Milestone Number 2: Alumni Dinner

Tonight marked the next Ivy League Connection milestone: the annual ILC dinner with Brown alumni. We began the evening by meeting at the El Cerrito Plaza BART Station and took BART to San Francisco, where we walked to the restaurant “Town Hall”.

I do admit to being nervous about making a good first impression on all the sponsors, alumni, and chaperones at the dinner. Fortunately, I quickly became comfortable when I struck up a conversation with a Brown alumni sitting next to me at the table, Lauren Brodsky. It was really helpful to be able to get advice from someone who used to go to El Cerrito High School (my current high school) but has also experienced life at an Ivy League College.

During the meal, various people got up to speak, including Mr. Ramsey, a couple of students, and some of the alumni. I loved hearing my fellow ILC cohorts giving speeches because it made me proud to be in the same program as them. It was also very heartwarming to hear from all the adults who support us and have faith in us.

As for the food, I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing it was. I got so wrapped up in my conversations with people that I almost forgot to enjoy the exquisite Andouille sausage Gumbo and grilled chicken. I was (almost) too full for dessert!

As the evening came to a close, we said our goodbyes (for now) and walked back to BART. It surprised me how easy it was to have conversations with other adults. I have never done anything like this before, so it was a great learning experience, and I really feel that attending this event made me more comfortable with meeting new people and making connections with them. I’m so grateful to all the Ivy League Connection sponsors and supporters, especially Don and Mr. Ramsey, for making this evening possible.