The "W" in West Contra Costa

ILC events never cease to amaze me and tonight was no different. We started by gathering into our cohorts and socializing a bit. While my cohort continued to express excitement over the upcoming summer, I spent a good ten minutes talking to the wall so that I'd have an outline of my speech.  I didn't want to write a speech out because I knew it would come out robotic, but after I stepped into Lavonya Dejean Middle, I became afraid that I'd mess up and misrepresent my amazing cohort. The clock hit 6:30 and it was time to take our seats.

The WCCUSD School Board meeting began with a few speakers with concerns over a school for expelled students. This was my first time at a school board meeting and it was interesting to hear a little about what else happens in the district. The speakers' request was not passed, so we moved on to the ILC. Each cohort was introduced one at a time.The chaperone and one member of the cohort gave a short speech. After Brown I, Brown II, and Columbia gave speeches, it was Cornell's turn. Mr Chan-Law introduced us and told the board about our courses and the colleges we'll visit. My heart started to pound faster as it became my turn to speak.  Hopefully it wasn't visible, but I became so nervous that the main person who kept me calm was Ms.Kronenberg. She smiled and nodded her head, so I figured that my speech was going well. I just introduced myself, explained how the ILC is beneficial to the community, and talked about how ILC alums have proven the success of the ILC. The remaining schools gave their speeches and we moved on to my favorite part of the night.

Don, Ms.Kronenberg, Mr.Ramsey, donors, and ILC alums gave speeches. For the same reason I chose the Hotel Operations and Management program, I couldn't be more proud to be in the ILC and to be from WCCUSD. My future professor's blog was full of care for his children regardless of their success and the speeches that were given tonight exemplified this warmth. The way Mr.Ramsey was so proud to introduce ILC alums and the vivid memories that Ms.Kronenberg had of the ILC's growth was unbelievable. They were so open about their personal lives and proud of the alums that I felt the sincerity these speakers had for the ILC. I never doubted that these people cared about the ILC, but today imbedded the fact into my mind. Combining what Mr.Ramsey said about our roots and what Austin Long said about competing with the other students, my goal this summer will be for members of my cohort to come up with the best business plan. The other students should know that Tomi, Rochelle, and I are their biggest competitors and we'll always keep the W in WCCUSD. We ended the night with twenty-one pictures. I think I started to see fireworks after the first eight flashes!

Lastly, I'd like to thank my cohort for being so supportive of me. We already get along very well and I think that we'll have sister bonds before the end of the program!