Step 1: Wake Up, Step 2: Become an Ivy League Connection Ambassador

I woke up early this Saturday morning when all I wanted to do was listen to the rain and stay cuddled up under my sheets. However, I knew I had something important to do which was attend the tutorial session that will prepare me for what I should expect this summer when I head to Columbia in New York. I threw on a hoodie and comfortable jeans then headed to my tutorial which began at 8:30, wishing I was a morning person.

I was the second to arrive at 8:15 and said hello then took a seat at one the computers, trying to look more awake than I felt. Soon enough, all other nine students had arrived and we began. Don stressed the importance of being on time, putting away cell phones, and names were exchanged within the first fifteen minutes. I was a little nervous to be honest. I was in a room with incredibly talented teenagers, all of who were older than me by a year. It seems silly in retrospect because we are all in the same boat and I quickly made friends: Monica who will be going to Columbia with me and Maria who is going to Brown. 

Maria's robot leg

After the first break, we were encouraged to use our cameras to take pictures. As Maria, Monica and I took pictures of the beautiful new school, Don easily pointed out how capable we all were of taking bad pictures. He pointed out how angles, cropping, and lighting make a huge difference in a picture.

De Anza's mascot on the hallway floor.

Afterward, Don covered topics ranging from dorms to laundry to East Coast weather to past ILCer's big mistakes. He explained how first impressions are crucial and how having a good attitude is an asset. We were told what to do and what not to do, or risk a visit from Don's alter personality, Guantanamo Don. Though it may sound weird considering all the consequences on the laundry list of things that I could do wrong, I am still incredibly excited for this summer and how I am now and ambassador for the ILC. First, I need to make it through these next two and a half months. And of course, drink some coffee next time.