the ECHS library. Ava, Caroline, and I attempted to establish a good time of day to go running while at Brown (early in the morning!). There were a few last reminders, and we were free to go. Despite its length, the orientation was one of my favorite ILC events because all the various ILC cohorts attended. It is fun and inspiring to see all of the other students and hear about their programs.

As I left the meeting, my mind was whirling. I was thinking about what I would write in my blog, deciding where I would find crucial items for this summer like surge protectors, and whether or not I would need to borrow a desk lamp from Don. Most of all, I was anticipating my trip to Brown, which begins in just over one month!

1 comment:

  1. Hahahaha. I love the introduction. You're totally sane; arriving late to an ILC event is something you just don't do. (Ouch at the 3:30 AM shuttle time!!)

    Like I wrote on Erin Miller's post, the college visits will be exciting (most of them, I think, depending on whether you like the schools or not). It's also nice to get an idea of what you like in a college, even though you're not quite at "crunch time" for college apps (going into senior year).

    I don't think you'll need a desk lamp for Brown - I didn't get one there. I don't remember if one was provided by the university or not, but in any case the existing lighting was fine. Of course, it all depends on your personal preference.

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