PROSPECTive Students of Columbia

Tonight was a night full of amazing food and meeting many new people.  It was the Columbia dinner at Prospects of course! Over a three course meal we discussed topics from the Executive Branch to the wonderful deserts that everyone raves about after ILC dinners. Beginning with remarks from Ms. Kronenberg, we also heard from members of Columbia cohort, alums, and Mr. Ramsey.  

My table and I spoke of the famous go to sites in and around New York City and how to engage Hercules students more in giving back.  My table consisted of two sponsors, the Kronenbergs, and Mrs. L.  I was very nervous because I was the only student there but was soon put at ease because of the friendliness of everyone. We even joked about the DeWitt Clinton quote that was printed on the paper. It went like: "Pleasure is a shadow, wealth is vanity, and power a pageant; but knowledge is ecstatic in enjoyment, perennial in frame, unlimited in space and indefinite in duration." We attempted to find deep interpretations of the quote but ended up laughing. 

How can I not go into detail about the food? One word: AMAZING. I started with the butter lettuce salad, then had the sole and for desert a rich chocolate cake. It was all simply delicious and extremely good. The presentation was equally stunning. It looked so good that we did not want to eat it, but of course we had to!

The entire dinner was very nice and we all got to meet new people.  I like the idea of not having all of us cohort members together, because this way we can mingle and talk to everyone.  We were able to learn more about life at Columbia from the actual alumni.  It was nerve wracking at first because we did not know what to expect or how to react but it went smoothly. 

The journey home was another story however.  Right when we got out of the restaurant, there was an extremely chilly breeze making us all, except for Don, freeze! But once we got into the BART, it was packed and hot! Also, there were delays in the BART so we were pushed back about 20 minutes and we were separated into separate cars because of the crowd.  Overall, it was a great experience and makes me anticipate the departure.  I can not wait to explore the campuses and go to Columbia! Also, I can not wait for more delicious food in New York! Well it's late now so I'm off to bed but I'll be back soon!