Hope Street

 I woke up to the sound of my roommate filing her nails at 9:30 AM.   I was able to clean my room and take more pictures for the ILC. After I freshened up and changed, Shraddha and I went to the Creperie again. While eating our crepes we planned our schedule for the duration of the day.

We finally had the chance to take advantage of the free transportation on campus. Only students

who have a Brown University ID are able to ride the bus free of charge. We met Ms. Neal at the mall and we talked about our experience thus far. She said that is was good to reflect in order to remember your experience. Some trips have been a blur to me and I can only recall a few memories from them. Hopefully if I continue to reflect on this trip, this will not be one that feels like the others. I want to be able to remember this trip clearly and to feel satisfied that I fully immersed myself into the college experience.

9/11 Memorial 

View from the inside of the mall

At 3:30, we said our goodbyes and headed to the bus stop. Shraddha and I were not exactly sure as to what bus we were supposed to take back to Brown. When we first arrived in Providence, we saw a fight at a bus stop near Hotel Providence. We were at the same bus stop where the fight occurred. In all honesty, the area was a bit sketchy. I suggested that we take the trolley that we were originally on and then get off at a bus stop near the campus. Three other students waited for a bus as well, so we stood by them. As we waited for the trolley, they suddenly started to run and told us there was an alternative bus to take. We ran with them and discovered that the bus would stop at Hope Street, which is near our dormitory. Shraddha said she did not lose hope for finding the correct bus. I found this extremely amusing since our bus was going to Hope Street. I was relieved to know that we were finally able to get back to the dorms.

 At 8PM the leadership institute students gathered into an auditorium. Initially we were going to hear from alumni of the Brown Leadership Institute, but no one managed to make it.  Eventually the students divided into groups based on their residential advisor. We congregated in a classroom and each student spoke about their action plan. I was astounded by the variety of action plans each student discussed. The primary reason for the different action plans is the different experiences we have gone through. It is exciting to be a part of such a diversified group of young leaders!

After our discussion, we were asked to fill out a survey for our instructor. It asked about our goals and what we have observed while attending this program. The survey allowed me to reflect on what I aspire to do for my last week at Brown. I hope to be more spontaneous and to meet more people than I already have. I do have to say, however, that my first week has been amazing as well.

Whenever I talk about the Ivy League Connection, I am reminded of how grateful I am to be given this opportunity. Each student that I have told is surprised by all of the resources the Ivy League Connection provides us. I am still in shock of the generosity of the program, and I am sure I will never stop feeling this way.