Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Brown II Departs

With today’s proliferation of war movies we often hear the phrase “o’dark thirty” which refers to a time before the sun rises.  A few moments ago in front of El Cerrito High School the seven women attending Brown University’s Women & Leadership course got a first hand exposure to that phrase.  Without a doubt it was dark and it was well before sunrise.

To their credit, though, I didn’t see a sleepy eye amongst them.  They’re a pretty good bunch of ladies though, and they could be adept at fooling old folks like me.  For all I know they’re all asleep on the airport shuttle right now but I’m betting that the adrenaline will keep them going for a while longer.

Although the air had a hint of moisture in it—the result of the advection fog the East Bay is known for this time of year—it was still only 60º when we gathered at 3:40 this morning.

As the group trickled in they filled out more study trip release forms, had their luggage weighed, received handouts with the itinerary and contact information, and than listened to me repeating some of the many things they’ve all heard time and time again over the past six months.

There was nothing left to do but have their photo taken, hug their mothers and board the seriously overcrowded airport shuttle. 

They’re off now and headed to Chicago to switch planes before winging their way to Providence where they will learn how to expand their leadership skills.

Stay tuned right here to read their daily blogs and see for yourself the transformation as these seven young ladies become the leaders of tomorrow.

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