New Beginnings!

I awoke bright and early with a true sensation of excitement. This was because today marked the true beginning to my second Ivy League Connection adventure in the form of a preliminary tutorial session. The location was De Anza High School, the same location where I began my first steps towards my enterprise at Columbia University. It is truly remarkable to believe that roughly around a year ago, I was taking my first steps in my adventure with the Ivy League Connection. I still find it difficult to comprehend how fast time truly flies without my realization. I look back at when I first began my experience with the ILC compared to who I am today even I can barely grasp the changes I have had in such a small time frame. When I look in a mirror it is if I were seeing a completely new me, which only fuels my excitement for another year with the ILC. 

Hard at Work

The session began with extensive information about blogging. We were given knowledge of how to both set up accounts as well as what type of information we should disclose on our profiles. Additionally, we were also introduced to the rudimentary mechanics of blogging, everything from the exact format to how to implement photos and videos into our posts. Don then proceeded to show us examples of bad blogs that were both dull and boring. He gave us tips on how to add flare to our blogs, as well as making them unique and interesting to read. Afterward, we were shown examples of blogs that fit under the category of exemplary. Even I found myself drawn to read these as they possessed a certain finesse and savvy with using their words to truly portray their experiences. 

Once Don had finished with his instruction, we put our skills to the true test by creating a few practice blog posts. Having been away from blogging for a while now, I anticipated I would have been entirely lost with mechanics of blogging, prior to Don's instruction. However, after being given a refresher, everything began to feel natural again as it had on my previous adventure. In a way it resemble an underlying second-nature attribute that was only waiting to be woken from dormancy. The blogs we created during this phase of the tutorial were meant primarily for us to experience first-hand the logistics of creating a blog post.

Photography 101

When everyone had created their posts, we moved onward and were given tips on another valuable skill with creating a good blog, photography. We explained to the difference between using a real camera, even one as simple as a point-and-shoot one, and one that is in a cellular phone. Don gave the basic rundown on image quality and showed us the software he uses for photo editing, which will prove to be very useful tool further down the road of my journey. We then implemented a few random and miscellaneous photos into our practice blog posts to learn how to properly add photos. This process involved information on how to make the photo blend in with the words around it and how to edit the photo so that it was properly placed into the post.

The last few items on the agenda consisted of a reminder of the expectations each ILCer would be held to, upcoming events, and insight as to the various items we would need for our trips. During this discussion, I had flashbacks to when I was preparing to embark on my first adventure to New York city a year ago. I could not help but feel a bit of nostalgia for my time there. In less than a month I had been given a lifetimes worth of experience consisting of not only new knowledge but also friends I would have never imagined being able to have made, many of which I still keep in touch with. This feeling also made me realize that, I was a part of this adventure again, that I have once again been given the invaluable privilege to study at a prestigious college for a summer. Simply sitting in my seat listening to Don describe the basics necessities for travel was invigorating and earnestly incremented my excitement to attend the University of Pennsylvania this summer.