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!!