My husband
and I are thankful for the opportunity that the Ivy League Connection has given
to our daughter, Romina, to be a part of its program—this program that sends
qualified students to different prestigious universities and colleges to take
up a short course over the summer. We were very happy and proud of her when we
first learned about the good news that she was accepted to the ILC. The process
that she went through to get into the program was challenging—defending her
point of view on a not-so-easy topic through essay writing, experiencing the
intense panel interview, and applying to the actual college—already gave her
the opportunity to learn how it is like in college and in the real world after
college.
The fancy
dinner at Boulevard a couple of weeks prior to the trip to the East Coast was
also a wonderful experience for Romina where she got to meet and interact with
other Ivy Leaguers and sponsors. I can only imagine the wonderful events she's
attended back east.
We had mixed
emotions about it; happy for Romina because it was an opportunity of a lifetime
for her, but at the same time sad because of the 3-week separation from each
other. It was very hard for us to let her go because that was the first time
that Romina would be away from our family for 3 weeks, considering the distance
and fear of not being there with her in case she needed us. Nonetheless, her
eagerness and enthusiasm to learn things outside of her usual high school
environment changed our mind.
Aside from
the academic understanding of the Women and Leadership course, her short stay
at Brown University has taught her a lot of things: how to mingle with people
from different walks of life, how to handle challenging situations in or
outside the campus, how to budget her finances, and most especially
independence from us. When she returned from Brown, there was some type of
energy I saw in her—some type of drive to pursue her dreams and achieve her
goals. The overall ILC experience made Romina a mature and better person, a
blessing that she will cherish for the rest of her life.
As a parent,
it's difficult to see your child slowly separate from you. Letting Romina go
miles away from us at her age was not easy, but now it's definitely safe to say
that it was all worth it.
-Dinah
Pelaez, mom
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