A Spoonful of Jitters

May 30th was a night to remember. Yesterday was the annual Brown dinner that was held at Boulevard in San Francisco. My mother and I were very ecstatic and nervous to meet everyone. Not only did we have the jitters because we had to meet new faces, but we were dressed formal and had to take BART. 

Both of us arrived at the El Cerrito Plaza BART at 5:10, right on schedule. As we walked towards the large group of well dressed people (ILC'ers and parents), I felt more comfortable about what I wore. So I placed the stares of random strangers in the back of my mind. After all, our attire is to help us give a good first impression. At around 5:30, all us made our way up the stairs to the BART train.

What a Sight!

Although we had a beautiful view of the Bay Bridge outside the restaurant, it seemed so small from its exterior. I had no idea how more than forty of us were supposed to go in and sit around a table to eat. To my surprise, it turns out we had our own private room booked to ourselves downstairs Boulevard! For a brief moment I became intimidated from all the successful alums and sponsors, until Tayler Ward and I bumped into Adrienne Eng and her college roommate Nancy Schiff, alumni from Brown. They were very welcoming and told us about their experience and how much they loved it, including how high school life differs from college. After 15 minutes of chatting, we settled down and began to sit at our tables.

Mom and Daughter
(photo Cred to Don)

At my table sat my mother, Nancy Schiff (what a coincidence), Don, Mr. Crosby, Destiny, and her father. Ms. Kronenberg started the dinner off by doing icebreakers. Each person had to stand up and introduce themselves along with one interesting fact. My interesting fact is that I'm 4''11... in a half. Not even five feet! But tonight was different, thanks to the help of heels. Simon Hong and Andrew Gonzales spoke to all of us. Simon, a graduate of Brown in the year 2005, talked about the importance of mentorship and how all of us can receive a chance to participate with him. Andrew recently graduated from Pinole High and will be attending Brown this fall! This really amazes me that even though my school district isn't the best, we can all strive for our goals and make it big in this world. Andrew is just an excellent example! Next, Nick Shebek and Abigail Serrano gave speeches about what they're looking forward to and what they'll bring back after the trips. As speeches were getting to a close, the food arrived.

Lobster Bisque
(entree)

Chocolate Brownie with Ice Cream
(dessert)

My mother and I decided that teamwork was the way to tackle our menu. She chose what she wanted and I chose the exact opposite. That way, we'll be able to get a taste of everything. My favorite was the lobster bisque she ordered, a combination of sweet and tangy. Don and Mr. Crosby gave us tips on what to expect. One of the important things I remembered was to expect the unexpected. Both noted that one day can be sunny and out of nowhere rain will come out! I suppose it wouldn't hurt to pack an umbrella. Better safe than sorry. Dinner started to come towards an end with Mr. Ramsey making the last remarks. 

My first dinner with the ILC was fantastic. I've got a lot of in site of how college life will be like. That's such a relief for me to hear, I always thought being on my own and independent is such a scary thing. I'll definitely miss my family, but after hearing how much fun everyone had, I can't wait to go!