The School Board Presentation

Today was my birthday, and it was a busy day! The day passed quickly, and soon it was the evening and time for the ILC presentation at the School Board meeting. 

All the ILCers, parents, and chaperones met up at Lovonya DeJean Middle school a little before 6. There were lots of other people attending the School Board meeting as well, and I was very excited because I got to see my English teacher from last year, Ms. Sanders. I was sad that this school year she got moved to teach at DeAnza, and it was nice to catch up with her a little bit.

This was the first time that the entire Ivy League Connection has been together as a group, and it was fun to mingle with the other students and learn what programs they will be attending this summer. We are a diverse group of students and I wish that there were more events with the whole ILC so that I could get to converse more with the students outside of my cohort. 

The meeting agenda started off with formalities, and it was interesting for me to see how the School Board meetings are run as I was not very familiar with the process. After the opening, there was a presentation to honor DeAnza High School, and our Ivy League Connection presentation followed after this. I enjoyed learning who all the other chaperones and ILC participants were, as well as hearing the the site visit locations. I think the site visits will be one of the most valuable aspects of our trips this summer, so it was good to hear the various places people will get to visit. I was also impressed by all the student speakers. I imagine it must of have been very nerve-wracking to present to such a large audience, but I think everyone did admirably. I particularly want to commend my cohort member Jae-An; his speech was well composed, sincere, and represented our cohort honorably.

Our cohort was the last to present, and after Jae-An's speech we returned to our seats to hear from an ILC alum, Michelle. Michelle's speech was incredibly eloquent and inspiring, and I hope that the Ivy League Connection will have as profound an impact on my life as it did for her. I also hope it helps make me as professional a public speaker as she is!

Following Michelle's speech, Don recognized the generosity of our numerous ILC sponsors, and then the whole group went to take a group picture in the gym. Don carefully positioned us for maximum photogenic potential, and then we smiled while he snapped an abundance of photographs. This concluded the School Board presentation for us, and it was time to go home. All the ILC events are happening in rapid succession, and with each one we are one step closer to our trip....I can't wait!