The Hercules City Council Hosts the ILC

The evening was a beautiful climax to a typical Spring day here in West County.  The Hercules City Council opened their meeting as they have so many times in the past by welcoming the Hercules residents who are cohorts of the Ivy League Connection.

After the warm welcome from Mayor Joanne Ward, West Contra Costa Unified School Distirct School Board President Charles Ramsey explained to the gathered crowd--and those watching on TV from the comfort of their homes--about the history of the program and how the program positively affects so many of the young people from our community.

Following Mr. Ramsey, Hercules High Assistant Principal Terri Ishmael spoke on the application process and how these cohorts went from the "what's this all about" stage to the "what time does our first class start" stage.  Ms. Ishmael introduced the cohorts and invited each of them to step to the microphone to talk about their own involvement in the ILC.

Concluding the presentation, and before the traditional group photo, former ILC cohort and Hercules resident (and the big sister of current Columbia Constitutional Law cohort Eric Wang) spoke about how her own participation as a two time ILCer affected her.  Yueming Wang was a Hotelie at Cornell two years ago and last summer she attended the Presidential Powers course at Columbia University.

Yueming eloquently spoke of how she was a dyed in the wool Cal Bear fan until she saw what else was available to her.  After attending Cornell and Columbia her views towards Cal were altered-altered to the point where she will be studying engineering at Cornell starting this Fall.

What was clear this evening, as it has been since the beginning, the ILC saw once again that the Hercules community stands firmly behind their young students and if the ILC will help their young members of the community, then the Hercules community stands behind the ILC.

And the Blogging Begins!

This past Saturday I had my blogging tutorial. Because of my schedule I had to take it later than everyone else. It is unbelievable how much I thought I knew and how much I really didn't about the whole blogging process.

Blogging finally made me realize that I am ready to go on my trip to Columbia. It made me nervous that I will have a chance not only to share my experiences with other ILC students or my parents, but with the whole world. The whole world will be able to see what I feel and how amazing this program really is.

The blogging tutorial helped me know exactly what I need to do to make my blogging successful. From font to Photoshop, I now have to drive to make my blog presentable and perfect. I am now encouraged to take millions of photographs to show them to everyone.

The tutorial was not just on blogging. It was also about how to prepare for the trip. That information made me 100% more excited to go to Columbia! The trip is almost here and I'm more excited than ever. I also received a lesson on the don'ts of how to do laundry, courtesy of Don's ruined white pants from the rage of an ink pen. Hopefully, I'll be able to fight the homesickness and be able to do my laundry without any complications.

And the Blogging Begins!

A Glorious Night In The City

On May 9th, the Columbia cohort met at the El Cerrito Plaza Bart Station preparing to embark on a trip to the glorious city by the bay, San Francisco, to dine with alumni and sponsors at La Folie.

On the Bart ride to the city, I enjoyed a conversation with Milani, Beilul, and Will about school, extra curricular activities such as JSA and Forensics, and what we would like to major in. The conversation was nice for me because prior to the dinner, I had never had a conversation with anyone other than Irene and Beilul. I learned that Milani's home away from home is a swimming pool, and Will is the East Bay Regional President for JSA.

When we arrived in San Francisco, we hailed cabs and headed La Foile. I was amazed when I walked into our room at La Foile. The colors, painting style, and the grandeur of the room blew me away because prior to Monday I'd never dined in a fancy restaurant. The food was absolutely delicious. In addition to making my taste buds go crazy in delight, the presentation of the food, such as the salmon lollipop, was beautiful. While the food was amazing, it was the conversation with Mitchell Flax that I enjoyed the most.

I was thrilled when I saw the Mitchell Flax, a Columbia graduate of '09, was sitting next to me. Throughout the dinner our cohort asked questions one after another about Mitchell's college experience, extra curricular, work, and why he choose Columbia. I had always assumed that a student at a institution as fine as Columbia wouldn't have much time for anything other than studying, but I was pleasantly suprised to learn that Mitchell balanced, a double major in Mathematics and Economics, with an A Cappella group, and a job on campus.

Overall, the dinner and conversation has made more excited than ever for my journey in New York City. I cannot wait to embark on an amazing adventure!

In addition, we also discussed the application process for Columbia. Being a member of the alumni association, Mitchell conducted interviews of applicants and gave us hints for the interview such as don't bring a resume and to come with questions to ask.

The Journey Has Just Begun

The ILC journey so far has consisted of the School Board meeting at LaVonya Dejean Middle School and dinner at LaFolie in San Francisco. Both events were opprotunites for us to give our thanks to the many people who made our trip and experience possible and for their continued support.

When we first arrived at the School Board meeting, all of the ILC members gathered together to socialize with and introduce ourselves to others in different programs that we had not met before. I was reunited with some of my friends from middle school that were attending other programs, which I found suprising that all of us were on the same journey once again.

After everyone was accounted for and the audience was seated, we procedded as a group inside where we sat with our respective groups to be presented in front of the School Board. One by one each of the programs went up ad gave their thanks to the school board and the donors who were generous enough to donate to send us on this amazing journey. When my group went up and we stood before the Board, it finally hit me that I was about to embark on a journey of a lifetime and what I had waited my whole life for. After the schools were introduced, students from previous years gave speeches about what the program was able to do for them and their plans for the future. A previous ILC student, Beulah Agbabiaka, shared with us her experiences during the summer program and the great news that she will be attending Columbia in the fall as part of the class of 2015. Her speech and her presence was another major burst of motivation. It was amazing to see how many people supported us in our dreams, not only the School Board and the donors, but the public also.


The dinner at LaFolie in San Francisco was fantastic. The dining experience was something that I had never experienced before and the food was beyond imaginable. I had the pleasure of sitting across from Mitchell Flax, an alumnus from Columbia who was a part of the Columbia Alumni Program in the East Bay. He answered all of our questions regarding the admission process and life at Columbia, plus some opinions regarding movies and teaching.

The program during the dinner started off with a speech from Mrs. Kronenberg. She congratulated us as well as thanked the donors who were there to dine with us and other alumni who were able to joining. Then Beilul and Irene gave speeches about what the ILC meant to them. What they said in their speeches was exactly what each of us felt inside, about overcoming the adversities that were put before us and our excitement towards the journey ahead of us. Following them was Mr. Ramsey, who told us that if we work hard "there will be that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow." It's amazing to know that it started with a dream and now the ILC will be sending the most students it has ever sent(35) to the East Coast.

The final stop before we depart to New York City is the ILC orientation in June. After that, we will have a lot of reading, a lot of packing, but most importantly, a lot of memories.

BART, a Cab Ride and La Folie

How could it get any better than this?

Our Columbia Cohorts, some Columbia alums, our sponsors, our ILC staff and even one of our seasoned ILCers who will be heading East to begin her studies as a Columbia Lion.

The food was, of course, superb, the company grande and the evening a resounding success.

We try to seat our students so they're not all bunched up with the other students and can get some exposure to the sponsors and alums.  Last night, though, we had a very recent alum ~ Mitchell Flax ('09) ~ who could provide valuable insight into Columbia that our other alums (Hale Kronenberg '66 and Sally Swanson '71) might not.

From the conversations on the BART train home and reading the blogs written afterwards I'm betting this was a good decision.  Our Columbia cohorts seemed to have garnered insights that may serve them well when they arrive in a few months.

A Night on the Town

Approaching the tail-end of my Ivy League journey here on the West Coast, I was able to complete the dinner function at La Folie in San Francisco successfully last night, and the experience was very new to the like of which I had ever experienced.

You see, I am not as familiar as preferable when it comes to extraordinary dining experiences. The very moment I realized that I had, not one, but two forks neatly coordinated presented in front of me, I could gauge the elegance of the place. For someone who is not accustomed to the petite by comparison experience of Denny's, La Folie was a step above and beyond.

Opening, student, and closing remarks were both entertaining and inspiring. I was gripped by the auditory grasp. The speech nicely bounced throughout the petite, yet lovely room, from all speakers: Mrs. K, Mr. Ramsey, Beilul, Irene, and even Don with the occasional chime-in. As long as nobody sitting was as confused as the waiter who consistently peaked into the room to assess whether or not we had finished our presentations, I feel as though all were able to gain from our intermission.

The food was incredible, unlike anything I had eaten in the past. I believe I was able to digest at least 3 different food sources than previously known. The fact that the menu was able to accomplish that feat, despite my tastebuds various objections, was impressive on its own. When I approached the food which I had tasted in the past, the delicacy reached a whole new fronteir. It was just delicious!

Most exciting about the night itself was the Columbia alumnus and Skyline High School teacher, Mitchell Flax. He was a huge insight. It was invaluable to question a primary source, so to speak. I felt as though our cohort asked some significant questions, and we recieved quite detailed responses. From fraternities, to extracirriculars, to academics, to the surrounding environment, I'm pretty sure our cohort could appropriately write Mitchell's college biography if necessary.

The largest realization on my behalf followed after I discovered Mitchell's current job, teaching 9th grade math. And, I was almost dumbfounded--but, not in a bad way. It just took an extra moment for me to process that information and form my own opinion addressing it. I had heard from many peers and aquaintances alike that Columbia's atmosphere--including its students--produced an offputting, superior vibe, as if the universal mentality centered around power, money, or both. And, before Mitchell, I was definitely conflicted with that university stereotype.

Columbia has been my "dream" undergraduate school for the past three years! But, meeting Mitchell and learning the ins and outs of how he got to where he is today allowed me to realize that maybe that stereotype was as most other social stereotypes are: flawed. While my ultimate aspirations lie within medical school and postgraduate studies, I do hope to find the time to become a teacher before attempting to become a doctor. Mitchell helped me figure out that it is perfectly acceptable to deviate from the linear patterns of society: a Columbia alumni does not have to be wildly successful, at least not within the immediate years of graduation.

All in all, Monday night was one of extraordinary venture, at least in comparison to much of what I have revolved my own personal history around. And, I am very gracious for such a generous night and the guarentee of better memories to be made as I continue my Ivy League journey.