Night on the Town

As I pulled up the Bart station Tuesday evening I realized how fast things have been coming along and that with the blink of an eye I'll be on my way to Rhode Island. I was the only member of my cohort to choose to bring my dad to this dinner, and we both had a very great time. When we arrived at the Bart station I saw a group of very nicely dressed women standing and talking, this was the group who would be attending our Brown ILC dinner at the Town Hall restaurant. I walked toward everyone with much excitement. We all mingled as we waited for Don and the rest of the group to come.

Soon Don showed up and we got a small pep talk and introduction from him, then it was time to get on the Bart train. The people who would be coming along on our Bart ride included the ILC Brown cohort, parents of the cohort, our cohort's new chaperone Maricris Cruzat, board members Madeline Kronenberg and Todd Groves,  ILC and Brown Alumni, and of course Don. Mingling with everybody as we waited to leave the station was great and I already felt like I gained a greater sense of comfort than I had previously. After boarding our first train I took a seat next to ILC Alumni and Kennedy High student Cynthia, I got all of my questions answered as well as a few tips from Cynthia, and on our second train I got even more information and advice when I sat with ILC Alumni and Kennedy High student Izabel.

After arriving in San Francisco we all walked a few blocks to Town Hall. After arriving at the restaurant we walked up the stairs and into a private dining area. Don set up our name cards around the tables in the room as everybody else mingled and ordered refreshments.

Per Don's instructions, I got comfortable at the seat with my name card and a nice itinerary in front of me. The table I was seated at included my father Billy Ward, Brown Alumni Joe Goodale, Brown and ILC Alumni Kiana Ward, ILC Supporter Sally Swanson, and school board member Madeline Kronenberg. In the beginning of the dinner Mrs. Kronenberg spoke as well as Komal and Krystal concerning the Ivy League Connection program. All three speakers heightened my excitement for all that I have coming to me as well as reminded me of how grateful I am to be apart of such a great program. During and between the speeches we ate our salad appetizer and ordered our main dish. I went with the St. Louis ribs with coleslaw and corn muffins. We also got a very delicious cheesecake at the end of our dinner.

The table arrangement when I sat down.

The night consisted of many interesting conversations and lots of my concerns and questions answered by Kiana. I was very intrigued when Both Joe and Kiana provided me with a lot of interesting information about the great variation and opportunities Brown offers. It of course made me more excited to explore the school and the many options that I have with Ivy League Institutions. Overall, I was sat with many great people who all had many interesting things to say about many topics including those outside of the ILC. Don closed the dinner with a very great speech and we headed outside for a group shot. After the group photo, we retrieved the rest of the group and headed back to the Bart station.

The Ivy League Connection Women & Leadership cohort with Brown alumni

On the ride back I sat with both my ILC cohort and the ILC alumni, we had a great time and took a couple selfies. We ended the night back at the El Cerrito Plaza Bart station. By this time I was very tired and of course elated for all that I experienced this night. I headed home on a very full stomach.