We Can And We Will

Getting out of the car and into the summer air, I saw many people waiting to get into the multi-purpose room for the School Board Meeting. It was amazing to see the amount of people in that room, all going there to support a cause. 

As I got together with my Vandy cohort, the first point of the night came up. The purpose of the discussion was whether the School Board should close the Adult School. One by one, the brave English-learning speakers came up to express their opinion on the matter. I was especially moved by the little girl who made her own short speech. She reminded me a lot of my own little sister. In all honesty, this topic hits close to home. I know how hard it is for them to be disadvantaged this way. It is much harder to find a good job and keep your family happy and stable. Fortunately, my mother speaks and understands English very well, but I know that if she didn’t, things would have been so much harder on her and our family as a whole. In an ideal world, this problem would have all worked out, but I know that in difficult times like these, it does not. But one can still hope. 

Right after this presentation, it was our turn to be showcased in front of the board. Once again, we all got introduced, this time starting from the multitude of Brownies to the future conquerors of our planet known as the Yalies. It was really refreshing to see all these students stand proudly before the board with huge smiles on their faces.

Once the introductions finished, a couple of student speakers came up to speak on behalf of the ILC. One of them, Austin Long, a rising sophomore at Yale, delivered a very passionate and powerful speech, demonstrating the overall prowess of the ILC and how it has changed the lives of so many young adults-including his. His speech was really one of the highlights of my night because it showed how every one of us in that room can be destined for greatness, even for someone like me, who comes from a very different back round than most of the people I will meet back east. 

Another speaker, who will be going to the prestigious Harvard this year, also spoke about the opportunities and doors that the ILC has opened for her. She talked about the Harvard interview and how she was prepared for it by, “expecting the unexpected,” a skill she learned from the ILC. Apparently a skill that requires the knowledge of the Spongebob theme song. Nonetheless, I was proud to hear of all these students' achievements and what they have done for our district and community. 

After our presentation, all the parents, ILCers, and chaperones were squished together to take the big ILC photo-or should I say 25 photos. I must say, smiling and trying not to blink during a seemingly never-ending photo shoot is not easy stuff. I am sure Don will not have a problem finding a few good photos of all of us. 

Tonight has made me even more excited than I was before taking that huge step in representing my community as well as spreading my wings and showing the world what I have to offer. This night has been a magnificent experience for me and all of the ILCers. I hope all of us left that room tonight with a newfound confidence in ourselves and our abilities because in all honesty, I know all of us can make any dream we have a reality. We are all brilliant in our own way. We really are. 

Almost There

My journey to Vanderbilt has barely begun, and yet I am learning so much. The Ivy League Connection has exposed me to my community; it has removed the veil that once hid my eyes from my own district. This program has allowed me to grow more mature, and meet the people who preside over my hometown, but most importantly it has shown me the passion and ambition of the people in this community. 

As a high school student, I am constantly surrounded by high school students who are complacent with their academic achievements. Naturally, I thought the majority of the people in this district ( despite a rare few) were satisfied with where they are and never wanted to improve. I thought that education was the last thing the people of WCCUSD cared about, that I and my peers were the only ones who cared about education and progress. Boy, was I wrong. 

Today at LaVonya Dejean Middle School in Richmond, I attended my very first school board meeting. All the members of the Ivy League Connection were expected to show up and present themselves to the school board, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect for the evening. What surprised me, however, were the number of people who spoke on behalf of stopping the budget cuts on adult education. I was completely taken away with the passion in the words of the English learning speakers who stood up to give a speech in front of the board members. I respected their bravery; making a speech is nerve-racking enough, but I can't imagine having to give a speech in a tongue that is not your first language. I felt a lot closer to the people of this district than I ever did before. 

After those speakers gave their speeches, Mr. Ramsey adjourned the meeting temporarily so that he could join the ILCer, their chaperones, and their parents for the annual ILC picture. After much maneuvering around, we stood there with big smiles plastered to our faces as Don snapped about 100 pictures of us ( okay, it was only 20, but it sure felt like 100). 

It was a very pleasant evening that I enjoyed very much. As we drove back home from the meeting, I stared out my window at the flurry of cars passing by me on the freeway and got lost in a reverie. It suddenly hit me that there is really only a month left until I leave for Vanderbilt. A huge grin found its way upon my face as a little voice in my head said, " You're almost there." 

The District Recognition

Tonight was another memorable night. I, along with all ILC ambassadors, their parents, our chaperones, and sponsors, attended the WCCUSD School Board meeting at LaVonya Dejean Middle School. We all patiently waited in our seats to be recognized by the school board. Each cohort: Brown, Cornell, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, and of course the "Ivy League of the South," Vanderbilt was called, and presented to the school board by their chaperone(s). It was another great honor for all of us to be acknowledged for the hard work we put in, passing the interview stage, and standing in front of our whole community, proudly representing the investment they have put in us. It was with great joy that we each received awards from the school board, distributed by an ILC alumni, Terilyn, who is also an upcoming freshman in Harvard.

Vanderbilt cohort!

It was amazing to hear the ILC alumni speak, showing their gratitude to the Ivy League Connection program. I had another chance to listen to the exceptional speaker, Austin Long, who confidently put his faith in us, ILC ambassadors, as we begin a new journey, competing against other bright, intelligent students, and rising to be the best of the best. His words of encouragement has pushed me to reach over and beyond my potential. He is a clear example that the ILC program does work. Upon arriving from his summer program on the East Coast, he took what he learned and put it into action, forming a science club at his own high school. He is also a rising sophomore of Yale University.

Terilyn is also one of the many examples that the ILC is producing actual Ivy League students. When she studied Hotel Management at Cornell last year, the one thing she learned was to "expect the unexpected." She carried this lesson to her Harvard interview, and it is one of the reasons why she will be attending the prestigious school next fall. During her interview, they didn't just ask her about her academics and extracurriculars, but their conversation led to the topic of Spongebob and The Hunger Games. Who would have thought these things would be brought up in a college interview? Nonetheless, she used the skill of expecting the unexpected, and now she is moving on as an ILC alumni to do greater things.

In addition, we were all praised by the school board, with their assurance in us, that we will all someday take on a big responsibility in the world. A great feeling ran inside me, as the school board put amazing faith in us, to go to the other side of the country, and show that we can do just as well as those who come from richer backgrounds. This whole program would not have been possible without the generosity of the sponsors who are giving back to the community and investing in the future. I cannot express how thankful I am for them, and to Mr.Ramsey, Ms.Kronenberg, and Don Gosney, for putting this one and only program in the country, together. 

We of course finished off the night with a large picture of this year's Ivy League Connection ambassadors, along with their parents and chaperones. With over 100 people in one picture, I don't blame Don for taking 24 pictures, maybe even more. I left the meeting with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and happiness, knowing how confident our community has for us to do great things. We can do it! Yes, we can!

A Night of Self-Worth and Praise

I've never been to a Pinole City Council Meeting. Perhaps even worse to say, I've never even been inside City Hall for the sixteen years I have lived in Pinole. But Wednesday night, I finally had the chance to visit. 

Seeing so many of the Pinole students--not just my classmates, but my friends--who are apart of the Ivy League Connection, brought me excitement and happiness for everyone who's got in to their school for the summer. In fact, Pinole will be representing each school this summer: UPenn, Columbia, Brown, Yale, and of course, Vanderbilt. The only school a Pinole student didn't get into is Cornell, which isn't a district-wide program. The fact that Pinole has accomplished this gives me great pride, and I feel honored to be a student of Pinole Valley High School. This accomplishment has made me realize Pinole has so many opportunities--academically and non-academically--that other schools in the district may not have. It's made me realize that going to a school that may seem disadvantaged to other high schools is actually at an advantage to these schools. And I'm proud to be an ambassador for the West Contra Costa Unified School District.

Keeping up with the positivity of this post, I can honestly say everything went fairly well. From start to finish, we were praised--something that rarely happens for me--by the City Council, parents, administrators, and others for our hard-work into getting into the colleges we applied for. It felt great to be treated so highly of, just like the fancy dinner at One Market. However, unlike the dinner, the atmosphere was less pressuring and more layed-back, which helped me to feel much more comfortable and just "chill" with my fellow ILCers. All of the ILCers even got to receive a Pinole Valley High School '12 medal (given from the mayor!) for just being a participant in the program.

Overall, it was just a great night to show-off the ILC ambassadors of Pinole for 2012, and inform the Council that Pinole is on the radar, and we're accomplishing amazing things in this program. We gave the Council assurance that we would come back and share with our community all of the amazing things that we'll discover in the East Coast and Nashville, Tennessee. The City Council seemed very proud of us all-in-all, and their feedback to the "young adults" (current ILCers) at the end of all of the speeches by past ILCers who are now attending an Ivy League school, the ILCers this year, and the ILC administrators and chaperones made me only feel even greater honor--that being in this program is much more than worth it.

Meeting The Mayor

This evening, my fellow Ivy League Connection ambassadors and I had the honor of meeting the mayor of Pinole as well as several prominent members of the city council. We were given custom made metals as a reward for our hard work and perseverance, and we even delivered speeches to the city council members. It was yet another memorable night that made me realize that I am part of a truly great program.

ILC ambassadors receiving metal from Ms. Khan and the mayor of Pinole. 

I have never been inside the Pinole City Hall. I have passed by it several times on my way to the post office, but I have never actually stepped foot in the building until this evening. Some of us arrived earlier than the council members, so we waited in the hall until more people arrived. When the doors of the council chambers opened, we all scurried in and waited for more people to arrive. The chamber itself was nothing too extravagant; the
walls were simply painted, with no pictures hanging on them. The only decorations were the three flags standing limply behind a podium that was shoved to the left-hand corner of the room, and a few T.V. screens suspended from the walls. Several rows of seats spanned the medium sized room and faced the desk of the city council members.  There were several rows of seats facing the desk of the council members.

We took our seats and the meeting began. The council members went over the agenda, but then adjourned the meeting to discuss things amongst themselves. After they had returned, several people related to the ILC made speeches. Ms. Khan gave a particularly touching speech and gave us an unexpected present: custom made metals to rewards us on all our hard work.

After listening to several speeches and posing for a multitude of photos, my turn at the podium finally arrived. I had practiced my speech several times before, but to no avail for I as soon as I stood before the council members, I forgot everything. I could recall only certain fragments of my speech, but I grabbed at whatever words floated into my mind my spoke them. I must have done better than I thought though because the council members complimented all of the Ivy League ambassadors on our public speaking skills.

This is only the second ILC event I have attended, but it has helped to boost my self-confidence. It felt so sublime being praised but such prominent figures in society. It was the first time in my life that I actually felt proud of myself.

Future leaders of the world. 

An Inspiring Night

When I arrived at the Pinole City Council meeting with my fellow Vandy partner, Narges Sahibzada, I saw Dyana So there, sketching in her calendar. We chatted with her for a while, discussing what was in store for the night. Dyana started talking about how such a great opportunity these meetings are since they allow us to show how we can make our community a better place. 

As we all entered the council room, I noticed how small the room was. However, the room was bright and very warm which gave it this cozy, home-like feel to it. When we finally got started, Mr. Ramsey introduced us all and gave us a lot of praise that really made me feel proud of myself. I felt especially honored when Ms. Kahn spoke and she got a little emotional expressing how proud she was of all of us. It honestly touched my heart. 

Our student speakers who were past ILC members began describing just how much the ILC and the Pinole Valley community has changed their lives. They were all students living in a small town that have great futures ahead of them. For one, Austin Long, who has just finished his first year at Yale. He described all of the wonderful things he has done for our school such as creating these science outreach activities, which is a great program that gets elementary school kids motivated and excited about science. Another ILC alum,  Dyana So talked about being born in Hong Kong and how the biggest plans she had for herself before the ILC was UC Berkeley. However, now that the ILC has expanded her outlook on other universities, she has chosen to attend the University of Pennsylvania, being the first in her family to go to college. These are the things that show that no matter who you are, and where you come from, you can go wherever you want to go, and you can be who you want to be.

As our presentations went on, us new ILC members had the opportunity to speak in front of the council and express our gratitude to our community. I was pleased with what everyone had to say, and I honestly believe all of us are going to go far one day. By the end, some of the people of the council, Timothy Banuelos, Roy Swearingen, Peter Murray, Debbie Long, and Phil Green all congratulated us on our achievements. “You guys were all awesome,” said Mr. Green. Other council members also complimented us on how confidently we spoke, “far beyond our years,” said one of them. All of these things show how appreciative city of Pinole is. We even got some wonderful medals that were presented to us during the meeting.

This night has motivated me to try my absolute best in everything that I do, because now I know that even though I am a Hispanic girl living in a small town, I can do anything. I can’t wait to embark on my journey to Vanderbilt to finally bring back personal experiences to lead others into taking that giant leap forward, and not being afraid to take it.

Once again, I thank all of those who were there, including Mr. Ramsey, Don Gosney, Sue Kahn, Madeline Kronenberg, and the city council members for making this night happen.

From Small Beginnings to Prestigious Schools

Attending my second Pinole City Council meeting was another great honor. I attended one a couple of months ago in recognition for the Pinole Valley High School Marching Band performing in the San Francisco Chinese New Year's Parade. But this evening was something different. Ten Pinole Valley students had the amazing opportunity to be recognized each for being an Ivy League Connection ambassador, by the City Council. We even got to receive special medals, as elite Pinole Valley Students.

After listening to the many speeches, from each ILCer, ILC administrators, chaperones, and alumni, I had an overwhelming feeling of great achievement. It was great to hear from Austin Long, Dyana So, Alex Elms, and Andrew Gonzales about how the Ivy League Connection each touched their lives. Now that they are going on to Ivy League Schools, you can see how proud they are to be products of Pinole Valley High, particularly the Ivy League Connection. It's amazing to see how they each came from a small town, competing with students coming from prestigious public and private high schools, and succeeding into attending an Ivy League college. It has proven that although we come from a low income school, we ALL can succeed if we want to. 

It was an honor to also speak to the City Council, expressing my gratitude for their support of public education and beyond. I am really excited as the Vanderbilt Summer Academy approaches. "With great gifts, comes great responsibility." Pinole Valley High School has given me and many of my peers an opportunity to explore the world outside the small town of Pinole, and in return I am willing to come back with an eagerness to share my wonderful experiences with other students to encourage them and inspire them to fulfill a higher education. I thank the city of Pinole for pushing us in the right direction.