We Are Not students, We Are Adults

These were the loaner items that Don put out for us to look at.

When I arrived at the Mandatory Orientation at Pinole Middle School, a lady marked off my name on a list of ILCers. I assumed that she was keeping track of who was not there yet for Don to know.  A lot of information was given out today, not only for the students, but also for the worried parents. Don introduced himself to everyone and went over some guidelines and procedures to prepare us for our trip. Ms.Kronenberg, a school board member, introduced Don today as the “tour guide Don” because he provides us with a lot of help for our trip. He will be giving out items to let us borrow during our trip, such as fans and umbrellas. Ms.Kronenberg said things like “remember that you’re representing the school district,” and, “the ILC is a privilege that you earned.” Her words made me realize how important this trip is not only for me, but also my community. At one point of Don’s speech, he asked the room “who here are ILCers that are students,” and most of our hands went up. We were all wrong. We are no longer students when we step into a university; we are adults with a lot of responsibilities. In addition, Don reminded us that the Ivy League “Connection” is supposed to help us make connections. I never thought about the title itself until he pointed it out. I hope to make connections during my stay in the East coast.

After Don and Ms.Kronenberg got a chance to talk, we were split into groups according to the programs that we are going to this summer. Once we all filled out a contract, Jenny, the chaperone for Women and Leadership at Brown University, took us to a classroom where she could go over our schedule, discuss some rules, and answer questions. Jenny told us to think of the hottest temperature in the bay area and times it by two. That’s the kind of weather to expect in the East coast. She suggested that we bring clothes according to the weather, stuffed animals to have when we are lonely, stuff to hang on the wall, and a journal to keep track of the places we visit. Jenny discussed a short list of rules that she wants us to follow:

1. Respect others and yourself.
2. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Be nice. 
3. Don’t form clicks. Don’t leave anyone out. 
4. Communicate with Jenny, always. Text her at least once a day.
5. Don’t drink alcohol. 

After our group talk with Jenny, we went back into the multipurpose room where Don and Ms.Kronenberg talked some more about the trip. Don went over the no parent visit rule and loaner items in detail. He reminded us that we shouldn't loose things like our ID cards and keys. And lastly, we should take A LOT of photos....

Middle College High School ILCers for 2014
Left to right (Kendal Mahoney, Jun Chen, Dani Famorcan, Donna Fang, YeonSoo Cho)