ILC Takes Over The School Board Meeting

This evening, I attended my very first School Board Meeting with my fellow Ivy League Connection cohorts. I arrived at Lovonya DeJean Middle School at 6:00 PM where I gathered with the Women and Leadership group, headed by our chaperone, Tiffani Neal. I wasn’t sure what to expect at the School Board Meeting, but I thought it was interesting to be “behind the scenes” and actually get to see how the School Board worked.

I enjoyed hearing the speeches of the chaperones, the selected ILC students, as well as the ILC alumni. Each selected ILC student speaker was able to perfectly sum up how thankful we are to have a district that whole-heartedly supports the education of students. Additionally, I was so inspired by the speeches made by ILC alumni who are current students at an Ivy League College. It’s amazing to see students with the same background as me who are now attending prestigious colleges. I hope that, someday, I am able to inspire young students in the district to pursue their dreams.

Towards the end of the meeting, Mr. Ramsey said something that stuck with me: as participants in the Ivy League Connection Program, we are ambassadors for our district. He helped me understand that the Ivy League Connection is helping to put the West Contra Costa Unified School District on the map, which is opening up doors for students in the district to go to a college of their choice. I’m so excited to be part of an organization that is not only helping me and my community right now, but will hopefully continue to help my community for a very long time. And, finally, I would like to thank everyone on the board, especially Mr. Ramsey and Ms. Kronenberg, as well as Don Gosney and all the donors who help make the Ivy League Connection possible.