Connections Continued

Ever since school has started, I’ve been catapulted into the busy life of a junior. Now that the summer and my trip East are behind me, the ILC continues to be an important part of my life, not only from what I learned from the experience and what it did for me, but also how it continues to create valuable opportunities for us and keep us in the loop. This Sunday I had the privilege of attending the ILC mentorship brunch held at the Olympic Club, which officially kicked off the Mentorship program for this year. In the mentorship program, each of us is paired up with an alumnus to connect with, who becomes a college counselor to us through their experience. While the program started with just Brown mentors, this year it has expanded to include Yale as well. Throughout the school year, the ILC sets up several social events for us to meet with our mentors. At this brunch we would get to meet the mentors and decide ourselves who we wanted to partner with.

The Olympic Club

It was a beautiful day—the kind of weather you don’t see often in the Bay Area—as my mother and I headed to the EC BART station to meet up with everyone else. It was nice to see everyone again. All but one of Brown I had signed up for the program. After everyone showed up on time, we quickly divided into carpool groups to Olympic Club. My mom and I were invited to ride in Mr. Ramsey’s car along with Ms. Kaplan. Thanks to Mr. Ramsey, we arrived the earliest, and had the chance to look around the prestigious club with its beautiful surroundings. My first impression of the club was stunning. The balcony offered a breathtaking view of the surrounding golf courses and San Francisco City itself. The club’s famous golf courses were the site of this year’s US Open. Izzy Ramsey (brother of Mr. Ramsey) kindly provided a quick tour of the Olympic Club, a two story building with many dining rooms, a lounge, a bar, and a beautiful entrance. 

A beautiful golf course view from the balcony

The brunch started around noon in a private room. Unfortunately, we could only choose one of the schools (Brown and Yale) for our mentors. I decided to go with Brown, since it had affected me more. I shared a table with Brown alumni Peggy, Donna, Alice, Elizabeth, as well as Guadalupe Morales, a current student (and a 2010 ILCer in the Women and Leadership course). Donna and Elizabeth, who both just graduated from Brown this year, were also from El Cerrito High School. In fact, out of the Brown mentors, four of them had attended ECHS. 

Great food, good company, what more could I ask for?

The buffet style brunch included a variety of fresh fruits, pastries, scramble eggs, bacon, sausage, and baked potato.  The zest of our conversations continued while we enjoyed our meal, and the overall atmosphere was festive cheerful. The whole event was sort of reminiscent of all the dinners we had on the East Coast. Mr. Ramsey spoke enthusiastically about the mentorship program, followed by representatives of the Yale and Brown mentors. And then, of course, we topped off the brunch with a trademark group photo of both groups by Don. It was only at this time that I found out I was the only male in the Brown group, lucky me! Afterwards everyone continued to chat and exchange contact information. I was reluctant to leave when being reminded that our time was up.

The Brown group

The ILC continues to create valuable opportunities for us even after our trips to the East Coast. I’m very excited and grateful to be part of this exciting prospect. Overall, the Olympic Club brunch was an excellent beginning for this year’s mentorship program! Thanks to Mr. Ramsey and Don for organizing this wonderful event Izzy Ramsey, who graciously vouched for us to use the beautiful Olympic Club. It will be a tough decision to choose only one mentor out of all these great people. I look forward to the next mentorship event, as well as working with my mentor.