The Very Beginning

Today was very surreal, I came to the realization that I’ve actually been selected to participate in this year’s Women and Leadership program at Brown University. As a freshman I would only dream about this type of experience, but now here I am. I am so grateful to have been selected to a program that I am so passionate about since I aspire to be an advocate for women not only in my community, but all around the world as well.  

At 11:45 AM I met up with Don and my cohort, (Amelia, Esmeralda, Bianche, and Zunarah) at the San Pablo public library to set up our blogs, scan IDs, and take pictures. Even though the weather was crazy, with on and off raining and hailing. We still managed to get some very nice photos of us all together, even if our eyes were closed. However, the tutorial was very helpful, and I got clarity on how to direct the website.

My Cohort and I trying to keep our eyes open.

While Don was going over the rules and everything else we needed to know I was so impressed with how much work is put into the program. This seriously takes a lot of effort. The information provided to me today was extremely useful, not just for ILCers strictly, but also other experiences I may need it for.

Deciding what the theme, template, and colors of our blog was fairly easy since we aren’t that picky. Personally I think that our blog site looks super cute, and it’s going to be so fun documenting my experiences and growth.

I love my cohort, and I can’t wait to go to Brown with them. They are all such nice and inspiring people who I get along with so well. The whole day I was fantasizing about what this summer is going to be like, my dorm, the experience, even the plane ride!

Even though this is just the beginning of the amazing journey ahead of me, I am still so excited for the events that are going to take place this year. 

Almost Two Hours of Rain, But it Wasn't a Pain

I was the second person to arrive at the San Pablo library at 11:45 AM. It was an incredibly cold day and I was shivering, even when I wore four layers of clothes. Despite the weather, I bought an icy beverage and sat with Kelsey, waiting for the other cohort members to arrive. Everyone came around the time we agreed upon, except for Don. We waited for 20 minutes in an ice cream shop right next to the library and talked to one another as if we’ve been friends forever. 

When Don arrived, we went to work immediately. He took a couple of head shot pictures for every person, but agreed upon doing group pictures later since we needed to wait for Amelia. We all went to Don’s car to be spared from the freezing weather (and the rain that came with it), where he gave us an overview on how to create the blog site and profiles. When Amelia arrived, the rain had slowly cleared up and the sun came through. All five of us took several group photos around the library, before piling into Don’s car once again to get a couple of group photos at the Contra Costa College campus.

This is the best head shot I had without squinting my eyes.

Even though walking around the campus made me extremely cold, I don't regret touring the beautiful area. The college was a great choice, we were able to get very lovely pictures with the brick walls and the greenery around it. My personal favorite was when we all had the idea of taking a group picture leaning on the Contra Costa College sign.

The library opened when we left the college campus. We created a design for our blog site and had our med cards scanned. Working as a team went smoother and quicker than I expected. Each one of us had a lot of creative ideas, but we decided to keep the layout for our blog simple and organized. We decided to base our blog site's theme on the Brown University’s logo. After our meet up, I felt accomplished and ready for more work alongside my other cohort members. 

The Wi-Fi in the library was pretty slow and weather was unpleasant, but I still had an enjoyable time with my teammates.