From Victor and Teresita Maniquiz

Dear Mr. Ramsey, Ms Kronenberg, Mr. Gosney, Board Members and generous sponsors and ILC supporters,

My daughter, Julia Maniquiz, attended Cornell University’s Summer College program for three weeks and partook in their Freedom and Justice course. She went with little knowledge about Cornell, little knowledge about life in the Ivy League schools, and little knowledge about college life in general. Her mind was all about California - California colleges and universities, friends in California, and life in general in California. But the Ivy League Connection changed all of that. It opened her eyes to the great opportunities outside of California. Colleges and universities are not all about where you are geographically. There are so many fantastic institutions outside one’s comfort zone.

During her time in Cornell University, Julia developed a sense of fulfillment, independence, a wealth of knowledge, new friends and, more importantly, it acquainted her with the great schools located outside of California. Even after her return to Hercules, all she can talk to us about is how lucky she is and how thankful she is for being accepted to the WCCUSD ILC program. The impact that that ILC program has made on Julia and to us in particular is so tremendous that Julia now wants to go to Cornell University. She has made it evident that Cornell is the best fit and most appropriate choice for her.

As a father of an ILC participant, I can tell you how successful this program is and how the participants are affected only in the most positive way. I immediately noticed a change in Julia when she returned. She is more sure of herself and of her goals. Her stay at Cornell continues to fuel her desire to perform her absolute best in all aspects of her academic life. We hope that the school district will continue to support this program and we’re hoping that it will continue to flourish for years to come so that more students will benefit from it the way my daughter Julia has.

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU to all those who have allowed the Ivy League Connection to continue onward in its success. Congratulations and a job well done!

Sincerely,Victor and Teresita Maniquiz

(Parents of Julia Maniquiz, Hercules High School Class of 2010 & Cornell Summer College alum)

P.S. Last Thursday, we went on a Stanford campus tour. It is a 2 hour tour of Stanford University which brought us to different buildings within the campus and provided us with crucial information about the university. Even after gaining such insight about this top tier school, Julia told us Stanford has nothing compared to Cornell. Even though Stanford is a quick hour long drive away (which means it would be a real easy adjustment for her) Cornell University is still her first choice. That goes to show how the ILC has positively impacted her school choice. It further demonstrates how successful the program is. Kudos to all of you and, once again, you have our unrelenting gratitude.