Everything's Coming Together!

Today on the first day of June of 2015, we were introduced to the basic itineraries of our trip to Columbia University.

After a long and interesting talk with a former mentor from my old elementary school, I came home at around 5PM and my mother was just getting ready. Around twenty minutes, we rushed out of the house, knowing that we were most likely going to get lost on the way to Pinole Middle School. I had no possible idea where Pinole Middle School was, so I slowly started to overreact thinking that we would be late. But thanks to the amazing power of technology, we were able to arrive twenty five minutes before the required meeting time!

Upon arrival at Pinole Middle, I was already at awe by the amazing campus. Pinole Middle School had most recently undergone renovation so the campus was spotless, modern, and largely appealing. I became envious at the sight of Pinole Middle's bright green turf football field. Although small, their field was gorgeous and almost similar to that of a legitimate high school football field. Just walking into their multipurpose room was as awe inspiring as well. The multipurpose room was stunning, completely renovated with modern technological equipment, and spotless. Pinole Middle School made my former alma mater,Juan Crespi Middle School, look completely obsolete!

At the start of the orientation, Don Gosney gave the opening welcome along with Ms. Madeline Kronenberg. Don opened up by stating that now after recruiting, a highly selective selection processes, a board meeting, and dinners, we were officially apart of the Ivy League Connection. He called us the ambassadors for the WCCUSD school board to these prestigious institutions. It's quite an honor to be able to represent something bigger than myself. I felt a tremendous sense of pride as I finally realized the reality of my near coming trip and the importance of how I perform academically in Columbia.

Minutes later, we were separated into our different cohorts and moved into different classrooms. Our cohort discussed the itineraries of our trip along with what things to pack. We're scheduled to visit many different universities such as UPenn, Georgetown University, and Yale University! Our classes at Columbia start on Monday of June 29 and end on July 17th. After being briefed on the itineraries, our chaperone, Joyce Thrift, asked us to formulate a list of our personal top ten places we would like to see in New York. As thoughts began to flood my mind, a former ILC Alum spoke to us about what to expect dorm life would be at Columbia. She told us about the different dorm buildings and the different conditions each dorm had. We were also told to expect extremely hot weather with lots of rain! Don Gosney soon popped in and reminded us about our time constraint. Before we all headed back to the multipurpose room, we all knew that one more group picture would be perfect for the occasion!

'15 ILC Cohort at Columbia University

Once everyone regrouped, Don Gosney went over more details regarding our adventures. He informed us on what items to pack, how much our luggage should be, and where and what time we would meet on our departure day. Don went over the items laying on the table and explained to us their importance. 

A few of the many things that were laid out that Don recommended we take with us.

We ended up wrapping everything up at around 7:30PM, earlier than we all anticipated. Everyone once again exchanged goodbyes, took a few pictures, and left. As we backed out of the parking lot, a huge sense of excitement overtook me, as I once again looked over the 2015 Columbia Itinerary. Only a few more weeks left to survive, and before I know it, I'll be on my way to one of the most pristine academical institutions in the world.