This is Goodnight and not Goodbye

My first encounter with the ILC was early on in the school year. Don came to El Cerrito High to give a presentation in the afternoon of a school day. I must admit, I was not overly enthusiastic about the idea of sitting around and listening to someone speak for an hour or two, especially when it meant having to miss class and do two days of work in the following day. Despite this, I went along with the 200+ other students giving Don a chance to tell them about something they had never heard of before. As you might have guessed, I am so glad I made this decision. I don't actually remember a lot of what Don said that day, as I didn't take notes because I was not planning on applying, but what I do remember is who else spoke. Evan and Javaria, two of the (former) juniors that I respect most, both endorsed the ILC. Now that got my attention. 

I emailed Don expressing my interest in the program and pored over the details of being an ILCer and how to get there. I decided to apply to the University of Chicago program for several reasons: a) the location seemed more interesting, b) my sister's friend is going there and loves it, and c) I liked the look of the courses offered better. I really should have spent more time on my initial essay application, but I thought that the majority of those 200+ students who were there with me that day would apply and there was no chance I would be accepted. I was horrified to hear that only twenty-one students submitted an application to the ILC for the Chicago program. I hoped that it was good enough, and apparently it was, at least just barely. Don decided to pass on an extra person to the interview stage because a few of the essays were in such close competition (though he did not say exactly whose essays these were).

I was even more nervous than the last time around for the interviews, as I am not the most charismatic nor eloquent of speakers (as you probably gathered from this blog). I was sweating bullets in the days preceding the few hours that would decide my fate. However, it was not as bad as I had expected. I had a great evening discussing school and life in general with the other applicants, and the interview clearly did not go that badly if I made it into the top four. After my name was read off, I was elated but simultaneously sad that so many others would not be able to go.

The next step was to actually apply to the University of Chicago Immersion program. The essay requirements were very limiting, but it was a cool challenge to attempt to convey everything I wanted to say about my experiences with math and what I liked about astrophysics in under 1600 characters in each of two essays. After I had submitted those essays and all of the necessary forms, it was on to the first of several meetings with Don and my Chicago cohort companions. 

We met at a cafe in Richmond to talk about what layout we wanted the blog to have and what appearance we wanted to give it. What you are seeing around and behind this text is what we came up with just that evening. 

The next event was the Tutorial, during which Don talked about what we would need for the trip, our responsibilities while away, and how to blog properly. 

The Tutorial.

Pizza to live for.

The next month, my group met (at Zachary's, and yes, it was delicious) without Don but for the first time with our chaperone, John Hillyer (also known as the Admiral), and Jahvni, who had attended the Immersion program at Chicago previously. She gave us a bit of insight into what we should expect from the dorms, the people, and the classes, while the Admiral explained what his role would be while we were all halfway across the country. 

In June, at the Orientation, we met with more people that had gone to Chicago with the ILC in previous years to learn any important pieces of information that we might want to know prior to arriving. 

At the Orientation.

Our final interaction before the day of departure was at a WCCUSD Board meeting, during which we were given a few minutes to impress upon its members the importance of continuing the ILC program into future years. With each meeting, I got to know my fellow ILCers a bit better, and I became a little less nervous about somehow managing to waste this glorious opportunity. 

After the board meeting.

During this process, I feel like I have learned a few crucial lessons. It is important to never waste an opportunity due to laziness, as taking risks like these is what makes life worth something, and sitting around wishing you felt more accomplished isn't. I almost didn't apply to the ILC out of pure laziness. I definitely had enough time, but I just felt little motivation to do so. I am so, so happy that I found that small part of myself that wanted to do something useful during the summer. Second, if you have a weakness that you'd prefer not to have, work at it. I have always had trouble starting my writing. I used to sit for hours, staring at a blank screen, with no idea how to write the beginning, middle, or end of an essay. When I had to blog every day, though, it forced me to just start. Even if I had no idea where I was heading, just writing a few sentences gave me a base to work off of.

It's been great. Thank you all for reading my blogs, it feels quite good to know that someone will listen to what I have to say. Good night!

P.S. The title is a reference to the camp song "Linger".