So my Social Venture Project (One of our 3 capstone projects) is starting to come along.
It's called ACT-Activism Consulting for Teens (big props to Noah Bopp for the name!) and it basically helps teens become effective advocates for causes that they care about. We do this through mentoring and offering resources.
It's still coming along and in the starting stages, and I've just launched the website: http://www.activismconsulting.org/. It's not done, but check it out if you have a chance! :)
Friday, December 31, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
to blog or not to blog...that is the question
I'm trying to decide whether or not I want to keep blogging now that I'm back. It really wouldn't be a "dance party in DC" anymore but still....I just don't know though. If you want to weigh in please let me know :)
P.S. I got to Puerto Rico today for our family vacation, 14 people. So excited to be with my family and where it's warm but I still miss SEGL so much :(
P.S. I got to Puerto Rico today for our family vacation, 14 people. So excited to be with my family and where it's warm but I still miss SEGL so much :(
Saturday, December 18, 2010
See ya later SEGL, I will miss you!
Today we, the Fall Class of 2010, graduated from SEGL. The graduation ceremony was really great, every faculty and student spoke for a little while, and it was really moving. My Mom, Grandpa, and his wife, Lorraine came, which meant alot to me.
While of course I'm happy to have graduated and have got to this point, I am more sad and nostalgic than I ever would have thought I would be. I want to go back to SEGL so bad. As I'm writing this, I'm sitting in my house in Needham, MA waiting to see my fellow SEGLettes run down the stairs being all crazy, but sadly I know I won't. It's so quiet without them and I feel empty in many ways without them. SEGL students and faculty are like my family, and I miss them so much already.
We have had so many amazing memories at SEGL, and we've been through so much together. I still remember meeting everyone the first day, and watching the footage of 9/11 the 2nd day. Instantly, I felt so at home and welcomed, and now I feel so grateful to have been able to share the experience with such amazing people.
As some people know, I found SEGL through a facebook ad a few days before I left for my summer program, Longacre, this summer. It seemed like fate. SEGL seemed like the perfect school for me, and I really needed a change in my life. I decided to apply one day, skyped with Noah Bopp the next, and had all my essays and the application done the next day. Clearly it was a really quick process, because I was leaving for the whole summer. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
SEGL really was life-changing in so many ways. It really did change me for the better and I will never forget it. Our Class did the "most likely" thing and I got voted most likely to work at SEGL, and I hope I eventually do. I love it there so much.
As the saying goes, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
And as Noah would say, SEGL isn't about what we do there, but what we do when we're home. The point of SEGL is that we go home.
Again I really want to say,
I LOVE EVERYONE AT SEGL SO MUCH AND I WILL NEVER FORGET ANY OF YOU. THIS IS NOT A GOODBYE BUT A SEE YA LATER!
While of course I'm happy to have graduated and have got to this point, I am more sad and nostalgic than I ever would have thought I would be. I want to go back to SEGL so bad. As I'm writing this, I'm sitting in my house in Needham, MA waiting to see my fellow SEGLettes run down the stairs being all crazy, but sadly I know I won't. It's so quiet without them and I feel empty in many ways without them. SEGL students and faculty are like my family, and I miss them so much already.
We have had so many amazing memories at SEGL, and we've been through so much together. I still remember meeting everyone the first day, and watching the footage of 9/11 the 2nd day. Instantly, I felt so at home and welcomed, and now I feel so grateful to have been able to share the experience with such amazing people.
As some people know, I found SEGL through a facebook ad a few days before I left for my summer program, Longacre, this summer. It seemed like fate. SEGL seemed like the perfect school for me, and I really needed a change in my life. I decided to apply one day, skyped with Noah Bopp the next, and had all my essays and the application done the next day. Clearly it was a really quick process, because I was leaving for the whole summer. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
SEGL really was life-changing in so many ways. It really did change me for the better and I will never forget it. Our Class did the "most likely" thing and I got voted most likely to work at SEGL, and I hope I eventually do. I love it there so much.
As the saying goes, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
And as Noah would say, SEGL isn't about what we do there, but what we do when we're home. The point of SEGL is that we go home.
Again I really want to say,
I LOVE EVERYONE AT SEGL SO MUCH AND I WILL NEVER FORGET ANY OF YOU. THIS IS NOT A GOODBYE BUT A SEE YA LATER!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The final days
Today, Thursday, is one of the last days that we'll be here. I really can't even put into words how upset I am. I really really don't want to leave, I love it here.
But we've been having a fun-filled last couple of days.
Today, we met with the Southeast Asia and the Pacific Expert, Christine Chan-Downer, in the Office to Combat and Monitor Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP) at the State Dept. We presented out policy on combatting sex trafficking in Thailand to her, and it went really well. She seemed to really like the policy, and she had some great feedback. She knew so much because she's very active in the fight against human trafficking, and has alot of experience with Thailand. She goes there alot and had a bunch of stories to tell us that made the issue even more real. Meeting with her was really cool, and she gave us all copies of the State Dept. 2010 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, which is very legit, it's like a book. That was really really nice of her.
After that, we rushed to the White House for a tour. I've gotten a tour of the more working-part of the White House earlier this semester from a family friend who works in the White House, but this was a different part, which was really cool to see.
THANKS TO MIRA AND HER MOM FOR GETTING US THE TOUR! :)
Then we went back to the School and got ready to present our credos.
Each person had 10 minutes to present their credo, any part of it that they wanted and in whatever way they wanted. The credos were so meaningful and I loved learning so much more about my friends that I've been living with for 4 months. The experience was amazing, and I loved every second of it.
After the final credo presentation, we went to a Board Member, Abigail's house for dinner. She invited us for dinner which was amazing, and I guess it's an SEGL tradition now :) Her house was amazing! Like definitely one of the coolest houses I've ever been in! She was SO nice and the food she made was unbelievable. I felt so at home there and it was a great bonding experience because alot of our SEGL community was there. We even played Apples to Apples (which I LOVE) but I fell asleep a few minutes in because I was absolutely exhausted. I went to sleep at 2:30am last night (or this morning I guess) to work more on the credo, and that was surprisingly early for people in the house. Weird right?
Tomorrow we're packing in the morning to mid afternoon, and then going to the school for some secret stuff. I really hope it will be a good last night, and I know it will :)
But we've been having a fun-filled last couple of days.
Today, we met with the Southeast Asia and the Pacific Expert, Christine Chan-Downer, in the Office to Combat and Monitor Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP) at the State Dept. We presented out policy on combatting sex trafficking in Thailand to her, and it went really well. She seemed to really like the policy, and she had some great feedback. She knew so much because she's very active in the fight against human trafficking, and has alot of experience with Thailand. She goes there alot and had a bunch of stories to tell us that made the issue even more real. Meeting with her was really cool, and she gave us all copies of the State Dept. 2010 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, which is very legit, it's like a book. That was really really nice of her.
 |
| Some of us in front of the White House after the tour |
THANKS TO MIRA AND HER MOM FOR GETTING US THE TOUR! :)
Then we went back to the School and got ready to present our credos.
Each person had 10 minutes to present their credo, any part of it that they wanted and in whatever way they wanted. The credos were so meaningful and I loved learning so much more about my friends that I've been living with for 4 months. The experience was amazing, and I loved every second of it.
After the final credo presentation, we went to a Board Member, Abigail's house for dinner. She invited us for dinner which was amazing, and I guess it's an SEGL tradition now :) Her house was amazing! Like definitely one of the coolest houses I've ever been in! She was SO nice and the food she made was unbelievable. I felt so at home there and it was a great bonding experience because alot of our SEGL community was there. We even played Apples to Apples (which I LOVE) but I fell asleep a few minutes in because I was absolutely exhausted. I went to sleep at 2:30am last night (or this morning I guess) to work more on the credo, and that was surprisingly early for people in the house. Weird right?
Tomorrow we're packing in the morning to mid afternoon, and then going to the school for some secret stuff. I really hope it will be a good last night, and I know it will :)
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
I am officially an odd number.
So today is my birthday, and I am offically 17, an odd number. You may say I'm OCD or Superstitious, but odd numbers are evil. Please pray for me. With your help and prayers, I will survive the year. Overdramatic? Maybe.
Today we went to the White House for a tour, but were there on the wrong day, so we're going tomorrow. It was all good though, because it was an adventure!
Then we came home, played brown squirrel and another game (SEGL and Kat things) then ate lunch. For my birthday, my Mom order Potbelly's for all of us which was awesome because I LOVE Potbellys! I will miss it so much! For those of you non-DCers, potbelly's is a sandwich shop :)
Then at 2, we presented our non-profit ideas to a panel. We were split into 3 groups, 2 groups of 5, 1 group of 6, and each panel had one Ashoka Youth Venture Rep. They were all so nice though so it really wasn't that bad or intimidating. My panel had Ashoka Rep. Rachel, Lucy (Our RA) and Charlotte (SEGL Admissions Officer).We presented our ideas, they asked some questions, got some feedback and moved on to the next person. Not so bad right?
Ashoka Youth Venture is the organization that starts our non-profits off with seed funding, up to $1000, so if all goes well, we'll each get seed funding :)
Then we chilled out, worked on credos, came home, worked on credos, took a power nap, ate, and are still working on credos. We also have to prep because we're presenting our Policy on Sex trafficking in Thailand to the Thailand Expert in the Office to Combat and Monitor Trafficking at the State Dept. tomorrow. I'm excited but also really nervous.
After we present the policy, we're going on a tour of the White House, then going back to the school to present our credos :)
So that was my first day as 17 :)
 |
| Taken at 12:01 pm, 1st minute of being 17 :) |
Then we came home, played brown squirrel and another game (SEGL and Kat things) then ate lunch. For my birthday, my Mom order Potbelly's for all of us which was awesome because I LOVE Potbellys! I will miss it so much! For those of you non-DCers, potbelly's is a sandwich shop :)
Then at 2, we presented our non-profit ideas to a panel. We were split into 3 groups, 2 groups of 5, 1 group of 6, and each panel had one Ashoka Youth Venture Rep. They were all so nice though so it really wasn't that bad or intimidating. My panel had Ashoka Rep. Rachel, Lucy (Our RA) and Charlotte (SEGL Admissions Officer).We presented our ideas, they asked some questions, got some feedback and moved on to the next person. Not so bad right?
Ashoka Youth Venture is the organization that starts our non-profits off with seed funding, up to $1000, so if all goes well, we'll each get seed funding :)
Then we chilled out, worked on credos, came home, worked on credos, took a power nap, ate, and are still working on credos. We also have to prep because we're presenting our Policy on Sex trafficking in Thailand to the Thailand Expert in the Office to Combat and Monitor Trafficking at the State Dept. tomorrow. I'm excited but also really nervous.
After we present the policy, we're going on a tour of the White House, then going back to the school to present our credos :)
So that was my first day as 17 :)
Monday, December 13, 2010
1 final down....2 to go
Today I had part of my chemistry final, which really wasn't that bad. We had the first part of it over the weekend, and that wasn't too bad either :)
But tomorrow I have my history and Pre-Calc finals! Yikes right?
I spent about 4 hours today studying for the pre-calc final at the congressional (a chill study space a few buildings down) and I still feel ish about it. I think the pre-calc final is the one I'm most worried about. I'm not as worried about history, but still un poquito (a little).
But ya....after tomorrow we have no more academics, which is bittersweet.
And only 2 days to go until I'm 17...An odd number :(
Anyone who knows me will tell you that odd numbers and I don't mix well. Car ride to the corn maze anyone? Ya...That's kind of a SEGL inside joke, but basically because the music in the car on the way to the corn maze was on an odd number I was little off... But don't worry, I was fine :) lol
But tomorrow I have my history and Pre-Calc finals! Yikes right?
I spent about 4 hours today studying for the pre-calc final at the congressional (a chill study space a few buildings down) and I still feel ish about it. I think the pre-calc final is the one I'm most worried about. I'm not as worried about history, but still un poquito (a little).
But ya....after tomorrow we have no more academics, which is bittersweet.
And only 2 days to go until I'm 17...An odd number :(
Anyone who knows me will tell you that odd numbers and I don't mix well. Car ride to the corn maze anyone? Ya...That's kind of a SEGL inside joke, but basically because the music in the car on the way to the corn maze was on an odd number I was little off... But don't worry, I was fine :) lol
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Finals
All day today I've been trying (key word.) to study for finals, but I keep getting so distracted! I am super intent on studying right now though, I am going into super focus mode.
I still can't believe we have finals!
Our last day of classes was Friday, and we have all of our finals on Monday and Tuesday. From there, there's no more academics which is good :) But at the same time really sad :(
I still can't believe we have finals!
Our last day of classes was Friday, and we have all of our finals on Monday and Tuesday. From there, there's no more academics which is good :) But at the same time really sad :(
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Almost 17...Where have the years gone?!?!?!
So it's my 17th birthday next week, Dec. 15th. I am not looking forward to it. I HATE odd numbers and being 17 will pretty much be the bane of my existence!
Plus, 16 is such a pleasant age. I like it, and I want to stay 16!
I guess I just have to remember that years are only man-made ideas anyways, they're not real.... just like permanent records.
P.S. In the past 3 days, I have gotten attacked by 2 trees (not just 1). Fortunately I lived both times, but my green puffy jacket was not that lucky. But, that's why G-d invented ducktape!
Plus, 16 is such a pleasant age. I like it, and I want to stay 16!
I guess I just have to remember that years are only man-made ideas anyways, they're not real.... just like permanent records.
P.S. In the past 3 days, I have gotten attacked by 2 trees (not just 1). Fortunately I lived both times, but my green puffy jacket was not that lucky. But, that's why G-d invented ducktape!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Da Credo!
So we've just been introduced to our last Capstone... The Credo.
It's basically a personal reflection of what we've learned, where we are, and how we will live our lives based on what we've learned and where we stand.
It's really tough. I have so many things going through my head that I don't really know where to start.
And the criteria for the credo is that it must be:
It's basically a personal reflection of what we've learned, where we are, and how we will live our lives based on what we've learned and where we stand.
It's really tough. I have so many things going through my head that I don't really know where to start.
And the criteria for the credo is that it must be:
- brilliant
- insightful
- true
Quite some criteria huh?
I'm really excited because this is a great opportunity to reflect, but at the same time I feel overwhelmed because we have so many things to do these last couple weeks.
But I'm mainly excited :)
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