ILC & the School Board Meeting.

I was much more relaxed prior to the meeting, as opposed to the dinner. This was perhaps due to the fact that I would not be speaking later on. After arriving at Lovonya DeJean Middle School with my mother I quickly found familiar faces in the crowd. I got to talk with my friend Helen who will be attending Cornell over the summer and Esme and Wendy from my cohort. We met up with our chaperone Tiffani Neal who led us outside to go over a few things.

Lovonya has a great campus, and the weather was quite nice today. We all clarified the pronunciations of our names and went over what order we would be introduced to the school board in. Tiffani was very nice, and I am truly looking forward to traveling to the East Coast with her as our chaperone. After returning to the Gym where the meeting was being held we all took our seats.

The school board went over the agenda of the evening and celebrated DeAnza High School for their growth and achievements. Following a series of wonderful speeches it was the ILC's turn. The program was introduced and one by one the cohorts went up to the front of the stage and were recognized individually. I talked a little with Komal and Diana and found myself having fun.

Soon it was time for the Brown cohort to head to the front of the room. Tiffani gave a great speech about our cohort and what we were expecting to do over the summer. I was ecstatic to learn we would be touring Harvard, Yale, and Wellesley College. We were introduced and it was time for Cindy to give her speech. She did a fantastic job, her speech was clear, concise, and well thought out!

After all the cohorts had been introduced Don said a few words, thanking everyone who contributed to the program and asking all of the sponsors to stand up and be recognized for supporting the ILC. Michelle Croda, an ILC alum who attended the Women and Leadership program we will be embarking upon this summer gave a wonderful speech. She spoke about how her failures turned her into the person she is today, and how much the program impacted her. Michelle's words really made me think about my own experiences as a prospective college student.

Don then led all of the chaperones, parents, and ILC'rs away for photographs. We were all arranged and Don proceeded to snap around two dozen photos of us. Overall, it was a very successful evening and I am more excited than ever for what the summer will bring.

The Ivy League Connection 2015