Let Us Orientate You

We orient ourselves for orientation.

Throughout this blog, I've used really strange comparisons when describing the different events we get to go through as members of the Ivy League Connection. So, with that in mind, bear with me as I describe tonight's ILC Orientation as a City of Gold. The Orientation was originally scheduled for last Thursday, and then pushed back to tonight. At Orientation, we would finally learn all the answers to every question we desired, and then we'd soak in the Pinole Middle School River of Knowledge and go home. And as our expectations normally go, my metaphor was thrown completely out the window. Kapoosh.

After arriving and signing in right as Mr. Ramsey began to speak, I noticed that there were still a number of people missing. "Uh oh," I thought to myself, and sure enough, not two minutes later, the first important item on the orientation menu was to discuss tardiness and timeliness. As stragglers came in during the first couple minutes and got admonished, the tone of the room was definitely very awkward and unsure of themselves. I felt sympathetic towards both sides. While tardiness is often easy to overcome, there are some occasions where life takes us down more crowded and confusing roads on the way to our destinations; it's happened to us all. On the other hand, I also understood why Mr. Ramsey and Don (and much of the ILCers) were upset that they had to wait. But, as I've said, it happens to all of us at one time or another, and hopefully we'll be all prepared and set for the next time.

During Don and Mr. Ramsey's presentation, they discussed points that affected all of us - like behavior (once again, the Cornell and Co. in Canada story made a welcome reappearance), transportation, manners, communication, and timeliness. We were formally introduced to the list of chaperones - so everyone other than the Yale cohort got to meet our fantastic chaperone, Ms. Tracey Singh-Poole, for the first time. From what I heard, the other cohorts are going to some great places on weekend trips! We'll get to ours in a moment.

Ms. Tracey Singh-Poole

After the group introductions, we split up into our individual cohorts to talk about things relating specifically to Yale. That's when we learned that - guess what, no final itinerary was ready. Nonetheless, we were able to see a temporary schedule, and, if you haven't seen already in a previous blog post, officially found out that we'll be visiting Harvard, Brown, and Wesleyan Universities this summer on a college tour before our course! We also discovered that - guess what - there were no weekend trips. Our experience is definitely going to be completely different than most of the other cohorts, but we all share the similarity of going to great schools and learning and studying incredible concepts and ideas with other talented individuals and professors this summer! Since our chaperone won't be able to see us while we're at Yale, and we still had a limited schedule to look at, with no flight information as of yet, we simply sat and chatted. ILC Orientation definitely orientated me in areas other than the ILC through our chats and conversations while the other groups went on! Our cohort is also different in the fact that we leave at the tail-end of summer, when almost everyone has come back. Most are leaving within the first few weeks of summer, and so it is vital that they have access to all of the information they need. I don't mind; an orientation is meant to give you an introduction to the new places and ideas you'll explore - the actual exploration and information will come soon!

You'll hear a lot more from us come summer!

Eventually, we were all able to sit back down for the closing remarks. Mr. Ramsey went over a few more things before announcing that we "were now officially part of the Ivy League Connection!" And with that, I ended up leaving because I had another event at El Cerrito High to catch. But, as I walked out those doors and through the newly polished metal gates of Pinole Middle School's campus, I realized that I was simply one more step closer toward that "City of Gold." As members of the ILC, we've all made an effort to get ever closer to the knowledge that eludes us. That "City of Golden Knowledge" may always seem inattainable, but the golden nuggets we pick up along the way make it worthwhile.

School Board, but Never Bored

There's this imaginary clock that runs in my head. It ticks and tocks and mirrors the beat of my heart, whirring softly as I run from place to place. The seemingly never ending cycle of something finally took some kind of beating as I finished the last AP test of the year on Wednesday, May 15. The clock winded down until it was nothing more than a slight whisper. And of course, what better way to celebrate the ending of adrenaline-induced stress than by celebrating...

Oh, of course. It'd probably be better to build up to there. When I got home from school that day, I turned my phone back on (after keeping it off during the test) and was surprised to find that I had received a voicemail from Don Gosney. The only thing I could think about was Yale. "I wanted to give this message to...you know, person to person..." the message started out. "Oh, snapple," I thought to myself, but then the message went straight into saying that "they're going to take all four of you in." And with that, the muscles in my face managed to twitch up into some form of a big grin, although I had to quickly adjust it so that grin wouldn't look too creepy.

Four hours later, my mom and I arrived at Dejean Middle School in Richmond, CA to attend a WCCUSD (West Contra Costa Unified School District) School Board meeting, where we'd be introduced and congratulated as this year's members of the Ivy League Connection. It already planned to be a more poignant evening thanks to the day's earlier terrific news. After getting there, I met up with the rest of my cohort and shot the breeze, talking about the AP tests, trip to Yale, college tour, and a whole gambit of random topics. Eventually, we took our seats and sat down as the board came back after their closed session.

After a rousing Pledge of Allegiance, the meeting kicked off with some rousing public comments over the changing of the guard at Gompers from the district to the county. A lawyer team brought up their plaintiff's case during the comment period, so of course, lively discussion between the board and the lawyers followed. After the board refused to back down, the pair of attorneys walked out, in step, their briefcases moving in tandem with each other. It was quite the way to start off.

However, soon enough, we made it to the ILC presentation, and cohort by cohort was introduced by their chaperone and speaker. After Tracey's short introduction, Liam took the podium for us and did a fantastic job, expressing his deep gratitude for what the Ivy League Connection is going to do for us this summer and for the rest of our lives. In fact, all the speakers that went up did incredibly well, speaking eloquently and expressively. The ILC program closed out with grateful thanks toward the benefactors and leaders of the program & congratulatory notes from all of the board members. The group photo ended up only taking twenty minutes to set everybody up - and then bright, loud flashes of light repeated over and over again as Don told us to "sit still" and "stop blinking." As soon as it was over, my mom and I rushed back to the car, headed off to a swim banquet. The clock ticked in my head, but I managed to keep it in the back of my head, quietly as the hands moved.

To close, here's what I thought about last night put in Public Comment form:

To the Board of Education, to the benefactors of the Ivy League Connection, and to the community of the WCCUSD: I am honored and privileged to stand before you today as a member of the Ivy League Connection. Thirty eight of us stand here, holding our flags of the Ivies and throwing up smile after smile. How did we get here? We didn't grow up in a community of the very wealthy. Our district is thought of as the place with the crime and grime and no time. The money that goes toward education here is certainly not that of other areas. And yet, we hold these flags, and we speak to you today because of you. The very reason we were able to interview with the best of our abilities and think critically is because of the people in our lives that brought us up to be those quick, critical thinkers. In a community riddled with stereotypes that people hold from far away, you hold us close as we learn from you. 

Mr. Ramsey often talks about the idea of giving back, the fact that that idea is something that just...must be done. When I look back and see what the community has already done for me, teaching, nurturing, guiding me through my life, even before I entered into the ILC, how can I not want to repay all of you? Your generosity of time and talents means so much to me and everyone else here, and I thank you for all of your service to the students and community of the WCCUSD.

When I go to Yale this summer, people will ask where I'm from, and I'll tell them that I'm not simply next to the Golden Gate Bridge or "that hippie town Berkeley." I am a proud citizen and member of the West Contra Costa Unified School District. We fought tooth and nail to get to where we are. We read till our eyes hurt and spoke till our mouths were dry to compete. The fact of the matter is that there are other places where other students are given more tutoring, more education, more money...but none of that matters. The tenacity, perseverance, and strength that this district has causes all of us to invest not only in ourselves, but in each other. 

When I get back, I want to give back. I want to attempt to give even a fraction of the time some of you put into this community. I want to show people what's out there, what people can accomplish, and how to dream and succeed.

So thank you, Board, for your support of us - your smiles are infectious. Benefactors, thank you for believing in this community. Don, thank you for your tireless efforts to get us to work hard and achieve great things. And community, thank you for standing behind us proudly. We are the Ivy League Connection - proud ambassadors of the West Contra Costa Unified School District. 

Contact Josh by commenting below or by emailing him at jandakocompany@yahoo.com.

We Speak, We Dine, We Learn Things.

There are certain days that are not normal days. The day explodes with hyperbole and blown-up feelings and events that spin wildly out of their comfortable, neutral orbit. They're the extreme days that cause extreme reactions, and Wednesday, May 8, was certainly one of those days. A hot meal is the incentive to look forward after a moderately tough day. I was blessed to have the Yale dinner at Kuleto's to look forward after a four hour intense, long, difficult AP Calculus AB exam (your typical extreme day). The dinner was a great event for everyone that attended and was excellent in its social interaction, dining, information, and program.

Over the BART ride over, I was able to talk to Damian, which was great because I got to know him a little better, as well as Genevieve, a senior at El Cerrito High who's Yale bound come this fall! I was also able to sit down next to Tracey, our Yale chaperone, and catch up on what was going on with her and the Yale program. It was from her that I found out that the district had won an effort to use the funds from the bonds in Measure E that we passed last November. There was more to celebrate besides the creation of this blog!

Kuleto's was only a couple blocks away from the Powell Street BART station, so we all made it there relatively early. The private room where our dinner was held was very intimate, but it felt very elegant. During drinks, I met Peter Hanley, a school board member from San Mateo, as well as Ivy League Connection interviewer. Hailing from the Burmington shipyards up near Seattle, Mr. Hanley also runs an education reform organization that aims to give parents the choice to decide where to send their child for school. As he said, "We already get to select what grocery store we go to, where we get our haircuts...why shouldn't we be able to select our school?"

Sitting down with my mom, we introduced ourselves to Andrew Gao, a Yalie, class of 2011, who was working in the tech industry, literally a block away. Sophia Lee and Ning Liang also joined our table, two other intelligent, engaging Yalies (class of 2011 and 2009, respectively) who worked nearby in investments and analytics. They came from diverse backgrounds; Sophia was originally from Kansas and raised in Texas, while Ning was from Seattle (That Seattle theme came up a couple more times during the night, I met two other people from there!) While I only had a chance to really talk to Andrew toward the beginning of the dinner, I can say without a doubt that all three of them were articulate, charming, and well-mannered, engaging in high levels of discourse. By that, I don't mean "oh, gee, they use big words." They have a wide grasp of the English language and yet weren't pretentious about it. That's a combination that should take them even farther in life from where they are now. We talked about a dearth of topics, from Suzy Lee Weiss to snowboarding to jazz to toilet paper! Suffice it to say, I was privileged to sit at a table with such interesting people.

The program began during the conclusion of the first course (don't worry, an entire paragraph devoted to food follows this one) and started with everyone introducing themselves, from the Yale alums to the ILC Yalies for 2013 to the donors. Bill Lindsay, a friend of the district and a Yale alum himself ('78) shared his remembrances and impressions of Yale. For me, my favorite moment came when he started talking about when he felt that he was really "at college." "I got out of the bus with my friends, and the snow was falling down on a cold, lamplit street at night. We threw the freshly packed snow at each other and that was the moment." Eric took the floor to express his appreciation for everyone there, and as usual, it was a very charming and heartfelt speech. Charles Ramsey closed the program by discussing the struggles we face as a district. The WCCUSD is stereotyped as the district not to go to, with people always focusing on its problems, but there's so many bright spots that people don't know about - and the Ivy League Connection is helping to change that. However, just being intelligent or having talent is not enough. As Mr. Ramsey explained further, "that knowledge needs to be utilized into helping others." No one believed our district could take on the state - and the State Superintendent of Education. But we did - and we won, the same day as the dinner. There was so much more to celebrate besides a great meal and an upcoming life-changing class.

The food, overall, had a lot of great flavor. Appetizers included lots of bruschetta-inspired samplers and romaine salads, which are always delicious, and the filet mignon was very tender, the butter melting well with the meat and vegetables in your mouth. The callebaut cake was very smooth, combining effortlessly with the vanilla bean gelato. I thought the food had a lot of pop and was certainly good quality food, but I could find food of equal quality at a better value somewhere else if I were to eat there again.

The evening ended with more photos and conversations, including talking to Mr. James Lu about
meeting up with his daughter for a little pre-Yale get-together. Gosh, those Bay Area kids are just so talented. As we said our goodbyes and headed out back into the blurry San Francisco night (yeah, it would've been clearer if my glasses were on), I walked slowly, past the illuminated storefronts, through the busy crosswalks, and down the escalator, heading back home; stocked up on experiences, memories, and remembrances.

I took a moment to really think about the night's events when I got home, but soon after, it was back to blogging and the daily school grind, practicing for AP tests and finishing the work I needed to complete. It may seem to torture to many people that aren't me, running from place to place and working day after day. But I don't think of it as torture - I think of it as Yale prep.

Readers, you've been warned - the program legendary for its academic achievements, as well as the extremely long days of work, will be covered entirely right here. Last night was an example of an achievement for not only the cohort, but the partnership between the West Contra Costa Unified School District and Yale University, after long periods of hard work made by all.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another AP test to study for.

Contact Josh by commenting below or by emailing him at jandakocompany@yahoo.com.