Brandon Amargo

Dear Ivy League Connection Community,

 

 

As I enter my final semester at U.C. Berkeley, I can only think about graduation day in May. Cal has taught me so many lessons inside and outside of the lecture hall. The rigorous courses and diverse student body has equipped me to enter the workforce with awareness to the importance of valuing everything everyone has to offer. I plan on continuing my work at Cal, but as a full time employee post-graduation. In addition, I plan on volunteering or working at Equality California, a non-profit in San Francisco.

 

 

This past semester, I completed three upper division Political Science courses: History of Ancient Thought, Japanese Politics and Latinos in the U.S. Political System. Next semester, I will complete my last set of upper-division courses in Political Science: Modern Arabic Political Thought, International Political Economy and Public Organization & Administration. These upper-division courses have student enrollments from 60 to 120 students. In contrast, lower-division courses can reach an enrollment of as much as 300 students. Furthermore, the section size in upper-division courses is reduced to about 20 students creating an intimate setting for fruitful conversation on course material. The course structure varies incredibly. Some courses are strictly composed of lengthy take-home essays. Others include pop quizzes, in-class midterms/finals and small online assignments.

My advice to current ILC members is to picture yourself at the universities your interested in. Being comfortable and having a sense of belonging is crucial to your academic success. For example, it is extremely difficult to escape the uniqueness of Cal and if you don’t embrace “Bezerkeley” for what it is, you’ll have a hard time studying here. The fact of the matter is Cal isn’t for everyone and the same goes for most schools. It is only due to my passion for Cal that I am able to succeed here. I hope that you all find your passion.

 

 

Go Bears!

 

 

Brandon

Brandon Amargo
U.C. Berkeley | 2013
B.A. Political Science
bamargo@berkeley.edu

Assistant, Vice Chancellor for Research Office

Megan Robb

Dear Mr. Ramsey and ILC,

This past semester I took classes in Organic Chemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, People, Culture, and Society Sociology/Anthropology, and Ethnic Literature. Organic Chemistry was extremely difficult and fast paced. It was my most challenging course and I am very glad that it is over. My Biology course was focusing more in depth on the cellular mechanisms and the specifics on how the cell functions. My Intro to Sociology/Anthropology was very interesting. We had many discussions about culture in America both in the past and present. The Ethnic Literature course was my favorite class this semester. We read and discussed a wide range of literature. Some of my favorites were Maus I and II, Crescent, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and Twilight: Los Angeles 1992. The books that we read in the course looked at Black, Asian, Middle Eastern, White, and Asian culture within America.

At Denison University there are a lot of people from the east and west coasts.  Denison has been referred to as an east coast school in the Midwest. In other words, students are very well off and overall preppy. This was a sort of culture shock for me but I have grown to love Denison.

 

Denison, and college in general, is different from high school in regard to the importance of time management. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having good time management skills. This past semester I was very involved in my sorority, on-campus job, and volunteering, therefore I had to be extremely focused and literally had no time for procrastination.

As an individual, I have become more independent, responsible, and focused. This past semester I decided that I wanted to get a Soc/Anth minor instead of a Chemistry minor. I made the change once I realized that I was not pursuing the Chemistry minor for the right reasons and that I should focus on something that I am passionate about. I have also become better at time management and the very delicate balance between the academic and social aspects of college.

Thank you,

Megan Robb
Denison University ‘15

Stephanie Ny

Good evening everyone,

I’m now done with a third of my junior year at Northwestern. Unlike many juniors in college, I am still undecided about my major. I have pretty much decided on sociology, though, in case anybody who has read my previous testimonials wants to know! Since an early age, I have been interested in the way in which society functions to advantage some and disadvantage others. It was not until college, however, that my interest really developed, and now I am satisfied that I will (probably) major in something by which I am genuinely moved.

My college works on the quarter system. Generally, we have nine or ten weeks of classes, a dead/reading week, and finals week. That being said, classes move rather quickly. At times I find myself having a midterm at least once a week until the end of the quarter. At the same time, it basically guarantees that I stayed on top of my studies at all times. Because of this, I also feel like I’ve learned more by using the quarter system than I would have learned if I’d gone to a semester-based school. (There’s no real telling, though, since I have no experience with these schools).

In light of recent tragic events that are not unique to Northwestern, I must really, really advise all of you that if you are struggling in any way—emotionally or academically—to not be afraid to ask for help. Don’t think that you’re alone in your struggle, or that you’re a burden to your peers or to those whose services are open to you. College is a stressful place (high school is, too!) and can take a toll on you in ways that can make you feel isolated. But do try to keep in mind that people do care and will help you. Ask, and help will come to you.

Sadly, I will cut this testimonial short as I have been under the weather as of late. I do apologize if it wasn’t as thorough as expected.

As always, feel free to e-mail me any questions you have about Northwestern or college in general, and happy holidays!

Stephanie Ny

Northwestern 2014

stephanieny2010@gmail.com

Michelle Saechao

Dear Ivy League Connection Community,

My second year at UCLA has been so rewarding thus far. I began this year with so much more confidence and so much motivation to improve myself. Last year I secured a position working at the College Library Instructional Computing Commons, or CLICC, where I've had the opportunity to meet new people, make connections with important library officials, earn money and study a lot. I feel so blessed to have a job that not only pays well but allows me to study when it's not so busy. I hear stories from people about their other jobs around campus and I have to say that my job is one of the best around and I just received an email yesterday that I've been promoted!

On top of working all quarter, I also received the Secretary position for UNICEF at UCLA. It's been truly rewarding volunteering my time to raise money for one of the best humanitarian organizations in UNICEF, playing with and teaching children who live in an alternative transitional homeless shelter and organizing awareness events around campus.

I've also secured an internship for next quarter at Viacom Media Networks/MTV Networks International in Santa Monica working in the media library. Although I have no particular interest in the entertainment industry, I also have no idea what I want to do in the future. Hopefully this will serve as a great experience for me to see what different kinds of careers are out there and if I can see myself working them.

Double-majoring in International Development Studies and Economics allows me to take a wide-range of classes. This past quarter I took Spanish, Gender Studies and Microeconomics. Although Spanish language courses are technically taught by TAs, my TA this quarter was an older native Quechuan women from Ecuador who is incredibly educated and lectures all over the Americas. She was an incredible teacher to have because she was so dedicated to student learning. Although I am an Economics major, the subject material is generally more difficult for me to grasp, so I didn't do so well this quarter in my Microeconomics course. Instead of having midterms like other courses, my professor had three quizzes and a final. Calling it a 'quiz' instead of an exam didn't help my study habits and so I passed the course with a C. I know to take each bit of work more seriously in the future because although the material may be difficult, I am completely capable of working harder to receive a better grade. Lastly, my Gender Studies course served as a nice break from all the graphs in economics. While I didn't enjoy lecture very much, I did feel very enthusiastic about my section discussion sessions because we got to really engage with our peers about the readings for each week. Nonetheless, I'm grateful for all I've learned this quarter, but I'm also grateful for being done!

Words of advice:

1. Get involved, but stay organized! It's important to remember that everything deserves your time and if you neglect one thing for another, you're not being fair.

2. Enjoy people! They will keep you sane. I can't say how many times weird remarks from my roommates or freestyles from my friends have lifted my mood and given me energy to keep on working!

3. Don't wait for midterms or finals to study! Use all the time you have to continually learn and review material. It's a drag, but it helps.

4. Look into campus resources like free printing, writing help or tutors. Your tuition dollars go toward these programs, so let them help you!

Hope this has been helpful for all of you! Have a very Happy Holiday Season!

Go Bruins!

Michelle Saechao

UCLA Class of 2014

2010 ILC Alumna

Gabriel Augusto Jomdos Sanchez

My name is Gabriel Sanchez, a rising third year at UCLA. In 2009, I joined the ILC and attended Columbia University.

Overall, my second year was a time of immense change and growth - a feeling I know I will continue to experience until I graduate from this institution. The best piece of advice I can share with all of you is to always push yourself out of your comfort zone, and to constantly challenge yourself in every way possible. I've used this quote so many times in these emails I write to the ILC, but I can't help to share this again; a great friend of mine at UCLA once told me, "You grow the most when you are in uncomfortable positions." If you're afraid to join an organization or club, join it. If you're afraid of taking a class because it's too hard, take it. If you're afraid to make new friends, talk to as many people as you can. Constantly challenge yourself - because when you are comfortable, you are complacent.

As I mentioned in the email I wrote in the Winter, this past year, I served as Parent Investment Coordinator and an Academic Peer Advisor for a Pilipin@ college access project, Samahang Pilipino Advancing Community Empowerment (SPACE). As both an administrator and staff member of the project, I literally had an obligation to do every single day, including going to Belmont High School every Thursday to work with the students. As a result, I learned how to manage my time more efficiently. Using a planner and writing all my responsibilities became a weekly routine for me. Part of becoming a strong leader is learning how to balance multiple responsibilities, and from my experience in SPACE, I feel that I have refined this essential skill.

Also, I encourage each and every single one of you to constantly reflect on what you want out of your college experience, and to reflect on what you want to do in the future. Never let anybody else make those decisions for you. Just recently, I changed my major from Political Science to Asian American Studies. In Winter Quarter, I began to reflect on what I wanted out of my college experience and my future aspirations, and felt that Political Science was no longer helping me to achieve my goals. As I've stated earlier, I now hold aspirations to become a professor in Asian American Studies and engage in the process of research to improve the Pilipin@ community; the classes offered in the Political Science department, however, were insensitive to the experiences of Pilipin@s, and Asian Americans, in this country. Therefore, I chose to switch to Asian American Studies in order to immerse myself in a relevant education that not only helps me to better understand myself, but to direct me toward my dreams.

In the Fall, I plan on applying for independent research cohorts such as the McNair Fellows and Mellon Mays - research programs that aim to increase representation of students of color into PhD programs. In preparation, I have networked with a number of Pilipin@ professors and graduate students in the LA area to mentor me in the process, as well as working to join research projects. In addition, I was also elected to serve as Access Coordinator for Samahang Pilipino, the official voice of the Pilipin@ community on the UCLA campus. My vision in this role is to help others better understand the issues Pilipin@ students encounter in entering institutions of higher education. As Access Coordinator, part of my role is to supervise the project SPACE and represent the Pilipin@ community the Student Initiated Access Committee (SIAC) - the official committee that represents all access issues for all 26,000 and more undergraduate students on campus. For the summer, I am a current intern for the Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas of the Los Angeles County's Second District. As an intern under the Education Deputy, I assist in the work he does, staffing special education events and undertaking specific research projects.

I hope this email has provided a brief glimpse of my college experience and the advice my mentors, predecessors and role models have shared with me. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me. Good luck on all your college endeavors!

Yours truly,

Lucina Parada

Dear Mr. Ramsey and fellow ILC Members,

My name is Lucina Parada and I am currently a senior at UC Berkeley. Four years ago, I was fortunate enough to experience three wonderful and rigorous weeks at Cornell University for the Freedom and Justice Program. Fast forward to the present and I find myself facing the start of my senior year of college in three weeks.

Adriana Ramirez

To the ILC students who may not know me,
My name is Adriana Ramirez, and I participated in the Ivy League Connection my Junior-Senior year, I attended the Brown program summer of 2008. I am now going to be a senior at UCLA and I have a full schedule for my senior year. The Ivy League Connection has opened many opportunities within my college career,not only did it prepare me by experiencing the college life at Brown but it also allowed me to come out of my shell. The experience at Brown was one of the things that encouraged me to do travel study in Puerto Rico this past month of July.

My career at UCLA so far has been very successful next year I will have an internship with JusticeCorps a branch of AmeriCorps, I am working at Payment Solutions & Compliance (Cashier's office) where I am a cashier, and I process scholarships and EFM checks, I will be finishing my psychology degree by the end of next quarter and doubling with Political Science. I'm really excited to start the new year although it will be very busy with a job, internship and 3 classes. Regardless of how full my plate may be I know that it will be worth it, UCLA is preparing me for the "grown up" life and I'm ready for it.

For incoming freshman, everything in college may seem overwhelming, but take a second to breath, and you'll realize that nothing is impossible. Take advantages of the many opportunities your school has to offer, mentorships, fellowships, scholarships, internships and work study because sometimes these are the things that prepare you for the work force and make you look good to those looking to hire you once you graduate. Grades aren't everything, what matters the most is how well rounded you are, so if your grades aren't the same as when in high school, make sure to make it up with other things that define you.