Pizza Party Meet and Greet

Today was the first time that we got to meet Ms. Sciacca, our chaperone for the trip. It was so much fun, and I can’t wait to spend the summer with her and the other Vanderbilt ILCers. 

A little over a week ago Don put us in touch with Ms. Sciacca in order to set up a meeting dinner, as well as to decide on our itinerary for Nashville and Philadelphia. We had heard nothing but good things about Ms. Sciacca from Don, and I was so excited to finally get to see her in person. 

A creative spelling of my name. 

We quickly found out through the process of choosing a restaurant that Hawi, Ms. Sciacca, and I are all vegetarians, which was a huge relief, because although California is pretty herbivore-friendly, I have a suspicion that Tennessee may not be, and it will be nice to have some allies in the food finding game.

We all decided on Mod Pizza in Pinole as the place to go, because of the convenient location (for the majority) and the simple fact that pizza is a pretty universal crowd pleaser. Mod Pizza as a chain is especially nice because they allow each person to create their own custom pizza, which means no bargaining about toppings or compromising on flavors. 

Cameron Grant, who went to Vanderbilt last year with ILC was also able to join us, which was amazing because not only is Cammie my friend, so any chance to see her is always wonderful, but she has also had first-hand experience with what we will all be doing in a few short months, meaning that she can tell us things that even Don doesn't know. It was so nice to be able to hear from her about how much she enjoyed her time at Vanderbilt and a few insider tips on things that we can look forward to, including movies, bowling, and lots of icecream. 

Cammie Cheezin'

Once everyone had arrived we quickly ordered our pizza and proceeded to talk about everything from the itinerary for Nashville and Philadelphia to our schools and future plans. We bonded over pizza of all different flavors, sharing stories, laughing and planning our summer to come. Ms. Sciacca especially brought so much excitement about our trip, as well as her experience with the ILC in the past which was extremely comforting. 

Overall, I could not be more eager to get on that plane and head to Nashville with such an amazing group of people. When I was uploading the pictures of tonight it hit me just how immensely lucky I am to be able to share such a unique and incredible opportunity with Hawi, Ana, Anna, and Ms. Sciacca, I am certain that we are really going to make the most of it. Ms. Sciacca seemed to fit perfectly into our group as we grow closer together, and it was so great to learn more about her. I know that I have said this in almost all of my blog posts, and I am sure I will say it in more posts to come, but today's meeting made the trip seem just that much more real. I am still not sure that it has really sunk in that in just a little over a month we will all be boarding a plane to fly across the country, but I know I can’t wait. 

Can't wait for Nashville! 

Mod Meet and Greet

These past few weeks in school have been very busy; finals, essays, and AP tests have absorbed much of my time and energy. This Meet and Greet has been something to look forward to after long periods of exhaustion; even coinciding with the beginning of that mysterious transition in the school year where the end is approaching, teachers begin demanding less of their students, and everyone seems to have more spring in their step. I'm proud to say that I can now associate Ivy League Connection and my cohort with the wonderful and liberating feeling of the end of the school year. 

After enjoying our pizza!!

2018 Vanderbilt Cohort joined by Cammie

I could already tell that I would adore our chaperone, Tori Sciacca, not only by hearing the great things Don had said about her but also from her text messages. She has such an enthusiastic, positive, and youthful aura - one that was apparent in her text messages and by her choice of emojis. What made me like her, even more, was in the myriad of emails sent, one was regarding how to address our chaperones, as last year's Chicago cohort did, Tori said we could call her Mom!!! This comment made me, mentally, put my hand to my heart and exclaim,"AWWW", like one may do after witnessing a touching act of kindness. 

The 2018 Vanderbilt cohort decided to meet at Mod pizza in Pinole, extending the invitation to ILCers from last year's trip to Vanderbilt. Thankfully we were joined by Cameron Grant, who provided us with insider knowledge on the trip.  

Audrey was coerced into putting
asparagus onto her pizza.

We spent the evening enjoying pizza and discussing elements of the trip: the heat, the humidity, the hot rain, and being in a permanent state of hotness. We even learned to never underestimate the heat and always seek out airconditioned areas. Maybe I'm overstating how much we discussed the heat, but as an amateur in the realms of extreme weather, I think I reserve the right make  90-degree weather a big deal. Albeit, we discussed fun group activities that are part of the summer program, such as organized outings to the movie theater, games of Quidditch, and chess matches. I even learned that great friendships can be fostered during this experience. Cammie made a friend who she is traveling to Mexico with, in a few weeks!  

From this outing, I have made several realizations as well as a list of goals for myself for the trip. First, that I love my cohort, we are a group of fun, kind, clever, and ambitious women, and I already know that we will enjoy each other's company during the summer. Next, that our chaperone is the coolest, and exceeded my initial expectations - definitely worthy of being referred to as Mom. My ever-growing list of personal goals for the summer—go outside my comfort zone, make new friends! Take advantage of opportunities to sleep, I will be kept busy and exhaustion may overcome. And even in the grueling heat, enjoy myself!!