Yueming Wang - Hercules High School

I am utterly astounded that some people have doubts about the significance of the Ivy League Connection program in the school district.

Like the fellow students who have already replied to this email, I believe the Ivy League Connection is an important part of our school’s academic reach-out program. Although I cannot speak for others, I can definitely offer my take. Since I immigrated to this country in third grade, I knew that my goal was to get into UC Berkeley. I tried to obtain as much knowledge as possible and worked diligently to maintain good grades. UC Berkeley would be my reward for the years of effort. I never really realized the other possible schools that I can strive for until I attended my first Ivy League Connection seminar in Modesto.

What truly inspired me was when I met two former Ivy-Leaguers from Pinole Valley High School who were granted the chance to attend Cornell University for a summer. They both had much positive feedback about how much they loved the program. To them, it wasn’t just the academic knowledge that they took along with them, it was the chance that they had to associate with other bright students from other areas of the country. Their success in the summer program not only boosted their self-esteem, but also gave them the incentive to go to an Ivy League College after high school.

For me, it was great to know that people like me could succeed at summer programs held at prestigious colleges. This allowed me to dream that one day, if I work hard enough, I can perhaps make it into an Ivy League school. After this seminar, I began to consider some colleges that I would like to attend on the East Coast. Not only do they have a better reputation than public universities, Ivy League Colleges are better academic choices in various ways. For one, the general class size at an Ivy League school is much smaller in comparison to ones at UC Berkeley. Not to mention, these prestigious private schools are generally more academic-oriented than state-run schools.

As soon as I had heard that sophomores were allowed to apply for the Ivy League Connection’s summer program at Cornell, my heart leaped. What is a better way to explore an Ivy than this? In addition to that, I was also interested in the offered program – Hotel Operations Management. I have planned to start a tutoring business with friends for a while and this was just the perfect opportunity to go and learn about business tactics.

I am so honored to be selected to represent Hercules High School at Cornell University this summer. Not only do I feel more self-confident, I am also glad to know that there are people out there who care about the academic education. It’s great to know that the community is willing to donate money to support students as they embark on their journey to well-known universities. I do not know a better way for anyone to reward students for their accomplishments and encourage others to remain focused on their studies. These are all great reasons why the Ivy League Connection is an important part of our school district.

Thank you for giving us the chance to have an experience like this. We all greatly appreciate it! We will all benefit from this and remember it for the rest of our lives! Thank you again!