The Saga Ends

Today was our final day in Providence, Rhode Island. Much like the day when most of our friends departed, this day was little sad. We really got close with cohort two. They pretty much grew on us like our siblings. They asked us questions and we gave them feedback because we have already experienced something that they shall shortly experience. I cannot reiterate this enough, but this group of young ladies is quite the special bunch. I know that they will fully take advantage of the opportunities that have and are being presented before them. They will bring back to WCCUSD a new and innovative leadership style all while progressing and continuing to grow into women hood.
This morning we all had brunch at Brown’s alumni house. We were joined by a plethora of alumni, Dean Rose, professors, and some admissions officers. The House was magnificently beautiful. This just shows that Brown cares about its’ students even if they are the class of 1980 or even further back. It was great to interact with so many intelligent and highly esteemed members of the Brown community. After the lovely brunch Adrianne, and Mariko gave very riveting and inspirational speeches about the legacy of Brown, and what they will bring back to their respective communities. The final speaker was a professor of Organic chemistry by the name of Jason Sello. He received his bachelors from Morehouse and his Ph.D. from Harvard. He had a very extensive and impressive list of accomplishments, but he did not brag about them. He said in order to be successful you have to have audacity. My interpretation of this statement was that you have to put no limits, or in economics terms no price/expectation ceilings. You should have confidence in yourself and aim for the highest goals.
After this fabulous afternoon, we escorted the ladies back down to Hotel Providence to grab their belongings. We said our goodbyes, and wished them good luck as they made their way to Brown for their Women in Leadership program. It was a little sad because this point marked the beginning of their journey, but the end of ours. But passing the torch is part of the Ivy League experience.
We arrived to the airport, and during our flights I was truly able to reflect on this whole experience. I understand that this program is not about me or any of the other 30 or 40 some ILC students. This program is about helping the other 30,000 students in our district. I believe I will start helping those in my district at Pinole Middle. Hopefully other ILC students will join me in these endeavors. I will expand upon this more in my reflective blog. Also while on the plane, I saw one of my floor mates from Brown. It was a pleasure and like icing on the cake to see someone from the program again, even though it has only been a couple of days. Well we arrived safely back to the Bay Area. It was great to see my family after being away from them for four weeks. We have all really missed our families and our families really missed us too. My East coast journey for 2011 has finally ended, but the memories and learning experience will always be with me.