Blogging: A Whole New World

Hello all! My name is Christian Abraham and I am a junior at Hercules High School. This summer I will be attending the Freedom and Justice program at Cornell University.

One of the many responsibilities of being an Ivy League cohort is to blog on a daily basis. Therefore, a few of the other ILCers, Don Gosney, and myself arrived at De Anza High School for the all-important blogging tutorial session earlier this afternoon. Unfortunately, due to the lack of wireless internet connection within the room, we did not begin until around 1:30 PM instead of 1 PM as scheduled. 

Don explaining the basics of blogging during the tutorial

Once everyone was able to gain access to a computer, the session began. Right off the bat, Don reminded all of us the importance of communication (i.e. checking our emails daily), punctuality, and adherence to all given instructions; failing to do so would unleash the wrath of 'Evil Don', something we all want to avoid. Soon after, he explained the basic information behind blogging such as formatting, adding photographs, and proofing the blogs before posting them. With that being said, Don instructed us to post a preliminary blog on his practice site to gain hands-on experience. After a short break, we had to

Me on the 'big screen' 

take several photos and attach one to our previous blog. While writing the post was no problem for me, I did face some difficulty actually transferring my photos from my Kodak camera, to the class computer, and onto my blog. Fortunately, Anmol Randhawa, my fellow school mate and one of the Colombian cohorts, assisted me and I was able to add my photo just fine. 

Near the end of the session, Don went over the do's (act like an adult) and the do-not's (pack laundry detergent) before we depart and while we are in our summer colleges, as well as go over a list of necessary items to pack for the trip. Initially, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the thought of writing lengthy blogs for over three weeks. However, this session really helped to alleviate my worries and show me that the purpose of blogging  is to only make me a better writer for college.