The Prospect of a Fantastic Summer

After attending a fabulous Columbia dinner at Prospect Restaurant in San Francisco, I will readily admit that my day ended much better than it began. I woke up early this morning to take the AP Biology test, which was both mentally and emotionally draining. After four hours of intent concentration and brief moments of despair on both multiple choice and essay sections, I was extremely hungry. I resisted my temptation to eat, however, because I knew that there was a delicious dinner in my future.  

My mother and I headed down to the BART Station to meet much of the Columbia group at 5:20 PM. From there, we took the 5:40 BART to San Francisco. When we arrived in San Francisco I was reminded by Matt Arciniega, a current student of Columbia, of how lucky I am to live near such an amazing city. I hardly spend any time in San Francisco, but I plan to change this in the months ahead. Not everyone has the privilege to live near such a vibrant cultural center.

After a short walk we arrived at Prospect. Once inside, we made our way to our own private dining room where we mingled with sponsors, alums, and many other impressive people. The restaurant had a relaxed, yet high-class ambiance making it the perfect place for an Ivy League Connections dinner. The service was wonderful and the food was delicious.

By the time everyone became engaged in fascinating conversations, it was time to be seated. At this point I was starting to get a little nervous because I was scheduled to give a speech. After looking around the room, however, my feelings of nervousness evaporated. I realized that everyone at the dinner was rooting for me. Nobody would judge me if I made a mistake and if I spoke from the heart the speech would probably go well. After all, I have nothing negative to say about The Ivy League Connection. The speech did go fairly well, and afterwards I was able to fully enjoy a delicious dinner with wonderful company.

I sat with Matt Arciniega who is currently taking a semester off from Columbia; Mitchell, a Columbia alum, who works for Google; and Don who was busy taking pictures throughout the dinner. The conversation was great! I learned a ton about life at Columbia and what it’s like to work for Google. Google seems like one of the most fun places to work. There is free food, a play structure, and super confortable furniture in the headquarters!

After fabulous food and great conversation, it was time to head home. The dinner has made me even more excited for summer. I absolutely cannot wait. I know that New York has so much in store and I’m so excited to experience as much as possible.