Red Vines and Photography

Today was the ILC tutorial, or in other words, the day where you get a crash course in being an ILC-er. We covered everything from how to properly upload pictures, to remembering quarters for laundry when we are living across the country.

The Library

Today was also the first time that all of the 2018 Ivy League Connection cohort members were together in one place (and Don of course). Even though I had already met everyone except Shreejal, it was really cool to be able to get to know them a bit better, especially Kayla, Anna, Shreejal, and Hawi, since we go to different schools.

We all met up at the San Pablo library, which I had never been to, and it was both brand new (apparently it was only finished a few months ago) and gorgeous. We arrived at around 12:50, which was really nice because it meant that I had no rush to get out of the house this morning and that we were ready to go inside right when the library opened, after taking a quick group picture. Thankfully, Don had reserved a conference room for us to use in advance, because the library filled up pretty quickly.

Once inside, we set up our laptops and Don passed out thick packets full of in-depth information about virtually all aspects to the ILC. We began by going over basic etiquette around the use of our phones and emails as part of the ILC, as well as best practices for the adult world in general. We moved on to more information about blogging and the specifics around formatting, emphasizing what, when, and how to blog. Don also went over the characteristics of a bad blog, and so in order to avoid falling into the trap of giving a blow-by-blow on exactly what we covered, (something that is part of the “don'ts” section) I will fast forward to what was probably my favorite part of the tutorial: taking pictures.

Everyone 

I love photography, so naturally, I really enjoyed being able to roam around the outside and inside of the library, snapping photos. My mom is letting me use her camera for the ILC, and while it is not comparable to one of Don’s gigantic cameras (with even bigger lenses). I like using it, because, besides taking really nice pictures, it is pretty big and heavy, which makes me feel like a real photographer. I took pictures of everything I could find that looked remotely photo-worthy and ended up with 54 photos in the span of less than ten minutes (I even managed to get a few with the elusive Anna).

One of My Favorites 

We returned inside to eat Red Vines and finish up the tutorial. We went over the packing list as well as the items that Don can loan us for our trip (he is very prepared). Seeing that packing list made the fact that I am going to be spending a month at Vanderbilt this summer with really cool people, and learning about a subject I am very interested in, feel just that much more real.

Overall, I had a great time getting to see all of this year’s cohort and learning more about what the future of the ILC holds. I am so excited for this summer and the rest of the journey.