Prospecting Prospects At Prospect

Last night my fellow cohorts and I went to our first Ivy League Connection dinner at Prospect in the beautiful city of San Francisco.

The evening started out with my father and I rushing over to the El Cerrito Plaza BART station, traffic was looking bad and I definitely did not want to be late to my first Ivy League dinner. Thankfully we arrived right at 5:30 and were not the last ones there.

As we got on BART thoughts were rushing into my mind; what was going to happen at the dinner, how was the food going to be, and of course, what would I gain out of this night. I chit chatted with my fellow cohorts about our upcoming experiences together, and with a fellow ILC alumni, Austin Long, regarding how he felt going to Yale in the fall.

When we arrived at Prospect I honestly still felt a little shy. I didn't go out of my way to talk to as many people as I could, I talked with some parents, my cohorts, and some staff of WCCUSD. However once the tables were set and we were seated, I was ready to spread my wings and become a social butterfly. My main conversationalist was with Christene Geiser, a Yale alumni class of '07. We first talked about the food there, how good it was and what we were going to order. As the conversation wore on and I became increasingly comfortable we started to talk about our own lives and get a real sense of each other. We talked about her experiences at Yale, about Yale itself, and about her life outside of it. At times Dave Olson chimed into our conversation and brought his perspective into whatever we were talking about at the time.

I learned many things from talking to these two Yale Alumni. One, I learned that that Pepe's serves good pizza over in New Haven and that I will love the food there as well. However most importantly I was able to gain a true insight to what Yale is like and what I am going to experience this summer. Every time I asked Christene about what Yale is like she always responded with the word, "amazing." The recurrence of this word kept telling me, "Matt you are going to have the time of your life this summer. This experience truly will be, amazing."

As everybody started to finish up their meals, and special deserts were called out the conversations turned from more about Yale to just friendly conversations. The night was coming to a close and we all started to leave for home.

After we all got back to El Cerrito Plaza one last thing echoed in my mind. Finally it had hit. The whole deal about what the Ivy League Connection is about and what I am getting myself into finally sunk into my head. To gain knowledge and impart it onto others was my duty as an ILC scholar. I truly thank everyone who attended that night for helping me realize this, and especially Mr. Ramsey, Ms. Kronenberg, and Don Gosney for helping me feel welcome into the ILC family.

YISP at Prospect

This evening our ILC YISP students gathered to join with a few Yale alums from the San Francisco chapter of the Yale Alum Society at Prospect ~ a trendy new restaurant South of Market in San Francisco.

Of course the company was great and meeting the parents of Matt, Dyana and Tom were special but first  I need to discuss the spectacular meal we were served.

I saw some of our guests with the ling cod and they said some great things about it and a few had the steak and said equally good things about it.  I can speak with first hand experience, though, that the duck was the entree to choose tonight.  By itself it would have been heavenly but I was served some truly delicious scallops to whet my appetite and had my palette cleansed afterwards with a chocolate truffle.

Okay--it's time to write a bit about how special the event itself was.

Up to now we've spent a lot of time with interviews, tutorials and the never ending stream of emails from the ILC administrators to our ILC cohorts.  Tonight, though, we got to sit down and meet in a social setting.  We got to talk to each other as fellow human beings without really bringing up any of the administrative rules or suggestions on how to take advantage of this experience.  Tonight we were all just human beings having a good time.

Even though I've gotten to know each of our students pretty well, this evening I got to meet and know their parents and that was something special all unto itself.

Our dinners wouldn't be what they are, though, without a few speeches thrown in.  Our featured speaker this evening was Dyana So from Pinole Valley High.  Every time I'm around Dyana I'm even more impressed.  She has a wonderful ability to speak to us all and make us feel good.  It's hard for me to remember that she's still just a junior in high school.

Our gatherings wouldn't be what they are, though, without our alums.  Tonight we met with our old friend Dave Olson ('86) and our new friend Bill Lindsey ('78).  Making things even more special, though, was meeting Ken Yamaguchi ('92). Alexis Fleckenstien ('07) and Christine Geiser ('07) ~ local Yale alums.  While Bill and Dave could regale us with stories of Yale from the "distant" past, and Ken could tell us what Yale was like  a short while ago, Alexis and Christine had fresh memories about Yale and could tell our cohorts what they can expect when they arrive in a few months.

Topping off the evening was Austin Long (Pinole Valley HS) who will become a Yale Bulldog this Fall.  Congratulations, Austin.

Tune in later and more photos will be posted.  I'm fond of telling our ILCers that words are nice but words with pictures are even nicer.  I need to practice what I preach so I'll be adding photos soon.

The American Dream

The Ivy League Connection is an incredible opportunity. An opportunity that I would go as far to say is the epitome of the “American Dream.” A program that helps people who help themselves by selecting the top students of our District, and encouraging them to expand their horizons and help them meet their full potential. Sounds like some good old-fashioned bootstrap pulling to me. Some might wonder, “Who could ask for anything more?”

However, what I have come to believe is that the American Dream is no longer good enough. The era in which we can afford to let the best and the brightest of us, especially WCCUSD, simply slip away and join the ranks of the upper class is gone. Communities such as ours are continually being harvested by elite universities for the cream of our crop while the rest of our student population is left to curdle. We should be proud of our own who come from humble beginnings to achieve great things, but a rags-to-riches story for a select few of us should not, and cannot be the only thing we as a community should hope for. It is a crime for us to let our District become intellectually, as well as economically, poor by letting our most brilliant students achieve that “American Dream” of going to a good school, making a ton of money in the financial sector, and leaving their community in the dust. How does this serve us?

I have gone through this school district, and I know how hard it is to succeed, and more to the point, how easy it is to fail. Which is why I am inspired to go to a top school, be successful, come back with a phenomenal education, and use it improve the lot of all the students in districts such as ours. I refuse to waste the Ivy League Connection’s investment in me by using it to pursue a more selfish “American Dream.” Instead I hope to use the skills I learn, and combine it with my own perspective to contribute to the goal of raising the baseline of success for students in WCCUSD and similar districts, not widening the gap between them and the Ivy League by using this opportunity to disconnect myself with my community.

This is what I have come up with in response to the question of what I hope to do with my scholarship and the opportunity it affords me. This thesis of mine, that we need a paradigm shift away from the unsustainable “American Dream,” is an aspiration. It is preachy, and a little naive, but it is also an ideal, and I would like to think that any ideal worth having must be thought of as such.

"Don's Darned Tutorial"

Just kidding, Don.

It was a pleasant sight to see so many bright ILC students arriving early to the Hercules Library this morning for the Tutorial Session 1. Even though I am a returning participant of the Ivy League Connections this year, this was my first time attending a blogging tutorial session under Don Gosney. Complications from last year's blogs has led to the need for this mandatory meeting and I was very curious to see what I could improve on in regards to my future blog post from Yale this summer. (So, thank you Don!)

The entire conference room was filled - a good mix of representatives from all the ILC programs and high schools. One of my greatest regrets from my experience last year was missing out on the opportunity to really reach out to the other ILC cohorts. Looking back at this meeting, I am pleased to say I've met a handful of new friends and am even more enthusiastic about meeting the rest of them very soon. (After all, I could very well be talking to the next CEO of a large corporation, government official, or other high-profile individual out to make our community a better place.)

I found the tutorial to be an informative and kind gesture for all of us. I'm sure many of the ILC cohorts today felt that some of the materials presented to us seemed like pretty basic blogging aspects and/or technological details they could probably be picked up quickly after some time. However, there also are those important words of wisdom which goes that: "it is always better to be safe than sorry". Certainly, many of what Don told us regarding blogging were of no surprise to me since I've encountered much of this first-hand last year, but I still found the information important. I strongly believe that there is always room for improvement and, therefore, I aim to better the quality of my blog posts from the ones I've done for Cornell last year. (Among the many things I'll start doing include less recapping on descriptions and details and more on my impressions and analysis, in addition to maintaining a better filing system for the many, many photos I'll be taking while at the East Coast.)

Kathleen He and Adrianne Ramsey take front-row seats for Don's Blogging Tutorial Session.

Matt Lee and Frank She sit with each other as Don begins Tutorial Session.

Erin Miller attends the session with her mother.

An example of a good blog post. This one is done recently by ILC alumni Austin Long.

Closing words and remarks.

When this session came to a close, fellow Yalie Matt Lee and I met up briefly with our chaperon, Lori Nardone, to discuss general plans specifically about our trip to Yale this summer (Tom couldn't join us today, unfortunately, because he was out of town). From making dinner reservations with college representatives as our honored guests, to gushing over the the many adventures we'll have before we begin the arduous work that lies ahead, I am pleased to say that the Yalies are getting off on a great start. The three of us - with our parents - will be meeting up with Lori again sometime next week to go over more details and paperwork for our trip.

This meeting has truly recaptured the joy and excitement I had put off due to the recent stress of AP testing, SAT, and school. I am very pleased to be so involved in making the reservations and plans for the couple of days before the start of class since I didn't get this opportunity last year. Also, I'm especially looking forward to meeting the college representatives and touring the college campuses while I am at the East Coast this summer.

As a junior this year, colleges have never looked so near and have never become more important to me. In a blink of an eye, I'll be a senior and applying for college myself, and there's nothing I fear more than having the regret of not knowing all the things I should have learned when I had the chance to. The college tours and meetings I had with college representatives last year was my first taste of the whole process. Now, I'm more experienced and ready to take advantage this great opportunity. This time, I'm ready to ask specific questions and make an effort to make sure that I present myself well upon meeting these representatives. Plus, it helps a lot that the three schools we'll be visiting prior to Yale - Princeton, U. Penn, and Columbia - are all schools I've long admired and wish to apply to. This could be my lucky break and I'm thankful just how lucky I can be from time to time.

The Brunch of Bigger and Better Things to Come

March 5th, 2011 marked the first day of our long academic adventure, with the "Grand Strategy" summer course at Yale being the center of it all. There are three of us - Tom Miller from El Cerrito High School, Matthew Lee from Pinole Valley High School, and myself, Dyana So, also from Pinole Valley High School.

The morning of March 5th was circled on all of our calenders, reminding us of a very important event at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, CA. Dr. Minh Luong, Associate Director of the Brady-Johnson Center in Grand Strategy and Assistant Director of International Security Studies at Yale University, happened to be back in the Bay Area around this time for business and agreed to set some time aside in his busy schedule to meet with the three of us. This meeting was simply a casual get-together.

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Walking into the Claremont alone was enough to put me in awe. I couldn't stop looking up at how high the ceilings were and admiring the beautiful paintings on the finely etched walls. The green color of my dress was pale compared to the green I'm sure many of the hotel guests had in their pockets.

I wasn't used to casually walking through places like this. Only the hotels I remember strolling through with my family in Las Vegas two years ago could compare with the striking elegance that the Claremont had to offer. With my back straight and only my eyes doing all the erratic observing, I tried my best to blend in with the other guests there. This was probably a failure, considering the involuntary takeover my face had by my ridiculously large grin.

Don directed Matt and I to this large dining room at the end of Claremont's lobby where a fabulous display of buffet-styled delicacies completely caught me off guard. I recalled that Don had labeled this event a "light" brunch in his emails but there was no way I'd take "light" as an option with all that food being offered. I am absolutely positive that I could go on and on about how the food tasted, but I'm afraid doing so would require another blog post some other time.

I spotted Dr. Luong right away because I recognized his face from an ILC Yale blog from two years ago. He looked just as how I thought he might--slightly aged from the photo I just mentioned but his smile was identical. With him was a woman named Jessie, a very kind social worker and long-time pal of Dr. Luong. I will be seeing both of them again if I am to head off to Yale this summer with Tom and Matt. And speaking of Tom, he would arrive shortly along with Ms. Madeline Kronenberg (WCCUSD School Board President), Mr. Charles Ramsey (WCCUSD Board Member), Ms. Linda Cohen (one of the interviewers specifically for the Yale program within the ILC and the Principal of Coronado Elementary), Ms. Sue Kahn (Principal of Pinole Valley High School), and Ms. Yolanda Bulls (Assistant Principal of Pinole Valley High School).

The three of us exchanged handshakes and brief greetings with the adults but they quickly left us to speak with our main guest: Dr. Luong.

Dr. Luong is quite the interesting and admirable character. I could tell from the first conversation Matt and I shared with him just before Tom arrived that he was very easy to get along with. The first thing we talked about was the buffet - the "grand strategy" of getting your money's worth there. From knowing what was not in season to learning about Dr. Luong's personal preferences of food, I found the whole "lesson" quite humorous and informative. We hadn't even sat down to our table yet and already I was having fun. The little butterflies I had coming in had completely left the building through one of the many large windows beside the long dining tables.

Dr. Luong's approach at this event was different from what I had imagined. I assumed some hard-hitting questions about current events to questions regarding who we were, but instead, we chatted like good friends. We all got to know each other, not from personal descriptions of ourselves but simply through what we said and how we said them. Being articulate and eloquent did linger in the back of my mind but I'm glad I stuck more closely with being myself.

For me, the atmosphere was quite comfortable. There was no pressure to be extremely knowledgeable, nor was their an anxiety to ask intelligent questions. Dr. Luong spoke for most of the time, telling us mostly about his personal life and experiences as a professor and academic leader. Listening to him speak was already quite the treat and it was clear to me that his extensive participation in Forensics in the past was key to his engaging and articulate speaking style. I was able to slip in a couple of questions of my own every once in awhile and am pleased to say I was able to get some valuable insight and advice from this admirable professor.

There is a lot to look up to about Dr. Luong and that's probably why I now consider him both a role model and inspiration. He didn't start off on the privileged side of the social ladder; his success was achieved through his hard work as he rose from the bottom to the top. He started off as an undergrad alum from UC Berkeley, making him knowledgeable about the Bay Area and contributing to his special recognition of the ILC - the scholarship program of the WCCUSD. His life might not have taken a direct path, but I think it is because of that that makes him so real and inspirational. The future worries me from time to time, as the fears of indecision and not being successful finds its way into my thoughts. But thanks to the advice I've received throughout my years in high school, and now those of Dr. Luong's, I've never been more excited to make my mark on the world very, very soon.

This event was possibly the best post-summer college event I've experienced with the ILC. It was a stress-free and delicious get-together - a marriage of two of my favorite things: good food and engaging storytelling. Dr. Luong has convinced me that, should I get to Yale this summer, the Grand Strategy program will be a difficult but extremely worthwhile experience.

This special opportunity the ILC Yalies had the honor to partake in was beyond valuable. Getting to know Dr. Luong better and also having him meet us so casually was an opportunity to become more inspired and motivated. It was an opportunity to fall in love with leadership and tackling challenges. It was an importunity to begin a new chapter in my life entitled: "Bigger and Better Things Part 1".

I'm thankful that we were lucky enough to have Dr. Luong here in the Bay Area; the time we spent with him was of more value to me than I would've imagined. It truly opened my eyes to a more global perspective. I am now more convinced than ever to pursue fine leadership in my future. That is how I plan to contribute to the world - to lead, to listen, and to be that inspirational role model like the many that have made their presence known throughout my life.

I hope I made a good impression at the brunch in Claremont, but frankly, I'm a bit too starstruck to feel self-conscious with my "performance". Thank you ILC, once again, for providing me with the opportunities I would never even dream of partaking in. I am forever grateful to this program for how much it has truly changed my life around for the better.

Now, the adventure has begun. The pages that lie ahead may be blank but they are not short of promise. I cannot say at this point in time just how our summer at Yale will be like; the opening chapter is still a bit foggy. However, I have a feeling that there is going to be happy ending.

The Yalies Meet The Doctor

Yesterday morning Matt, Dyana, and I sat down for brunch at the Claremont with Dr. Luong and one of his guest lecturers and close friends--Jessie, a local social worker in Martinez (As well as the ILC staff). As soon as we were placed around him at our table, Dr. Luong launched into speech at once. His casualness was very comforting, and while it was hard to break his flow, he organized his speaking in ways that needed minimal prompting from us. He was blunt at times, and calculating at others, but always a compelling speaker.

I was struck by his honesty and practicality as he described his program as well as when he extolled advice on college and life in general. He spoke openly about the importance of relationships and emotional maturity in our lives, and I found it interesting how often he steered the conversation towards these ideas. He Illustrated this in his obvious bond with Jessie, a friend of his for over 20 years. Moreover, his refreshing take on the necessity of happiness in one's education was a comforting view, especially coming from a high ranking professor at a top university.

Like his program, Dr. Luong places an emphasis on the holistic view of success. That, other than prodigies on the order of Stephen Hawking, without social skills and a strong overall character it is hard to get far in life. He impressed upon us the importance of having a broad perspective, and the danger of assumptions as a leader. He described himself as a middle-aged nondescript Asian man with glasses wearing a Costco shirt and posed the question of how anyone could know that he was a Yale professor, more than that a skilled marksman and an ex-downhill skier, driving his point home neatly.

While piling my plate on a return trip to the buffet, I was also affected by a wonderful conversation with Jessie about the role of empathy in leadership, as well as a certain moral consciousness that a leader should develop.Thoroughly impressed by Dr. Luong's taste in staff I asked him about his faculty, and as he described his staff members and guest lecturers, many with very different approaches, ideas, backgrounds I became more and more enthralled with the program.

It is hard to encapsulate a brunch so full of ideas and conversation. However as I walked away I was most impressed by the emphasis he placed on perspective in leadership, and empathy for those who one is leading. I felt as if I had been honored with the inside scoop on college, leadership, and life, from someone who makes considering many perspectives a primary concern. I now hope more than ever to be accepted into the program and experience the vision Dr. Luong assembled for us during our short meal.

An Eventful Sunday With Dr. Luong

At 8:45 AM my alarm clock clicked on and soon I, too, clicked on.

I made my way to the bathroom, got ready, and awaited the arrival of Don Gosney. As he approached I thought to myself, "okay Matt, we're about to go over to the Claremont and meet the man who will make your summer dreams a reality."

We drove along Pinole Valley Road and up San Pablo Avenue to pick up a fellow ILC Yale cohort: Dyana So. From her house we made our trip across the freeway to Berkeley and finally to the Claremont.

My first impression of the Claremont Hotel and Resort was that it was a lot different on the inside from outside. From the outside it was like an old book, worn and old looking. However, on the inside that's where all the magic took place. It was my first time in an extravagant hotel such as the Claremont and each piece of furniture, each of the shiny items in the windows took my breath away.

Then we came to the place where we would be dining. I didn't expect that we would be given a gourmet buffet but nonetheless I wasn't disappointed either.

I followed Don to a breakfast line where a chef was preparing omelets and there I saw an Asian man along with what I assume to be a Caucasian lady. I soon found out that they were none other than Dr.Luong and his assistant and life long friend Jesse. We started to chat immediately with Dyana and I talking to Dr.Luong, Tom hadn't arrived yet. After about 10 or so minutes of this the rest of the gang arrived: Mr. Ramsey, Ms. Kronenberg, Ms. Kahn, Tom, Ms. Bulls, and Ms. Cohen.

We all went down to the table and we all sat down with Dr.Luong, Tom, Dyana, and I sitting in the middle so that we could enjoy conversations with one another. We talked for a bit, asking Dr.Luong about the program itself, some things about Yale, and we even learned a bit about himself.

We went up to get our food and continued to do more of the same. It was great hearing Dr. Luong talk to us about the program that we all so dearly wanted to get admitted into. He told us more specifics about the program, such as who spoke there, what we should expect, etc.

Soon Tom had to leave to attend a play, so it was just Dyana and I. We sort of switched the topic from Yale to more recreational activities, just friendly talk about sports, debate, and what we enjoy doing.

At about 1 o'clock Ms. Bulls had to leave and the rest of the gang, except for Don, Dyana, Dr. Luong, and I, soon followed. Then 3 more guests arrived Yohanna Pepa, and her parents. We exchanged salutations with them and Dr. Luong and Yohanna started to chit chat. Mrs.Pepa told Dyana and I about Yohanna's experience at Yale and what we should expect. After more conversations with everyone it was our turn to leave. We all exited the hotel as a group and said our goodbyes to one another as we turned towards our cars.

On the rainy car ride home, I thought to myself that this was a milestone in my life. I got to sit down with the director of the Grand Strategy program at Yale and exchange several conversations with him face to face. To answer Mr.Ramsey's question this brunch was extremely valuable to me. Now Dr.Luong knows who Tom, Dyana, and I are, we all know him. We got a chance to establish a good relationship that hopefully will last just as Yohanna's did. Now I firmly believe that all three of the ILC Yale candidates will get into this program, which was the point of the brunch, and the point of why we are all here.