Orientation, it's already here!

It was T minus 1 month before take off - June 4, 2018. 

While Don was talking about the expectations placed upon the students by the district and ILC, my mom and I were listening attentively so by the time it was July 5, we would be ready to head out to Chicago! I saw the rest of the ILC'ers and that added to my excitement. If necessary, I felt that I could go home to pack and already go off to Chicago. That's how much excitement I had flowing down my veins.

On the other hand, my mom was somewhat nervous because this would be the first time I would be off to a new place without a parent. The only time I had been away from my mom for over a month was 6 years back when my dad and I went to Nepal. Even at the airport, there were a lot of tears. 

Nevertheless, as Don was speaking, my mom got somewhat emotional. She was very proud because she would not have even dreamt of her kids being granted these opportunities, when in Nepal. My high school, Middle College, does not have a lot of parent - student programs but this was one of the few times she saw me in the spotlight. I am glad that it was mandatory for one of our parents to be there. 

John Hillyer, the chaperone for the Chicago cohort, and Tori Sciacca, the chaperone for the Vanderbilt cohort, soon gave a quick five minute pitch on their experience with the ILC and why parents should trust their kids with the ILC. 

The next thing on our agenda was reviewing the itinerary with our respected chaperone, Admiral Hillyer. The Admiral talked about the logistics behind our travel including the arrival at Chicago all the way to what the last day at Chicago will look like. As Don came over, he announced that we will be able to keep the books for the courses we were taking, which made me even happier. I always enjoyed Economics but taking it at UChicago - would not have dreamt of that. University of Chicago has one of the best economics programs in the world and given so many resources, there, would help me as a student develop the critical-thinking skills necessary to hopefully be one of the Economic advisors for the POTUS in 10 years time. 

We concluded the event with Don showing us the loaner items, we could borrow once we are off to our universities. The ILC'ers, then, gathered to take a picture before officially concluding the event.

I still remember Max's dad saying, "1, 2, 3 Ready," every 5 seconds, while taking the picture, which definitely helped us smile. 

A very productive afternoon with an intelligent group of people.