Heading Off

Today was full of activity! I went to bed at eight o' clock last night to prepare for the early start that I knew I would be making this morning. My alarm went off at 2:15 AM, at which point I rolled out of bed and got ready, being sure to double check that I had everything that I needed.

When my mom and I pulled up to El Cerrito High School, there were barely any lights, but we could make out the group of my fellow ILCers, their families, Mr. Hillyer, and Don gathered in the front. Don had us sign a few last minute forms, weighed our luggage, and doled out some essentials that we might not have thought of, as well as some more information about what the following three weeks will be like and what will be expected of us. Once he had snapped a group picture, the five of us took off in the airport shuttle to SFO.

We arrived at the airport on time, but it took us awhile to finally make it to our gate. The security line in particular set us back a half an hour or so. We had anticipated that we would have time for breakfast, but once we made it through, it was time to board the plane! Our group was seated all together, so we unfortunately didn't get to make any new connections during the flight. I spent the five hours reading and looking down at the tiny farms and cities below us.

The view from the window seat as the plane finished its ascent

Our landing was a bit difficult, as it was pretty rough and we had to circle back around after the first 

My first impression of Philadelphia

attempt. As someone who tends to get motion sick, I just had to breathe through it. It helped to watch as we approached the Delaware River from New Jersey, and Philadelphia came into view. Mr. Hillyer pointed out some famous buildings to me, as well as the UPenn campus!

We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel, which was a quick ride. When we were checking in, we noticed that the hotel was currently hosting the Organ Historical Convention, which meant that the lobby and the elevators were more crowded than usual. Diana, Kamillah, and I will be sharing a room for the next couple of nights, and we took a few moments to get settled in before heading back out to grab a bite to eat. Mr. Hillyer took us to a pizza joint across the street, which was great. We browsed the UPenn bookstore as well, and walked around the area surrounding our hotel for a bit. Then we returned, and Diana, Kamillah, and I looked around at the facilities such as the lounge, pool, and gym.

The real highlight of the day was meeting Dyana So, a former ILCer who just graduated from UPenn and is now working as an admissions counselor there. Together we went out for a gelato, and Dyana shared her experience as a member of the Ivy League Connection and later a student at an Ivy League university. We took a walk around campus, with Dyana pointing out different buildings and their purposes and telling us about what it was like going to UPenn and living in Philadelphia. She also answered any questions we had about college and the admissions process in general. It was great to hear from someone with a similar background to ours, who had gone through what we are going through now. Dyana was very sweet and very helpful, and I will definitely reach out to her in the future as a resource. It was also nice to see parts of UPenn before our tour tomorrow, such as the statue of Ben Franklin and the dorm we will be living in (below).

Today has been a very long day. It seems like so much time has passed since I arrived at El Cerrito High School this morning! I can't believe we are all finally here. Now, we have to get our rest for tomorrow, which will be another day of exploring this new city and the school that we will be attending for the next few weeks.

Getting Ready

My Ivy League Connection experience has officially begun! I have spent the last few days making sure that I am completely prepared for my trip to Philadelphia. This consists of a lot of packing, planning, and a bit of shopping. 

The preparation began with a trip to Target with my mom to get all of the things that I will need for the next three weeks. We purchased everything from Twin XL sheets, to a surge protector, to a robe and flip flops. I needed all of it to be ready for dorm life. Of course, I would also be borrowing some items from the Ivy League Connection, which Don dropped off for me. I also received an email from Don giving us all of the details of departure day and some advice about how to get ready.

Packing my bags was the most tedious task that had to be completed before setting off. It was a process that took me several days, making sure that I was being as efficient as possible and not forgetting anything important. I had a lot of stuff to fit into a suitcase, a duffel bag, and a backpack, but I managed. Carrying all of my luggage around won't be fun, as it turned out to be pretty heavy, but it will be worth it!

Prep also included getting ready mentally and physically for the upcoming weeks. I took Don's tip and tried to relax as much as possible in the days before departure day, so that I would feel well rested the morning of. After all, I did have to be up at three in the morning, and wanted to make sure I was sharp enough for the packed schedule that we have in the first few days!

I am really looking forward to the trip. I know that it will be an amazing experience to get to travel to the East Coast for the first time, and I am excited to spend time in not only Philadelphia, but New York and DC as well. The first few days, in which we're taking planes and buses all over the place and waking up very early, should be interesting. But I really enjoy traveling, and I know me and my cohort will take it in stride.

I'm not sure exactly what to expect from the course and the UPenn summer program itself, but from what I've heard, it's going to be very enriching and educational. I feel as though the Ivy League Connection has definitely prepared me for what is to come, so my nerves have actually faded as the trip has gotten closer. I'm ready to get going and take on challenges such as weather, jet lag, homesickness, and workload. In exchange, I will be able to see and do new things and get a preview of what college will be like at an Ivy League University. 

Ready...

After an exciting week at an Engineering camp, I came back home to spend with my family only to depart again for a month in just a few short days. All too soon, those precious 96 hours went by. Now I am finalizing my packing and getting ready to say goodbye to my family once again until the next month. I cannot contain how excited I am to be part of the incredible journey the UPenn cohort is going to part take in.

This year I feel more prepared than last year when I attended Brown. I knew what to pack and how to pack it because I am taking a whole lot more things than last year yet my bags don’t feel nearly as cumbersome. I have also arranged it so instead of having to haul around two suitcases, I can just attach them together as one! Last year I struggled a ton since there was so much moving around with all our things from terminal to terminal so this year it was one of my priorities when packing to not make it too hard on myself if we have to hurry. I am pretty sure we won't have to because Mr.Hillyer is timely person so there will be no need for that. At least not with all our luggage.

One thing that I was careless and didn’t get for the trip was a microSD card for my camera. Luckily I had one from another camera that I could swap back and forth until I can get my hands on another one. So not all is lost. ‘Tis but a minor mistake.

I’m really looking forward to these next few weeks as it will be my first time in this area of the USA. The culture, cities, and people will be all new to me. This is a great opportunity for me provided by the ILC program and I will make sure to take full advantage of it and to enjoy myself. Like maybe meeting a famous vlogger in NY whose name is Casey Neistat.

All set?!

42 lbs of Stress

Waking up today, my heart was racing with anxiety and excitement, my body felt waves of nerves and adrenaline rushing throughout, and so many questions and anticipation filling up my mind - these were the symptoms of having nineteen hours remaining until the departure for Philadelphia. There was so much I still needed to take care of. As soon as the reality hit me, I began feeling overwhelmed and stressed as I was since before the weekend where I have been preparing and double checking I had everything in my luggage and that I have received everything needed. 

I did my morning routine of getting prepared for the day and began working at arranging the luggage Don had lent me once more. I had been worrying all day whether I packed too much, or if I left some things would I regret not bringing it later, or if my check-in bag is under 42 lbs, even about compeleting my summer assignments for when I go back to Pinole Valley at the end of August. I then took deep breaths, no more like large gasps of air, to calm myself down, which worked, eventually. What helped me the most wass thinking positive things about the future I am about to embrace in the East Coast - the people, relationships, environment, experience, independence, and what we all need to survive, food. There is so much more suprises in store that I have not even thought about until it actually happens to me. This is the mentality that helped strengthen me throughout my day.

Sooner than I knew it I got what I needed done, with some much needed breaks in between. I still believe that I packed too much but am too scared to try leaving some items behind, especially my 3 oz hair and skin care bottles, I have maybe a good six to ten bottles to last me the whole time, they're all different products of course except my lotion and body wash I have two bottles for each; I enjoy being clean and having hydrated skin. 

Despite all of the negativity that I practiced blocking out, I am extremely eager for the trip. The closer and closer the hours pass by, the feeling I had when I first woke up with, keep increasing to a higher level every time my mind began focusing on it, and that's not hard to think about since it will be my first ever experience leaving home without any of my family, traveling out of state, and going on an airplane. The experience is so surreal it's sometimes breath-taking how I came this far to begin with let alone what I will encounter and bring back with me - the knowledge, new relationships, and so much more. The main results I will be trying my hardest to pay attention to is the person I am leaving as and the person I become coming back to California. That is where I show solid proof that the Ivy League Connection, Social Justice Research Academy at the University of Penn, and my time there is life changing. 

The Little Details

On Monday the 6th, I attended another event with all of the 2016 Ivy League Connection scholars. When I arrived with my mom at Pinole Middle School (luckily, I was not one of the poor souls who got confused and went to Pinole Valley High School instead), our group was gathered outside of the gym waiting for someone to unlock it. It was our chaperone, Mr. Hillyer, who eventually located a custodian, and we began helping Don unload his car.

Once we all made it inside, Don introduced himself to all of our parents and explained how the night would be structured. Throughout the night, he made sure that they knew all of the information that he had stressed to us at the Tutorial. Obviously, its important for everyone involved to know exactly what is going on and what is expected of them. I have to admit that I had not shared everything that I had learned so far with my mom. 

After each of the chaperones introduced themselves to the entire group, we branched off with our cohorts to go over the itineraries for our trips and the details that were specific to us. This part of the night was very exciting for me, because it was what I had been waiting for since I earned my scholarship. 

Mr. Hillyer (far right) made sure we had everything we needed to know by the time the Orientation was over

Luckily, our trip will include visits to Columbia and Georgetown, both of which are schools that I am interested in. I am really looking forward to seeing New York City and Washington DC for the first time, as well. Of course, we will be spending the majority of our time in Philadelphia, where we will get to experience an exciting Fourth of July celebration. Our program itself sounds like it will be very enriching both in and out of the classroom, with activities scheduled nearly every evening for us. 

Mr. Hillyer let us know that parts of our trip will be demanding and tiring, but it will be worth it. At the Orientation we also found out what dates we will be gone for, which means that I can officially start marking my calendar! 

All that's left to do know is to make sure that I have everything I need for the three weeks I will be gone (some of which can be provided by the ILC), and to start packing! The trip is coming up close, and I feel ready to take on the challenge.

Don got us all on the same page and offered several loaner items

Tired and Appreciative

I was knocked out, drowsy and tired from a long school day, taking a nap in the car at Pinole Middle. Our orientation for all our trips to the East Coast started at 6:00 PM on Monday, June 6th. We were about 40 minutes early, so I thought it was a smart idea for me to catch up on the sleep that I didn’t get the night before.

The next thing I knew, my mom was vigorously shaking me to get up around 5:45 PM. Irritated and still exhausted, I took my time getting up. If I moved too fast, I would become light-headed and dizzy, like I usually am after waking up from my naps. I cautiously stepped out of the car and wobbled my way over to the Pinole Middle gym, trying to gain my balance along the way. By the time I reached the gym, I had broken out of my drowsiness from the freezing air slapping me in the face. Everyone was socializing outside in the windy weather. I was surprised no one wanted to go inside but soon realized that the door to the gym was locked. After an adventurous hunt for a custodian, John managed to find one, who opened the gym and saved us from getting blown away.

We all sat close together in one large group to make it easier for the presenters speaking. I sat next to Chris and my mom, with Diana Valle, Allonna, and Allonna's mom behind us. The night kicked off with the founders of the ILC giving brief speeches about the ILC and congratulating us for coming this far. Unfortunately Mrs. Kronenberg was absent due to her essential presence at a graduation ceremony that evening, leaving two out of three there to speak. As the pleasant speeches came to an end, more were presented right after by the chaperones of each cohort.

(from left to right) Maricris Cruzat, Alana Scott, Alexis Thomson, Michael Myrga, John Hillyer

The chaperones stood in a line together in the center of the middle school gym to give short speeches about themselves, their gratitude for being chaperones for the ILC, and why they wanted to hold the responsibility of being a part of the ILC. John stepped up and volunteered to be the first speaker. He had been a part of chaperoning Penn for 4 years now and worked his magic to get more people from De Anza High School (where he works as an AP US History and Leadership teacher) to chaperone. He knows the area very well and how things run down in Philly, New York, and Washington D.C., where he will most likely enjoy giving us a history lesson at.

Mike, who was recruited from De Anza by John, wanted to be a chaperone for the ILC because he loves college, back in the days he attended to the present; he still has his college wallet from the university he had attended. Because of his love for college, he feels that he can help the students attending get a better feel for what it’s about and help give them a boost of encouragement to find the college best suited for them.

The chaperone for Vanderbilt, Alexis Thomas, is the current counselor at De Anza, was also recruited by John. She is a college advisor there and felt it was appropriate for her to be chaperoning college-based trips such as those offered by the ILC. It’s her first year chaperoning for the ILC and she is already filled with excitement for it. She has family down south, so the area has a familiar feel and is excited taking the cohort out to explore the areas, including Tennessee.  The speeches soon ended with Alana Scott who will be chaperoning Chicago, and Maricris Cruzat, assigned to Brown, who both delivered nice and grateful words to the ILC and the opportunity itself.

We broke out into our groups for each cohort, so mine discussed our roughly planned agenda made by our chaperone, John. It covers the date and time we will be departing as well as landing and returning, our specified travel dates where our day will be designated to touring the college campuses of Georgetown University and Colombia University, and the one day we will be able to sleep in before we check into the Penn campus. As we went over each date on our papers, John had stressed the importance of us waking up early around 5:00 AM to be able to catch the transportation we need and make our tour on time. I made sure I locked this into my mind because I hate waking up early and dragging myself out of bed in the morning; having something to constantly remind me of how significant it is for me to do my part will play a strong role of my motivation to be the first one up and out the door. He told us about the many surprises that will happen along the way such as trips to Ocean City, movie nights, etc., all done with the university, as well as the good food John will expose us to.

Don Wrapping Up The Orientation

Don quickly wrapped things up and gathered us back to the original area we were sitting in. The rest of the orientation was a basic recap of what we had went over within our tutorial back in mid-May which was mainly for our parents or guardians to listen and understand in case some of us didn’t inform our parents about it. He introduced some of the loaner items that he had as well as remaining luggage he had to lend us for our trip.

Soon enough, the orientation came to a close and we were all allowed to leave. I was eager to go home because I was tired and hungry, but I ended up staying there much later than the majority of the families. My mom and I departed around 8:00-8:30 PM trying to get the expert advice of Don to decide which luggage would be best for me to borrow, since I have never traveled before and needed some input. I came out with this large, blue luggage similar to a duffel bag, except with wheels and a short, contractible, metal handle. I thanked Don for everything before leaving. Having this and many more available to me to borrow is a huge burden lifted off both my mom's and my own shoulders, and we heavily appreciate it. 

Phase 2: Complete!

Today was our last orientation before moving on to traveling to Pennsylvanian and its neighboring states to visit prestigious universities that will surely be the homes to some of 2016 ILCers in the future. 

Last week all of us, the ILCers, were invited by Don to an orientation at Pinole Middle School to ensure that we got the information we and our parents needed for our upcoming trips. After an eventful week, Monday had finally come around and it was time to head out to Pinole Middle. My sister and I headed out around 5 o'clock to make sure that we arrived on time. When we did get there, it was extra early so we stayed in the car for around 30 minutes. When people started to gather, we went to join them then we all walked to the gymnasium. 

John giving a small speech to the parents 

To our surprise and especially Don's, the gym was still closed and and no one seemed to be informed of this meeting. He was furious because he had specifically made arrangements to make this meeting possible. He was going up and down trying to find someone to unlock the gym so we could get the meeting started. After forever Mr. Hillyer found a custodian and the process of unpacking Don's van began. Thanks to everyone it went quickly and effortlessly. 

Once his van fully unloaded and everything inside, everyone starting filing into the gym. Once everyone was seated Don quickly explained what was happening with the delay and then quickly broke off to have a small meeting with the chaperons. Soon after Don returned with the agenda for today's meeting. Then we broke up and spread out throughout the gym by cohorts.

Mr. Hillyer talked about the itinerary that he had nicely typed up for us. We are scheduled to depart very early on June 29th from El Cerrito High school. After that our days will be spent exploring Georgetown University and Columbia University in NY and Washington D.C. Our days will be light since the ILC is introducing travel days were our goals is to get to our destination and prep for the next day. 

Small Group conversation

After the small groups were done, we moved back into our seats and Don began to talk. He broke down what items he had to loan out. These ranged from luggage to his famous fuchsia sheets. Don kept going through the packing list he gave us making sure to point out the differences that each university had in regards to sheet sizes or bathrooms. When he was done, I grabbed one of the loaner item sheets so I could make sure I had everything I need for the up coming trip.

I can't wait until we begin our journey through the U.S and get to meet both wonderful and not so wonderful people that will teach us lessons along the way. With the end of phase two of ILC, I am ready to pack my bags and bid my family farewell for three short weeks!