Dinner Is Served

Today was the event that I had been looking forward to for weeks: the ILC cohort dinner, where we would get to meet the people who had sponsored us for this summer and alumni who were actually from UChicago. School, an AP test, and a short break all zoomed by until I stood at the El Cerrito Plaza BART Station. And even though I was seven minutes early, everyone was already there. I finally met our chaperone for the summer, Ms. Alana Scott. However, I didn’t get to talk to her as much as I wanted to.

On the way to our restaurant, I talked to my fellow cohort members about random topics, like our hobbies, classes, and aspirations. We had the opportunity to talk more when we arrived. I believe that we’ll get along just fine this summer at UChicago, since we seem to like each other enough.

I was surprisingly calm as we walked in to meet the alumni and sponsors, probably due to the fact that I was exhausted from a weekend trip and an AP test. During the reception, I learned a lot about the University of Chicago from two alumni, Mr. Eduardo Moreno and Mr. Marc Friedman. They offered two different perspectives on the school, and gave very helpful opinions and advice on topics like school life and their own high school experiences. One specific point that kept coming up was how UChicago wanted only students who were passionate about learning, which was why they made some interdisciplinary classes required. Listening to them, I got a better idea of what to do in high school to best prepare yourself for college.

Food.

Soon, dinner was served, and we sat down to eat our delicious food. I sat with Mr. Moreno, Ms. Kronenburg, and Mr. Gboyega Aladegbami, one of our respected sponsors. Throughout the meal, we discussed various topics, like putting routers on buses, starting your own business, and Arduino, an open-source computer hardware and software company.

Me(on the left) with some very fantastic people(Mr. Moreno, Ms. Kronenburg, and Mr. Aladegbami).

By the time it was time to leave, the conversation had died down. I thanked the wonderful people I met, and after a few minutes, stepped out onto the street with the rest of my cohort. After meeting so many people, I was ready to go home.

With each ILC event, I look forward to my trip to UChicago this summer even more. Of course, none of this would be possible without help from our sponsors and the alumni, whom I will take this opportunity to thank again.