The
opportunity that our daughter received to attend the Ivy League connection was
not only a blessing for her but it was a blessing for our entire family. Having
the opportunity to watch her and support her through this process reminded us
of how truly special she is. Tayler worked so hard at writing those essays as
she applied for 3 different programs offered by the Ivy League Connection. That
alone made us proud of her that she was willing to put her self out there up to
3 times in order to increase her chances of acceptance.
Well, not to
my surprise she was selected into the very 1st cohort therefore
there was no need for her to go to the other two interviews. Sitting there with
her before and after her interview we were both very nervous, but call it mother’s
intuition I felt sure she would be selected.
After the
acceptance and leading up to the actual departure was a great time for us as a
family. Lots of time talking about all the what if's, planning, preparing and
watching Tayler balanced her excitement and her fear. Again, a great learning
experience for us all. Never questioning if she was mature enough but still
secretly scared to have her gone for an entire month, we, too, had to balance
our excitement and fear.
Well, she
left for her trip to Brown University for a class in Macroeconomics (I am still
wondering exactly what that is!) During her sendoff we fed off of one another’s
excitement... no room for fear right now! She made it safe and sound.... she
stayed in regular communication with us for the 1st week... well
then you all know what happened, she started to enjoy herself a little bit too
much bonding with her fellow Brownies and well, things changed. Our
communication began to get a little irregular in week two, very irregular for
week 3 and picked back up in week four. Well it was at the beginning of week
four that she reached her peak for missing her own bed, her own bathroom and
her own home cooked meals! She had to balance her feelings of how great a time
she was having with how much she was missing Home Sweet Home!
Upon her
return we were so happy to see her at SFO. She seemed a little different. We
quickly realized that in those 4 weeks she really matured. The exposure that
she received has broadened her perspectives on so many things.
We feel that
the Ivy League Connection is an irreplaceable program. The combination of the
exposing these youth to Ivy League Schools, taking an Ivy League Course,
preparing them for being away from home for a significant amount of time, the
caliber of the chaperones (Ms. Kaplan was AMAZING), the responsibility
instilled in them to give back through public speaking and blogging... all of
this together makes this program unique.
The Ivy
League Connection is undoubtedly preparing these youth to be leaders...but not
just leaders... they are being prepared to lead with a sense of pride, respect
for others and personal responsibility to give back. We are very thankful that
our daughter had this opportunity.
Billy & Tracy Ward
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