Back from Brown

I thought my three weeks at Brown this summer went by quickly but that was nothing compared to the length of this trip. While the days were long and full, the trip itself went by in heartbeat. However, the things I learned in that short period time will help me for the rest of my life. While the skills I gained last weekend will most immediately improve and progress my Action Plan, the tactics for talking to administration and giving an elevator pitch will be of use to me through my college career and in to my professional life. 

The workshops on fundraising and stress management will help me take my Action Plan (The Young Voters Club at El Cerrito High School) in a new direction now that the election is over. I hope to raise money for my club to go on field trips as well donate to nationwide organizations promoting the youths' vote. Stress management is invaluable at a time like this (senior year of high school) so the skills I learned in that workshop are bound to help me in prioritizing and completing work to the best of my ability. These goals of course, wouldn't be possible without time management and thankfully there was a lecture about effective time usage at the Symposium as well. 

While all the skills I have mentioned will benefit my club and the rest of my high school experience, they will also not be wasted in college. Another thing I learned at the Symposium was that all the students that spoke with us had been greatly impacted by their time in the Brown Leadership Institute and continued to thrive academically because of their experiences prior to college. All the workshops I attended this past weekend continue to be an advantage going in to college. 

Finally, I can extend these skills to my peers and help other stressed students realize healthy ways to deal with an overwhelming work load or bad feelings about college applications because the other thing I that I was reminded of while back at Brown was that not all students are as fortunate as I am. Despite that, they still need practical and efficient ways to approach school work so I hope I can spread my new knowledge to my peers in addition to improving my Action Plan and successfully applying to college.

I am so grateful to the Ivy League Connection for giving me the means to go back to the East Coast for another two enriching days on the Brown campus and another educational campus tour. Since my first experience with ILC my eyes have opened to the possibilities after high school. I want to thank Ms. Kronenberg for accompanying us on this trip, Don Gosney for keeping everything organized and Mr. Ramsey, as well as Ms. Kronenberg, for starting such a crucial program in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. 

Brown Symposium for Social Action 2012