A Night Out at Town Hall

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a dinner with the Vanderbilt and UChicago cohorts, along with many other guests. 

My mom and I arrived at the El Cerrito Plaza BART station at 4:35 and we were excited to see we were the first people there. That was until Don informed us that Maddie and her father had arrived almost an hour earlier, so I guess by their standards we were late. We waited for about a half hour or so as more cohort members and guests arrived, doing some some quick introductions. I got to meet the Chicago cohort members, their parents, and the other guests that were joining us for the evening. 

Soon enough, it was time to head towards the BART train. Don passed out Clipper cards to all of us, and we as a group made our way through the BART entrance, up the escalator, and to the train platform. 

As we waited for the train I spoke with Jahnvi, a member of the Chicago cohort. She happened to have done the same program last summer that I will be doing at Vanderbilt this summer, so it was nice to learn some more information about the course I will be taking. Within a few minutes we were getting onto a train going straight to the city(no transfer needed!). I, along with some other cohort members, stood for the duration of the ride to the city.

Within no time at all we were at the Embarcadero station and were making our way to the restaurant. While walking to the restaurant, Town Hall, I spoke with Alice, a former ILCer who went to UChicago last summer and will be attending UChicago in the fall. We spoke about the college application process and she gave some words of wisdom about applying to colleges which I'm sure will come in handy for me next year. 

Distributing table settings prior to the dinner

We arrived at the restaurant and made our way upstairs to the private dining room, where we had a short reception before starting the dinner itself. I spoke with Linda Cohen, a former teacher/Principal and current ILC panelist, and Joceline, a fellow Vanderbilt cohort member, about the classes we'll be taking at Vanderbilt and Ms. Cohen's college experience. I also was able to speak with Christopher Dewing, a UChicago alum, about his college experience. 

Everyone in their seats in the dining room

We were soon ushered into the main dining room. I found my place card and saw that I was seated next to my mother and my chaperone, Jennifer Hansen. Along with them, my table included John Tilsch, a Vanderbilt alum ('04), Mister Phillips, a school board member, and Linda Cohen, whom I had spoken with earlier in the evening. We went around the table and introduced ourselves, John briefly explained his history with Vanderbilt and shared how the school had shaped him as a person. He explained that when visiting schools, the second he stepped foot on campus at Vanderbilt he knew it was the right fit for him, his enthusiasm about the school only grew during his time as a student. I, and the others at my table, continued to ask him about his experience at Vanderbilt and we shared anecdotes with each other until it was time for speeches and salad. 

Eppa delivering his speech at Town Hall

Madeline Kronenberg began the speeches, she had everyone go around and introduce themselves and shared some kind words about the program and her experience with it. She was followed by Raqeeb, a Chicago Cohort member who shared his thoughts about the program and thanked everyone for attending. Next, Christopher Dewing ('14) shared a bit about his wonderful experience at UChicago and explained how much it had impacted him. Madison, who will be attending Vanderbilt this summer with me, then shared some words about the program and her excitement for this coming summer. Eppa Rixey ('11), a Vanderbilt Alum, was next, he briefly explained his experience at Vanderbilt and what opportunities it had granted him. Lastly, Don wrapped up the speeches with a thank you to everyone in attendance.

We were served our main courses, there was an option between short ribs and salmon, both of which looked delicious. I chose to have the short ribs, which were served with potatoes and roasted vegetables (the meal was amazing). While we ate we continued our conversation, I shared a bit about my school experience with Mister Phillips, who, as a school board member, was interested in hearing my opinion of our schools. I also got to know Jennifer, my chaperone, much better and learned that she is currently a French teacher at De Anza. I was exited to hear this as I've taken French classes, so maybe I'll get to practice my French with her during the trip.

Jennifer and me at the dinner table 

John also told us a bit about Nashville as city, he recommend a cafe near by which has live music and a restaurant called Hot Chicken, I was advised to order the mild as even it is very spicy. He also shared some tips about the application process, he emphasized how important it is to be yourself in your essays and let your personality shine through as much as possible. 

By this time in the evening everyone had finished their main courses and desserts were served, this was a butterscotch and chocolate pot de creme with buttercrunch toffee. We continued our conversation over dessert, it was a delicious meal, I especially loved the toffee part of the dessert. 

When everyone had finished, the cohort members and alumni headed downstairs to take pictures. Don helped to arrange us for the pictures so that everyone was visible, and within a few minutes the photo shoot was over. The alumni left after this, so we thanked them for spending the evening with us and said our goodbyes, then we headed back upstairs to the dining room. While we waited for the Chicago cohort to finish with photos I spoke with some of the parents whom had accompanied us to the dinner. 

A lovely photo of the Vanderbilt cohort and alumni

We then began our walk back to BART, I spoke with Linda Cohen during this time about my high school experience and my college search. She told me about why she chose the school she attended and I shared with her what colleges I'm looking at, our conversation continued to drift to and from countless different subjects. She offered me advice about choosing the right school, look for something that really fits your personality and then work from there, pick a school that feels right. I really enjoyed getting to hear her perspective on a variety of topics.

We then boarded BART, the night was quickly winding down. I stood with some other ILCers until seats on the train became available, after a few stops the crowded train began thinning out and Joceline and I were able to sit. We arrived at the El Cerrito Plaza Bart station, where we had started our journey, and after exiting the BART station we gave our Clipper cards back to Don. We all said our goodbyes and my mom and I headed to the car, I was ready to go home to my bed after an eventful night. I had a lovely time at Town Hall, it was great meeting so many new people. After the dinner I'm even more excited for Vanderbilt this summer than I was before (if that's possible).