My Very First Blog—ILC Tutorial Experience

Instead of sleeping in on this gloomy Saturday morning, I woke up early to get ready for the ILC tutorial. Despite the bad weather, I wanted to make the best of the session. After a few detours in the pouring rain, my mother and I made it to Hercules High School only 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of 9:00 AM (instead of the planned 30 minutes). Due to the rain, getting lost, and the time pressure, I was slightly nerve-wrecked as we entered the computer lab, and afraid that we would be the last ones to arrive. After getting my ID scanned by Don, I had a few minutes to settle down and enjoy the warmth of the room.

Saturday (3/31) morning ILC tutorial--Hercules High

‘Don’s Darned Tutorial’ began shortly afterward. At the start, everyone introduced themselves, supplying their name, occupation, and school they were to attend. Then we got down to business. Over the next three hours, we covered a lot of topics including blogging basics, what to expect leading up to and during the much-anticipated trip and various other areas listed on Don’s 34-page packet of notes.

Since I am new to blogging (this is my first, so please bear with me), I found the information on blogging and the hands-on session very helpful and interesting. We also gained some tips on photography and how to format, edit, and perfect a picture to add some color/imagery to our blogs. It was a fulfilling experience to learn how to publish good-looking blogs in a short time. Don emphasized the importance of the presentation/quality of a blog, as people all over the world will be reading them. Don also provided examples of good and bad blogs. I feel motivated but also pressured because I realize that blogging is a powerful tool that will shape people’s impression of us.

During the two short breaks in between, we got the opportunity to mingle and meet my fellow ILCers and chaperones. It was great getting to meet and connect with so many new people. I talked to my chaperone as well as some of the students in the Brown cohort about the upcoming trip. It was also helpful to chat with returning ILC students about their experiences from last year.

Overall, I enjoyed the tutorial session. I appreciate that we had the opportunity to learn blogging techniques and lots of valuable advice. It clarified a lot about the ILC processes, and I feel better prepared for the journey. Thanks to Don for an excellent tutorial. I am more excited than ever to be a part of the ILC, and look forward for more to come!