A Beneficial Brunch

Although the thought of sleeping in today was tempting, I woke up at 7 AM to get ready to go an ILC event. It had been a while since I’d attended an ILC event, so getting together with everyone again was exciting. After meeting up at the El Cerrito Plaza BART Station with some members of the Brown and Yale cohorts, we all drove to the Olympic Club in San Francisco to have brunch with alumni from Brown and Yale. From a picture Don had emailed us of an aerial view of the Club, I was already prepared to be amazed. I was not disappointed. The Club was on a big, beautiful property and had elegant rooms and a giant golf course. Thanks to Mr. Izzy Ramsey, we got a lovely tour of the Club and I found out that Mark Twain used to be a member there!

The Olympic Club

Even with the fog, the view was great.

Once everyone had arrived, we got to mingle with the alumni. I met Peggy, a Brown alumna, who talked about Brown’s flexibility when it comes towards a student’s major. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t know what I want to major in yet so going to a college where I can take my time choosing a major sounds nice. It was also great to see Lauren, another alumna, again because I sat next to her at the Brown dinner and it was nice to talk to her about my experience at Brown. Most of the Brown alumni that I talked to also mentioned that they never felt like they were competing with other students at Brown. I definitely got a community vibe from Brown this summer because the Leadership Institute promoted teamwork and all the other students in my program were so helpful. 

During the actual brunch part of the event, I sat at a table with Simon, Andrea, and Blake (all Brown alumni) as well as a few other students who had done summer programs at Brown. During the meal (which was one of the best meals I’ve ever had) I didn’t feel any pressure because all the alums were so open and friendly. We talked a lot about our experiences at Brown but they were also genuinely interested in learning about our personal interests and hobbies. Unfortunately, brunch went by quickly but I was happy to find out that we’d be going to a lot of events together as a group. Some fun ideas for our next meetings were to go to sporting events, Fisherman’s Wharf, and take an improv class. I really like the idea of being able to have fun and hang out with people who have already been through college and can help set me on the right path. 

This brunch was so beneficial to me because it allowed me to feel even more confident that I can succeed because I have a support system around me. Although the idea of my future is scary, it’s nice to have someone who recently went through the same thing and can help guide me. I can’t thank Mr. Izzy Ramsey, Mr. Charles Ramsey, Don, and Ms. Kronenberg enough for giving me this amazing opportunity.