Today was another first for me. I've never been to the Pinole City Hall, nor have I seen the City Council Members. The room looked nice and I was nervous to speak. I jotted a few notes down so that I wouldn't waste everyone's time rambling on and on about things they didn't need to know. Of course, I wrote as less as possible so that I could speak from my heart.
We waited for about a hour before the meeting actually started. As each cohort was introduced by Don, I felt more and more nervous. When it was finally the Cornell cohort's turn to speak, I tried to take deep breaths. At first, I was calm, but I didn't say all I wanted to say because I looked to the right and saw myself on TV. I could feel my hands shake and my voice shook as well. The gist of what I wanted to say was out.
I left out the parts where I was going to say how I hope that in the Summer, I would broaden my horizons and meet new people. It's hard to do that here because I always see the same people and experiences are limited. So after coming back from Cornell, I would have tons of stories to tell so that I would be able to recruit more people into the ILC. I'd also know the best way to convince people. I know I was convinced when I heard that the ILC was free. FREE. However, I know nothing in life is free and that there is always a catch. But in this case, it's a small catch. In return, an ILCer just has to be an ambassador and share his or her experience with others in the community. This way, WCCUSD schools would gain recognition from Ivy League schools. It's a win win for everyone.
After each cohort represented themselves, the Council Members gave some feedback. Mayor Debbie Long said that this year, the ILCers were much more communicative. I knew those that spoke, besides me, did a very good job. They were very calm and knew exactly what to say. Of course, the students were from PVHS, home of a great Forensics Club. They have a very good Speech and Debate program and I'm sure many of the PVHS ILCers were a part of the Forensics Club. It made me want to work harder in order to better my public speaking skills. This Summer, I'm hoping to come back as a more confident and outspoken person.
Like at the Board Meeting last week, we took pictures at the end. This time, I made sure I didn't blink. For the last picture, Don sent us one of the pictures and I saw that I was the only one who blinked! How embarassing! Not only was I the only one, but one person zoomed in on the picture and posted it online for the public to see. The picture was quite unflattering. Nonetheless, I made sure not to make the same mistake again.
Thanks to Don for making everything possible and thanks to the Pinole City Council for their support. I'd also like to thank all those a part of the Ivy League Connection because I'm very glad to be a part of this one and only program for me to better myself and my community.
You’ve mistaken what we told you, Rochelle. We never said this was free. What we said is that there would be no cost to any of you. You still have to pay for what we’re giving you except we’re not asking for money--we want everything you have to give as far as your time, your energy and your integrity.
ReplyDeleteWe expect a lot out of each of and one way or another we’ll get paid.
Nonetheless, we still think it’s a pretty fair trade.