Tuesday, July 15, 2008

SEAD III pictures

Here are some pictures from our SEAD III experience. It took quite a while for me to figure out how to put these up, and this whole HTML deal is confusing me. Anyway, these pictures show only a glimpse of our time at Dartmouth. To truly experience what it was like to be part of SEAD, you just had to be there.


Group photo in front of Baker Library



Class time



On top of 4,802 ft Mt. Moosilauke! What a hike



Learning to waltz



Square-dancing at Moosilauke Lodge



High Ropes Course





THE MAN: JAY DAVIS!



Making our own ceramic designs at Tip Top Pottery



Mentor/Mentee Love



Super Mentor/Mentee/Academic Coach Love



Riding the steep Cox Railway Train to Mt. Washington



Trying to keep balance on the Cox Railway Train



CRUNCH TIME! Get all work done or you can't go back to the dorms!



BOWLING NIGHT!



Dress-up Bowling Fun



CoffeeHouse Special: Night of Talent and Lots of Laughter



El Cerrito girls!



Graduation



CRAAZY SEADLINGS...



...SUPER SEAD LOVE!!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

End of SEAD III

Well, the six SEAD scholars are back in California after a grueling, but very fun, two weeks at Dartmouth College. Two days ago, we emerged as SEAD III graduates. It was a very emotional time. We've all spent three years living and working together, and it has come to an end. SEAD has made a great impact on all of our lives. Through this program, we have met people we've never known before, learned so much about what it is like to be in college, improved our communication and speaking skills, and most importantly, have established a loving and supportive network of people around the country. It's hard to talk about SEAD with other people, because there are really no words to describe how amazing this program is. The connection we have with the staff members and the other scholars at the other schools is very very strong.

I'm thankful for everything that SEAD has done for me, especially this year. We have made much progress in our college search, and we have also completed a college essay as well as the Common Application. Because of SEAD, we are a step ahead of perhaps all of our peers. I have gotten so much advice for the coming year from the staff members as well as the lead teachers. They gave me additional suggestions of colleges that I could consider applying to, and also critique on my college essay. I love the fact that I have so many resources to turn to this fall for any questions that I might have along the way. In fact, they insist that we contact them and update them on our progress in our college admissions activities.

Although I am happy to be home in beautiful California, I miss my SEAD family dearly. It's strange to not wake up and see your roommate across from you, or to hear a familiar voice telling you to go to breakfast. I think I can speak for everybody in the program that we just can't wait for the reunion in the fall. It will come before we know it, and I'm sure the wait will be worthwhile.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Today we took a mock SAT in our SAT class to test the techniques and strategies we learned during the past week. I felt i did better in the critical reading section of the test because I was able to understand the passage a lot better than I normally would. because of the SAT, I discovered reading the passage first then answer the questions help me answer the questions more efficiently than reading the questions first then find the answer in the text like I usually do. Likewise, my essay class helped me immensely as well because it gave me insights into what a good personal statement for the common application should look like, a good balance of narrative and reflections and a conclusion to wrap it up. The College Application course was also very helpful. It gave us websites where we can search for colleges according o our specifications such as CollegeBoard.com Matchmaker. The course also help us fill out the Common Application and answer any questions we might have in the process. The SEAD program did a fantastic job of helping us getting through the complicating and frustrating college admission process. Being in this program made me feel like the luckiest high school student in the world.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Oh What a wonderful day

From the moment we arrive in Hanover and walked on over to the Dartmouth hall, for the opening ceremony, I realize this place has become so nostalgic. Immediate entering the doors to the presentations going on in the Dartmouth halls we were instantly welcomed and greeted with hugs. I felt so fortunate to be in a program where there are so many who care about me and take notice of everything we do. Our Schedule since then has been busy from SAT classes to afte afterrnoon college workshops. Ever minute of the day is carefully planned. This year the focus is on conserving simple things we take for granted. today was jam packed with excitment from filling up the beginning process of the common application to bowling till 10:00 at night, i am beyond tired but filled with excitment for the next day.the weather here has been shifting from rain to sun and it is so humid!!!!
well its about almost 12 o'clock and i have to finish my HW.so goodbye for now

Dzinya D.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

First Few Days in Oh-such-great-weather Hanover

July 1, 2008

What a great title huh?

Well, I believe it's been about three days since we've arrived in Hanover, NH for our third summer at the SEAD program. It feels like we've been here for so long - everything is familiar. Unfortunately, we were delayed by a couple of hours when we arrived, but no matter: reuniting with our old SEAD friends and staff and meeting the new staff members was amazing. However, from then on, we got jumped straight into the program. The second morning was spent on a team-building challenge on a ropes course. I have to say it was pretty scary at first but I got the hang of it. Then from there, we jumped straight into an introduction of our 4 classes: SAT Prep, College App course, Public Speaking, and Essay Writing. So clearly, there will be a LOT of work to do this year at SEAD. Of course, there's fun and interesting activities too - yesterday we visited the Hood Museum, where there was a Black Womanhood exhibit, and today we got to go to Tip Top Pottery and decorate ceramics. We also got to meet our new SEAD mentors and academic coaches, and we've spent time with them as well.

Our schedule is literally PACKED with activities and classes at every hour, but I will post here as regularly as possible.
It is 11:51 PM here, and I still have work to do (essay: "How SEAD Has Impacted My Life" - shouldn't be too difficult; list of 10 colleges you want to apply to), so I will talk to all later!