Dinner at Town Hall

The week that the ILC dinner was scheduled to take place was a tough one.  Finals had officially begun and studying was slowly taking over my life. Amidst all the chaos, I was looking forward to Tuesday night. At last, the night of the dinner arrived and it was time for us ILCers to form new connections and further develop existing ones. The realization that we would be experiencing another part to the ILC journey was beyond exciting. 

A great majority of chaperones, parents, alums, and ILCers met up at the El Cerrito Plaza Bart station around 5:00 PM accompanied by Madeline Kronenberg and Don Gosney. Everyone got into their own little groups and started conversations. Because a handful of us were observing the fast for Ramadan that day, we also huddled into a group to discuss how our food would be handled while we were at the restaurant.

Eventually, Don handed everyone their clipper cards and we made our way on to the BART train. On the train ride into the city, I had the chance to speak with Kelsey from the brown cohort. We talked about our school schedules, extracurricular activities, and what the summer holds for us. Prior to this conversation, we hadn’t really talked much, and I enjoyed speaking with her.

Joel Gannotti and I

Kelsey and I lost track of one another when transferring into the second train. This time around, I did not have a seat to myself. Instead, I was standing with Noor, Zunarah, and Cornell alum Hummd Alikhan. 

I had heard about Hummd through my sister and many proud teachers at El Cerrito High School. It was nice discussing our shared understanding of ECHS and getting to know her a little bit better.

When we arrived at the restaurant, Town Hall, my mother introduced me to yet another Cornell alum, Kevin Mendoza, who was kind enough to share his experiences getting accepted into the prestigious university as well as valuable and meaningful advice for the summer with me. 

I was just getting to know Cornell alum, Doug Mitarotonda when Don announced that it was time for us to be seated. 

I know exactly why Don has us take so many
pictures. This is the only one I wasn't making
an awkward face in.

This  was precisely when the nervousness started kicking in for me. I was supposed to be representing my cohort at the dinner with a short speech. To my dismay, I have discovered that no matter how often I speak in public, my gut instinct to forget anything and everything in the moment will remain a reality. Luckily I wasn’t the only one speaking that night. Bianche from the brown cohort did an awesome job with her speech as did Cornell alum Kevin Mendoza and Brown alum Irene Rojas-Carroll.

My mother and I broke our fast at 8:24 PM. The food tasted phenomenal. I ate juicy, tender, perfectly cooked short ribs. But of course, the best part was dessert, a butterscotch and chocolate pot de crème with butter crunch toffee in it.

What definitely made the meal more enjoyable was the company. Our table consisted of my mother Shabnam and I, Hummd Alikhan, Kevin Mendoza, Joel Gannotti, Jeff Rubin, and Joceline Perez. 

Joel Gannotti and Jeff Rubin were both panelists at my interview and a delightful addition to our table. Not only do they have a great sense of humor, but also many interesting experiences and bits of wisdom that they were willing to share with the rest of us. 

From left to right: Kevin Mendoza, Hummd Alikhan, me, Shabnam Gul

Hummd, Kevin, and Joceline also taught me a great deal, especially about places to eat out in Ithaca, a marketplace called Eataly being one of the top recommendations. After having spoken to them, I am convinced that one of the first things that I want to get my hands on while I’m in NY is an “Ithaca is gorges” shirt. 

After the ILCers and alumni had went downstairs and taken group photos, we all made our way back to the BART station.

It turned out to be a wonderful dinner. I certainly had a great time. Meeting the sponsors, chaperones, parents, administrators, school board members, alumni, and panelists there was indeed the best part. Their endless support and contribution are both reasons the ILC continues to thrive. 

The Cornell Group