Helping Hands

After an incredibly busy first week of school, there was no reprieve on the weekend--at least, that's what I thought. After work and a debate team meeting on Saturday, I honestly didn't feel ready for another event. Thankfully, the ten o' clock meeting time meant I got to sleep in, at least a little bit. I didn't know what to expect out of this 'mentor-program'. All I knew was that I'd asked for Simon Hong to be my mentor, as he now holds a job in a field that I am particularly interested in.

After a cozy car ride with Kelly, her father, my mother, and Nick, we arrived at the Olympic Club, and I was immediately impressed. I still wasn't sure what we were going to be doing, but now I was reasonably positive it was going to be classy. 

After Izzy Ramsey, who was very generous to let us use the building, gave us a tour of the Olympic Club, which hosted the 2012 US Open (how cool is that?), I talked to two El Cerrito grads who went to Brown.  They introduced me to their friend Rob, who they met when they did graduate work at Oxford. I've always known I've wanted to get out of California for college, but never really considered farther away. I'm really grateful for the time he took to give me some insight on foreign schools. 

I also sat next to Tyler, who went to CPS. I mentioned that I've been there before for a debate tournament, and he told me that we had that activity in common! It's always fun to talk to other debaters, especially when you get to see how far it took them (Yale). He was also really helpful in answering some of my questions about the atmosphere at Yale, and he gave me some really honest opinions. 

After hearing Mr. Ramsey explain what the mentor-program actually is, now I'm really excited to start meeting with Simon. I'm starting the application process, and I'll always need more support.

On that note, I feel a lot better about the application ordeal after meeting with Ms. Kim yesterday. A college counselor with 20 years of experience, I knew I was in good hands when we started talking. 

As I'm starting the first drafts of my personal statements, I am more and more thankful for everything the ILC has provided to me, and continues to provide for me as I'm taking this step towards adulthood.