Exploring Our Thoughts on the First Day of Class

The garbage truck woke me up about an hour before my alarm was suppose to ring. It was unfortunate because I went to sleep at about 3 AM and I was trying to get as much sleep as possible for the first day of class. I actually was not as tired as I thought I would be which was great.

As I was getting ready, I was filled with enthusiasim and anxiousness. I really did not know what to expect for the first day of class. Was the professor going to be really strict? Were we going to have a ton of work to do? Were all the girls going to be outgoing? I had so many questions and could not wait to find out the answer to each one of them.

The dorm neighbors and I got together to eat breakfast at the cafeteria at 7:30 AM. It was a big relief because the instructors TA's came out and guided us to our classes. I was always terrified I would get really lost and be late to my class. All the staff at Brown is actually extremely nice and will assist you at any time of day. 

Once we arrived to the Watson CIT building, it was REALLY cold in there which was great because it was like 1000 degrees outside. Everyone was sweating through out that short walk from the cafeteria to the Watson CIT building. The classroom actually isn't difficult to find. When we arrived, our instructor, Mary Grace was in the room ready to go. We arranged the seats so we would be in a big circle. As we were doing this I looked around to see who was in the class and I recognized many faces whom I have met before which was really exciting. We did name games and other activities to get to know each other a little better. 

Once we were done we began to discuss the articles and videos we were assigned the day before. It is amazing how many opinions and ideas different girls from other places have. Essentially we all had the same idea with different descriptions.

Admiring the statue

I really like this class because I am really used to just sitting in a classroom while the teacher just talks and talks over and over again. Rather than just sitting down, we were all talking to each other sharing our thoughts and listening to one another. Occasionally, Mary Grace would share her opinion as well. Everyone was really open to everything which was amazing. Although I was still pretty shy, I feel like if we keep the connection we have, I am really going to open up and jump outside my comfort zone. Everyone really makes each other feel as comfortable as possible and we even have non verbal affirmation by snapping out fingers and nodding our heads.

There was two sections of the class. The second part was more of getting up and being active. We were assigned to make a timeline of what got us there to that moment. What lead us up to Women & Leadership. Everyone had really different timelines which is another way to tell we are all very unique from each other. 

Mary Grace and Tory. The nicest people ever. 

Pretty Campus

After class ended we had about an hour to grab something to eat and work on our blogs for a bit. At 4 PM we had an activity with the W&L class and Tory, Mary Grace's TA. We discussed and went into clear details what kind of leaders there were. I actually had no idea there was different types of leaders. There are many different traits that different leaders may have. Some might be to be fair to everyone, to be in control of everything, to be big dreamers, etc. There was 4 choices to choose from; North, West, South, East. I decided I was South which was a leader who allows others to feel important and really values the words "right" and "fair." I really do not like to take control of other people and make decisions for them. I think in order to be a successful leader you need to take other people opinions, thoughts, ideas, and questions in mind. 

From right to left: Wendy, Diana, and I. 

Diana, Wendy, and I were hanging out around campus waiting for the scholarship meeting to start. It was actually pretty cool to get to know other students from around the world that were lower and middle class that also worked hard to get into a summer program at Brown. I honestly think we need to work twice as hard as the other students. It is really great and I'm actually really thankful that certain programs, including the ILC, give us the opportunity to attend Brown with all expenses paid for. 

A great adventure

During the meeting I actually met a girl with the same last name as mine. I usually never meet anyone with the same last name. Her name was Alicia Echavarria and she was from Dominican Republic. We were both really surprised. 

Once the meeting was over Mahi, Wendy, Diana, and I decided to take the Brown shuttle to take us to a pizza place named Antonio's Pizza. We ordered a large pizza to take back to our dorm and work on our homework and blogs together. The pizza was delicious. The crust was perfect which is usually my favorite park. It had the perfect amount of pepperoni and cheese. I really had a great time with them. On the way over there and back. It was really an adventure. 

After an amazing day I could honestly say I am really looking forward to attend class tomorrow and get to meet all of the girls even more.