Brown/Columbia Potluck I: Putting the Pieces Together

My mom and I arrived at El Cerrito High's front gates at 6:00 PM sharp for the Brown and Columbia potluck. I held onto my chow mein, trying my best to resist its aroma. We parked in the most convenient space we could find and saw Ms. Lilhanand (the Columbia chaperone) coming out of the car in front of us. She motioned for me to help her with some of the utensils and we walked over to Ms. Kaplan (one of the Brown chaperones.) 


After some brief introductions, Morvarid (one of the Columbia cohorts) came to join us. We continued onto the third floor towards Room 302 and set our food onto one of the black counters in the back.

Ms. Kaplan and Ms. Lilhanand
brought most of the utensils

Being the first ones to arrive, Morvarid and I helped to set up the chips, pasta, drinks, and utensils. After we were done, we sat down and listened as Ms. Lilhanand told us about her ILC experience as  chaperone. Ms. Kaplan had to run back home to get some papers that we had to fill later on in the night. Luckily, she only lived a few blocks away. 

By 6:30 PM everyone was settled and the black counter was filled with all sorts of different foods. The once plain, black counter was now loaded with variant colors and trays of all sizes. Ms. Kaplan and Ms. Lilhanand gave us permission to eat, and the counter quickly became very crowded with Brown/Columbia cohorts and their parents. There, I got acquainted to Ying-An, one of the Brown cohorts who would be taking the DNA: Biotechnology course. We ate for half an hour, and then, we got down to the serious stuff. 

Some of the food (more came later)

Ms.Kaplan (our chaperone)

Ms. Kaplan and Ms. Lilhanand called for our attention around 7:00 PM. They introduced themselves to us as we listened with clasped hands. Surprisingly, Ms. Kaplan used to be an Assistant Principal at Pinole Valley High School. Ms. Lilhanand used to teach math at El Cerrito for 20 years and later became the Assistant Principal of Hercules Middle/High School. Both dedicated most of their careers in the field of education and are currently retired. 


There was also Mr. Crosby, another Brown chaperone, who would be doing most of the driving during our ILC experience. They briefly talked to us about what to pack, the pricey dinners, and the crazy, humid weather we'd be experiencing down at Providence. Then, we separated into two groups. The Brown group stayed in Room 302 while Ms. Lilhanand and the Columbia group went into the room across from us. 

We then got more in depth towards the subjects mentioned earlier. Ms. Kaplan has a really good sense of humor. Earlier, she told me, "Most importantly, I just want to have fun." It really fits with her personality. I am very excited to have her as my chaperone during my time at Brown University. We talked some more about what the dinner (eg. where we'll eat, what to wear). She also told us how we would be going to be touring Dartmouth, Yale, Wesleyan, and MIT. Ms. Kaplan gave us all an assignment so that each of us do some research on one of the colleges so that we would know a little something about it before go there. Along with that, Mr. Crosby gave us some packing tips. We had some questions tossed around and before we knew it, we were done. We finished at exactly 8:00 PM. Ms. Kaplan insisted that we took our food back home. 

After tonight, I'm even more excited about what lies beyond the ILC doors that I've only begun to open. Each event signifies a checkpoint of my Ivy League journey that I'm yearning to begin. I can't wait to see what this amazing opportunity has in store for me.