Thank You Ivy League Connection

As soon as my parents pulled up in our red Toyota Corolla, a tear rolled down my eyes. My dad was driving and my mom was in the front passenger seat. As soon as they made a U-Turn to the loading zone, my mom wiped her tears, thinking I would not notice. My dad did the same. The last time I recalled my father having teary eyes was in 2014, when we were coming back from Nepal.

My parents are my world.

Frankly speaking, the past 3 weeks have been the best 3 weeks of my life. People back in the dorm vibe a lot with my energy, and relate to many of my political opinions. I can't imagine that we were selected as ILC'ers over 5 months ago. Ever since I got selected, I felt as if I was ready to head out and explore Chicago, as a University of Chicago Maroon! And having experienced it all, I have achieved another level of confidence and hunger. This level is 10 times stronger, though. I feel as ready as ever to go out there to the real world and conquer. 

My parents, repeatedly, tell me that in a tolerant America, one's racial, or financial background should not pose a barrier to success. They are undoubtedly right. My friends back in Nepal could hope that these opportunities are the ones that they would receive. They have the same hunger, desire, and passion but are posed with political greed and financial instability that undermines their real potential. Being in America, I feel as fortunate as ever. My parents surely would not have been able to spend thousands and thousands of dollars, all while coordinating the trip but Don managed to do everything. He has mentored me from Day One to make my transition easier to UChicago. 

Don Gosney (I realized I did not have a photo with him)

Love and compassion can't translate to a monetary value, thus I can't repay Don back but I definitely can and will shower him back with the same love that I have received over the past 6 months. Compassion, as Dalai Lama mentions in his book, The Art of Happiness, is when one feels another's suffering and wishes to end it. Take a boulder of rock, as an example. If there is a boulder of rock crushing someone, an empathetic person would feel the rock, crushing his or her chest whereas a compassionate person would do all he or she can to end his or her suffering. That is what Don has done. No matter how big the problem is, he has stepped into my shoes, and done all he can to help me out. When we were going to Chicago, he lent us loaner items to borrow and gave us FREE money. And when we were at Chicago, being over 2000 miles away, when we texted him he replied instantly, to make sure everything was going well. Now that I am back in California, it is my duty to do the same. Anyone who gives me the opportunity to learn or gives me an education is one who I really idolize. My parents received minimal education, and that's what gives me the feeling that I have to push myself to achieve my parent's vision. One who eases my road to my parents and my vision is one who I can call a true friend. 

Apart from growing a few centimeters, I have noticed many changes, after I came back to California. I am starting to understand what compassion actually is. I recall plenty of memories when my sister cried because much of her coursework was difficult or some of our family problems questioned her success, but I felt that she did that to gain sympathy. Now, learning what compassion actually means, I have grown and realized that I have to put myself in her shoes. My friends at UChicago are very diverse. Some of them are as energetic as I am or even emotional as my sister is. Now, being able to explore much of the hidden parts of people's lives, I can relate even more to people on a personal basis. Though I can't call myself completely a compassionate person, I certainly can say that I have developed a lot of it, due to my experience at UChicago. 

Being happy with progress is second on the list. The school system is structured like a hierarchy - some are top and some are bottom. At Middle College, academically, I felt that I was on the very top. I compared myself relative to every person I met, thinking that life was more of a competition than a truly valuable experience. Now, I had to step out of my comfort zone. Frankly speaking, in Economics, relative to my classmates, I was on the bottom 25% of the class. I knew nothing. They spoke with large phrases - Risk Aversion, Marginal Cost Carve, Average Variable Cost,  etc. - whereas I barely spoke because I knew very little. These student's parents went to the top schools in the nation - Stanford, Harvard, Yale, etc. whereas my parents only graduated high school. This is what I was doing incorrectly - comparing myself relatively to every single person I met. A class is not about your grades but your takeaway. Whereas some students realized their strengths and were very happy, I realized my weaknesses and I am even happier. Progress is better than having an absolute advantage. If I can achieve X amount of tasks with minimal resources then that is much better than having every single resource given to you, all for free. I want to improve upon my weaknesses. Originally, I was planning to study Computer Science and Finance but for the sake of it, I think we are going to have to add Economics to that list. 

I redid all of my Problem Set for the exam

Adaptability is the third core take-way through the Ivy League Connection. At home, I did things a certain way. Over at Chicago, I had to adapt. My parents have always done chores at home, folded my clothes, and did my laundry so it would not take time away from my education. At UChicago it was different because I had to find the right balance; I had to adapt quickly to the given situation, something that I was not completely used to. Both my parents were not there. As difficult as it felt, I had to essentially manage my own time to do my laundry, fold clothes, do small chores, socialize and more importantly learn. The practice of adaptability, indeed, has made me a better person. 

Professor Min

There are many valuable experiences I took away from Chicago. I have realized that my parents mean everything to me. As soon as I hopped in the car heading home, we discussed life. They are getting older, and I am finally growing up. As much as I want to stay as a kid forever, the truth is I CAN'T! It is time to use the opportunities given and change the world for the better. 

When there is gender inequality that threatens many of the people in my home country, it is time for me to step in. When there is price discrimination that adds to capitalism and takes away from the poor, it is time for me to step in. When there is a big education achievement gap (due to minimal financial resources for a family), it is time for me to step in. This Econ intuition that Professor Min repetitively talks about does not limit itself to the classroom, but rather expands to the world. One person can change the world. 

Thank you Ivy League Connection for this experience. I am truly grateful.