From the Parents of David Fang

Moving Forward

The following content was originally dictated in Chinese and translated into English.

First of all, I am very grateful to the founders (Mr. Ramsey, Ms. Kronenberg, and Don) and planners of the Ivy League Connection, as well as the sponsors and behind the scenes staff. Their hard work and constant efforts towards improvement is what made the ILC the outstanding and successful program it is today. It is truly gratifying. 

I am also very thankful for Ms. Kaplan for taking the Brown Session I students on this journey with attentive care. Her smile and laughter brought warmth and love to our children.

As parents, we were filled with joy when we heard about the program. With the help of the ILC, our child would have another metamorphic summer experience. I remember when I first accompanied David to the interview. I told him, "David, Mom has confidence in you."

When he was done with his interview, he called me back into the classroom and sat by my side. He smiled at me and said, "Mom, I felt good about my performance today. The panelists seemed pretty satisfied." I said back to him, "Success is half confidence and half hard work. Since you're so confident about yourself, you're already halfway there. And whatever the outcome, Mom will always support you."

When I heard my child's name being called out as one of the 2012 ILC participants, I ran over to him, with joy filling my heart. I told myself that this moment would be unforgettable, on the thought that David's efforts have not been in vain. I believe that the success of every child cannot be separated from their parents' support. As parents, we have to pay more attention to our child's thinking, behavior, and education in schools. They are our future. And as long as our children can continue to pursue their ideals with the proper education and opportunities, there is hope.

Through the one month experience, we found him to be a more grown up, mature person. We have more confidence in him making his own independent choices. He has expanded his knowledge towards the culture of people from various cultures and backgrounds, and has taken a great leap forward towards his communication with others. Through a short period of time, David has taken a great amount of change, but has also changed us. We are more assured in his capacity to be more independent and to think more intelligently, as well as the way he has learned to deal with difficulties in the face of pressure. 

He is also more confident when facing challenges, and makes smarter choices. In addition, by taking the Macroeconomics course at Brown, David now has a better understanding of the world. By visiting colleges, David now has a better understanding of college admissions, school conditions, interesting courses, and financial aid. We would really like to thank the Ivy League Connection for giving him his opportunity, and broadening his knowledge and experience.

And so, we will wish for the continuation of this program. Let this program forever continue to shine brightly and be extended to every school district. Let the Ivy League Connection continue to prosper and grow, for our children.

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If anyone ever wanted to be convinced of the need for parental buy-in for our members of The Ivy League Connection they need to re-read this blog.  And while our readers could not have been at the interview, had they been there they would have seen David's mother jumping for joy with an ear to ear smile on her face when David's name was announced.  We could have turned out the lights in the interview room and still we would have needed sunglasses to protect our eyes from the way his mother beamed with pride in her David.
Don Gosney