Moving
Forward
The
following content was originally dictated in Chinese and translated into
English.
I
am also very thankful for Ms. Kaplan for taking the Brown Session I students on
this journey with attentive care. Her smile and laughter brought warmth and
love to our children.
As
parents, we were filled with joy when we heard about the program. With the help
of the ILC, our child would have another metamorphic summer experience. I
remember when I first accompanied David to the interview. I told him,
"David, Mom has confidence in you."
When
he was done with his interview, he called me back into the classroom and sat by
my side. He smiled at me and said, "Mom, I felt good about my performance
today. The panelists seemed pretty satisfied." I said back to him,
"Success is half confidence and half hard work. Since you're so confident
about yourself, you're already halfway there. And whatever the outcome, Mom
will always support you."
When
I heard my child's name being called out as one of the 2012 ILC participants, I
ran over to him, with joy filling my heart. I told myself that this moment
would be unforgettable, on the thought that David's efforts have not been in
vain. I believe that the success of every child cannot be separated from their
parents' support. As parents, we have to pay more attention to our child's
thinking, behavior, and education in schools. They are our future. And as long
as our children can continue to pursue their ideals with the proper education
and opportunities, there is hope.
Through
the one month experience, we found him to be a more grown up, mature person. We
have more confidence in him making his own independent choices. He has expanded
his knowledge towards the culture of people from various cultures and
backgrounds, and has taken a great leap forward towards his communication with
others. Through a short period of time, David has taken a great amount of change,
but has also changed us. We are more assured in his capacity to be more
independent and to think more intelligently, as well as the way he has learned
to deal with difficulties in the face of pressure.
He
is also more confident when facing challenges, and makes smarter choices. In
addition, by taking the Macroeconomics course at Brown, David now has a better
understanding of the world. By visiting colleges, David now has a better
understanding of college admissions, school conditions, interesting courses,
and financial aid. We would really like to thank the Ivy League Connection for
giving him his opportunity, and broadening his knowledge and experience.
And
so, we will wish for the continuation of this program. Let this program forever
continue to shine brightly and be extended to every school district. Let the
Ivy League Connection continue to prosper and grow, for our children.
~~~~~
If anyone ever wanted to be convinced of the need for
parental buy-in for our members of The Ivy League Connection they need to
re-read this blog. And while our readers could not have been at the
interview, had they been there they would have seen David's mother jumping for
joy with an ear to ear smile on her face when David's name was announced.
We could have turned out the lights in the interview room and still we
would have needed sunglasses to protect our eyes from the way his mother beamed
with pride in her David.
Don Gosney
