My Last Day in Lab

Thursday morning I woke up excited for class since it was my last day in lab. Also, I was excited to see the results of my second attempt of doing polymerase chain reaction on a specific segment of my DNA coding for the gene: earwax type.

After a prolonged wait, the results showed that not enough product was produced, once again. I was quite disappointed, once again, as I really wanted to do the further steps of purifying my product and getting it sequenced. Feeling dejected, I went to talk to Professor Hall about my results. Professor Hall and I analyzed the reasons why enough product wasn't produced. The reason was that my DNA sample wasn't purified enough. I regretted that I did not carefully purify my DNA last week. I wanted to purify my DNA again, however there wasn't enough time to do it. Professor Hall also told me that success and failure are both part of an experiment and that one learns from both of them. After talking to Professor Hall, I felt much better and felt happy about the fact that I learned from my failure.

I finally got to take a picture with my extremely wonderful professor, Ms. Hall. Professor Hall is one of the best teachers I have had. 

A picture with Emily, the extremely nice TA of class.

Last day in lab. :( 

After lunch with Jackie, I returned to my dorm to pack. Packing took forever, however I got it done. Later Ms. Neal came to pick up my suitcase. 

Around 7:00 PM, I went to Kabob and Curry in the rain to have dinner with Diana, Mahi, and Gabi. Having dinner with them was awesome! We had a great conversation about different cuisines. The food was delicious! We couldn't stop praising our food.

At Kabob and Curry, once again!

So delicious!!!

At a boba shop to fill Gabi's boba craving (after dinner).

After dinner, all of us went to a spoken poetry workshop. I was amazed by the poems everyone presented. Then a shocker hit Diana, Gabi, and me when Mahi presented her poem. I loved Mahi's poem! I can't describe in words how beautiful her poem was. I really enjoyed listening to everyone's work.

Then I accompanied Mahi, Gabi, and Diana to their dorms and helped them place their luggage in Ms. Neal's van. Diana, being a superwomen, helped everyone with their suitcases. Then Ms. Neal gave me a ride back to my dorm. 

I looked over my presentation for tomorrow and went to sleep.

Last Full Day At Brown?!

It is funny how time flies while it still leaves you with this sense that it was in fact a long time. My stay at Brown has been bumpy at times but also incredibly fun. I wish my time here wasn't over but I also want to go back home to see my family. I feel very torn between the two.

This morning I decided to sleep in and woke up quiet late. I got ready very quickly and even made it a few minutes before class started. I did however skip breakfast. It didn't affect me as much as I thought it would. 

The whole day today in class we did presentations. Each member of class got to practice their speech in front of the whole class. Everyone did wonderfully. I feel like I did pretty well. I got very good feedback that I will implement in my actual speech.I surprisingly I'm not that worried about my presentation. Maybe I will be tomorrow morning. 

After class we came to the dorms and packed most of our stuff away. Ms. Neal later came to collect all our luggage. I still have my carry on bag where I've kept everything I need for tomorrow. I also took a quick nap in Mahi's room. We later decided to go to Kabob and Curry for one last time. Komal, Gabi, Mahi and I went and had the best food platters. 

After Gabi wanted milk tea so we went to a sushi lace where they sold it. Then we walked to the Spoken Word group. Everyone there was really good at making and reciting poems. Mahi stepped up and recited a poem she had created hours before. It was beautiful! 

After we rushed to Perkins to give our luggage to Ms. Neal. Komal was still with us. She wanted to check out our much less than glamorous dorms. Quickly after putting our bags in the car we went to a mandatory floor meeting about presentations and when we would be checking out.  I will be presenting in group E. So far I don't know anyone in that group. 

After I came to hang out with Mahi and practice  my speech. Esmeralda also came with me and listened and practiced too. We later retired to our rooms exhausted waiting anxiously for tomorrow. I hope everything goes as planned!!!

Practice Practice Practice!

Today during class we were practicing our Action Plan presentations. In my opinion everyone was doing a GREAT job. I'm really glad we had the opportunity to practice because we were able to get feedback. There was even two guests giving feedback as well, Anne Marie and Anthony Mam. They were really nice and respectful. Tomorrow will be the real presentation. I've been practicing all day making sure I really have it down. 

Lunch as a family

During lunch the whole class ate together with Mary Grace and Tory. It was great because we only have like a day left with each other. It's really sad that we have to say goodbye after getting close to each other!  I am really going to miss everyone. 

We discussed a bit about tomorrow and the way we were going to dress. I love how Mary Grace just said to wear something we'd like for a presentation.  Usually people have very specific dress codes. No short dresses, no jeans, no cleavage, fancy shoes. Basically all she said was to wear what we wanted. I really like that about her. She does not judge, she is okay with what ever makes us comfortable. 

Once we got back to the class, everyone finished practicing presenting. Mary Grace took us to the Women's center. The staff members there were really welcoming and nice. They were really supportive with our Action Plans and told us to contact them even if it was just to let them know how everything was going. 

A desk at the Women's Center

A cute little tissue box with fabric from a couch from the 70's

Once we were back to the dorms, the whole time I was focusing on memorizing my presentation. I did not want to say everything at the top of my head because I knew once I saw everyone I was going to get really nervous and forget everything. I am really bad at memorizing stuff but I'm trying my hardest. I really want to do good in this presentation and I am hoping I do a great job. I even practiced in front of Mahi and Diana which was really helpful because of their feedback.

I realized today was going to be our last full day here at Brown and Providence. We packed most of our stuff today and Ms.Neal took it with her. We had a floor meeting to talk about the procedures once we checked out. It really made me sad. This week went by really fast! I really do not want to think about leaving. 

A Day Away

Gorgeous statue at the Womens center

Today was our last full day at Brown, I'm not quite sure how to feel about that. I suppose it hasn't really set in yet. Since I went to bed very late last night, I overslept this morning. I woke up around 8:25 this morning me only 20 minutes to get ready. I wasn't able to get any breakfast but I had a few Milano cookies which were delicious.

We spent all of class today practicing our action plans. I was going to be presenting later on so I spent the first half of class listening to the other girls' action plans and giving them advice and feedback. We then broke for lunch, where we went to the Ratty with Mary Grace and Tory. It was great to be able to spend a little more time with them before we have to leave.

I just had a burger, some fries, and a small salad. We then returned to class and soon enough it was my turn to present. I wasn't nervous,  per se, I was just a little anxious. Although I didn't feel super articulate and had to look at my note cards more that I would have liked too, it didn't go bad at all.

Komal and Gabi

After all the presentations, Mary Grace took us to the Sarah Doyle Womens Center. I loved the atmosphere inside there, it was calm and cozy, open and full of books. I could imagine happily spending a lot of time in there. There was plenty of space to sit down and relax, a cute little kitchen, and a conference room. We returned to Perkins where I packed up my suitcase since Ms. Neal was coming for it later. I also wrote a spoken word poem I was planning to recite later on during poetry club. Gabi, Diana, and I decided to go out to dinner. We met up with Komal at Kabob and Curry and had a great time!

My delicious dinner

It was very hot and humid today and it even rained a little bit! After dinner we attended the spoken word meeting, some people recited beautiful pieces and I got to recite mines which I am really glad I did! We walked to Perkins, hauled our luggage down the stairs and into the van and went to our community meetings. My l-f, Jeff, went over a couple things pertaining to where to drop off our keys and the likes. I went over my action plan presentation a few more times before falling asleep, exhausted.

Practice, Packing and Poetry

Mahi and Diana.

 After being inspired at a poetry workshop this evening, I had planned to write my entire blog in poetry. I might do that another night, but am too exhausted to execute it now. 

We practiced our speeches in class today. I was pretty happy with how my speech turned out, and I thought everyone in class had really improved since our public speaking workshop. Tomorrow we will present our Action Plan speeches to a small amount of parents, students and faculty. I will ask someone to video record it so that I can post it on this blog  (if I feel it went well enough).  

Mary Grace asked if she could eat lunch with our class in the Ratty dining hall. I had fun, and it was nice to interact with her in a setting outside of class.

After class, Mary Grace and Tory walked us to the Sarah Doyle Women's Center. It was a really cool place to be. Feminist magazines were everywhere, historical paintings of women by women covered the walls, and a library for women stood strong. 

English classmate Julia scans the titles in one of the rooms within the library. 

I had a pleasant hour or two to catch up on emails and pack my suitcases before heading off for a little last-night fun. I felt like a cool young adult this evening. With my speech feeling in control, and with nothing left but my blog to do, I met Mahi, Diana, and Komal for dinner at the Kabob and Curry Restaurant that we ate at on the first night. It was a little weird realizing two weeks had past since we had last been there. I had a really really nice, pleasant conversation with them. Another plus for the evening was the student discount they gave us. 

I ate a sampler dish essentially, and was stuffed when we waddled out the door to poetry night. 

I listened to some spoken poetry by other Summer at Brown students. This was the first activity I went to that had students who were not part of the leadership institute. 

I was really amazed and impressed when Mahi performed her spoken word. I felt like I knew her better when she sat back down after giving the room chills.

We had to leave early to put our suitcases in Ms. Neal's car, and to then go to our community meeting. 

I would like it very much if our last day could simply skip forward in the calendar so we have more time here.  

My Last Full Day at Brown

Lunch With our Class 

As I was sitting in class nervously bouncing my leg up and down I realized that there was nothing to be worried about. After all I was the expert on my action plan. The problem was that my entire class was doing an amazing job presenting. Everybody was polished and well prepared. They knew when to move around and when to make eye contact but probably the most intimidating thing of all was that they all showed such complete and utter confidence. Furthermore, Dean Almandrez and Tory sat in the back watching so intently to all of our presentations. They sat there just silently staring and I realized how much I cared about their opinions of me. I have spent less than two weeks with them yet I have so much respect for their opinions and such a desire to impress them.

Listening to Presentations 

I realized I needed to calm my nerves so that I didn’t make a complete fool of myself in front of a room full of amazing and capable people. I thought back to myself. I am the expert. I prepared for this. My action plan is my creation. I am the expert in the room about my community. I thought about waking up this morning getting out of bed and organizing all of my work to get ready for my presentation. I comforted myself with memories of going over my flashcards with Phoebe and Tyler during breakfast. I convinced myself that I was ready, prepared, and had the capabilities to be just as confident as my classmates.

As soon as I started speaking my anxiety disappeared. I was able to present my speech with no major errors so I could relax and finally enjoy all of the other presentations. Our class all went to lunch together since it was the last full day of class.

After lunch I relaxed with Cindy on a nice bench until class resumed. The rest of class just involved more presentations. Once class was over Dean Almandrez walked us to the Women’s Center on campus. The center was a very warm and inviting place. They had meeting spaces downstairs and then a really interesting library upstairs.Once we were done exploring the women’s center Cindy and I walked back to the dorms. I went on a run by the river then spent some time preparing for my speech. Cindy and I opened up some Tie-Dye but mine turned out kind of crazy. We hung out a little but before meeting up with Tyler and Phoebe for dinner. We had decided to go out to dinner since it was the last night and we wanted to celebrate.

We went to a place on Thayer Street. I got a Portobello mushroom sandwich that tasted so delicious. Once we left the restaurant we realized it was raining outside. We made our way up Thayer Street just to explore a little bit more. We went into a few shops but I didn’t get anything. We walked back to Perkins and I finished packing before our community meeting started.

At the community meeting we all gathered with our floors and discussed departure procedures. Although I am excited to be going to go tour colleges and go home it was a bittersweet moment. I will definitely miss the friends that I have made here.

Watching the Clouds Roll By

On this cloudy but unrelentingly hot Thursday, the Women & Leadership class spent the whole day practicing our Action Plan presentation we would be giving out tomorrow as part of our final project. One by one, each girl got up to the front of the class to talk about their plan that they would be integrating into their community through a 3-5 minute speech and Q&A.

I was 8th to present, right after Erin and Ashley. Even though I had practiced a little bit last night, I still felt uneasy going up in front of about 20 other people to explain what my Action Plan consisted of while keeping in mind public speaking strategies and mistakes, the time constraint, and how about 26 eyes were on me while I was up there speaking.

For lunch, our class, including Dean Almandrez and Tory, all walked together to eat at the Ratty as one huge group. It was a fun time for bonding over food with our classmates and instructor.

After everyone had presented their Action Plans and class was over, we all walked with Dean Almandrez and Tory to the Sarah Doyle Women's Center at the campus. There, Dean Almandrez introduced us to Felicia Salinas-Moniz, who is the Assistant Director for the center. The girls roamed around the center for a while, looking through rooms and lounges. After, Dean Almandrez told us we were free to go about on our own and to have a great rest of the day. I definitely took her up on that advice.

Erin at the Sarah Doyle Women's Center

After taking a great nap at Perkins, I went to Erin's room to hang out before heading off to Thayer to eat out with Tyler and Phoebe for what was our last dinner in Providence. After spending about 30 minutes deciding where we wanted to eat, we chose to dine in at the Paragon. The food was DELICIOUS. Maybe it was because we were so used to eating the same thing at the Ratty, but the Paragon was A+. I ordered a California Wrap with chicken, tomato, lettuce, cheese and avocado, with fries on the side.

Fine dining.

After filling our stomachs, we went to the other shops at Thayer, when suddenly it started raining out of seemingly nowhere. It was still about 85 degrees outside, but it was raining! The weather here is definitely not SF. On our way back, we ran into some other Women & Leadership girls and walked with them to Perkins. During our retreat, it went from light rain to light pouring. We were essentially soaked by the time we got back to Perkins.

Tonight, at 10PM, the Leadership institute students all went with their respective floors for the last community meeting. My floormates all met up in Tory's room and we recieved information on how our last day at the Pre-College program would be going. She went over where and when we would meet for the Action Plan presentations, where to turn in dorm keys, where to return rented items, etc. It was incredibly saddening to hear about how our Pre-College experience was coming to an end. It brings me such sadness thinking about saying bye to Dean Almandrez my instructor, Ava my roommate, my incredible classmates, and others I've come to establish very strong connections with.

1 more Day!

Today in class, we had to rehearse for tomorrow's final presentation. I decided to sign up for the first session. The second session was going to commence after lunch. I took in consideration that I actually get more nervous if I wait until last to present. It is better to just do it and get it over with. I was glad that I didn't wait until last. 

I didn't have time to prepare my flashcards the night before because I was so busy and ended up sleeping until 1. I could have stayed up longer to prepare them but then I would have stayed up until 2 and I was not willing to sacrifice the little sleep I get. In the morning, I was glad that I ended up putting my sleep before my work. 

At the Ratty, I attempted to write on some of my flashcards with no success. I kind of rushed in class while other girls were presenting. When it was my turn, I nervously walked to the middle of the class and shared the details as to my Action Plan. It wasn't so bad. Sometimes you have to just do it and not care about the butterflies swarming inside of your stomach. Something that always helps me feel better is telling myself to not to care and to not think about it. 

My classmates also gave me feedback. I realized that my pacing back and forth was distracting. My mouth also got quite dry while I was up there. Fortunately, no one noticed. I was so relieved when I got the chance to sit down and rest for a bit. 

After the first half of class had passed, my classmates and I had lunch with Mary Grace at the Ratty. As you may or may not know, the 2-week Women and Leadership course is coming to an end. In about
2 days we will all be going our own way.

  Mary Grace took us to the Sarah Doyle Women's center as well. My classmates and I explored every room. I went upstairs to check out the library which was pretty cool. I took my time admiring the furniture as well.

A Hot, Scorching Day

Wednesday felt like one of the hottest days of Providence. In the awful heat, I still decided to go to all of my planned workshops and activities. Fortunately, all buildings were well air-conditioned, so I survived.

In class, I ran a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of a section of my DNA using the primers I designed on Sunday for the gene: earwax type. Unfortunately, I did not get a product because when I ran my results through gel electrophoresis I did not see any strong results. Although I was quite disappointed, I started the process again after making some necessary changes with the annealing temperature. With the free time I had in class, I worked on my group presentation on intellectual property and genomics. 

At the end of class, I talked to Professor Hall about the career opportunities available in doing research in molecular biology. I also talked to her about fields of study I am interested in majoring in and I asked her if it's necessary to have a set plan for my future. After talking to Professor Hall, I became less tensed about planning for college and my future. 

Soon, my friends and I went to lunch. At 12:05 PM, I remember I wanted to go to a tie-dye shirt making workshop. I walked nearly all the way across the campus under the blazing sun to find out that there were no more shirts left. I walked back to my dorm and edited my blog from the day before. 

At 2:30 PM, I went to the Sciences Library (SciLi) to meet with my group members to finish our presentation slides and have a plan about how we will present our topic.

At 4:00 PM, I went to a workshop called Getting a Handle on the ACT and SAT. The workshop was presented by Karen Berlin Ishii, a Brown alum and an extremely experienced academic and test prep tutor. This was my second time going to her workshop. Although the workshop terrified me for the new SAT, I learned so many tips and tricks on how to do well on the new, harder SAT. I became very motivated to start practicing for the new SAT because of her presentation. 

After an extremely beneficial workshop, I went to dinner at the Ratty early. Then I went to the Main Green for the group meeting with Ms. Neal and everyone else. We discussed our plans for the next few days. Then we all made cards for our families, who have always support us; Don Gosney, who puts tremendous amount of work to make the Ivy League Connection journey possible for every student, Wally Gordon, who very generously gave a huge amount of money at a point when some trips would have had to be cancelled, and the school board, who has supported the ILC for years. 

Making cards and having fun!

Why won't Diana let me take a picture of her? Why Diana, why? I guess someone is shy.

After this fun activity, I accompanied everyone to the Ratty and then returned to my dorm to start packing, to finish my presentation preparations, and to blog about a nice day at Brown. 

Jackie breaking societal norms.

Mind Blown.

We spent an hour or more running around on a Brown Scavenger hunt this morning, competing in teams of five. Our team name was Spaulding & Daughters because two of our teammates had the same last name of Spaulding. Here is our cheer:

It was so sweltering that the ice water I started out with was ready to boil tea by the end. After literally running to complete the course in time, our instructor Mary Grace commented that it never needed to be a competition. She warned us to pay attention when we are pitted against others in the future because, often, competition is unnecessary and detrimental to end results. 

Towards the end of the break, we wandered back to the classroom, where we found half of our classmates hanging out. An informal dance party was started. This was particularly fun because many girls knew how to dance in international styles.

We participated in a Trans Identity Workshop with Brown students Victor and Justice. I was really happy that we got to learn what we did and I left feeling more comfortable and informed. 

As you can see below, I spent some significant time working on my Action Plan speech. I am more worried about performing it in front of my classmates and Mary Grace tomorrow than I am about performing it for random parents Friday. 

I would like to leave you with a joke our cohort adapted. 

Question: What did the male cow say to the attractive female cow?

Answer: Moolaaalaaaa! 

Question: How did the female cow respond?

Answer: Stop cattle-calling me!