Coding Resolutions: What Will You Do?

Hey everyone. This one is going to be pretty short (relatively)! As February comes to an end, there comes a time when you sit back and reflect upon the year so far. It hasn't been too long since those New Years Resolutions, even though it definitely seems like it. Have you kept yours?

A resolution I had for this year was to become a better programmer. Thanks to some of the great friends I have, I received some Matlab books and software, but I really haven't started learning...anything. I remember starting to read and falling asleep promptly. I have my dusty Java book laying in my bookshelf as well. At least spring break is coming up!

Anywho, something interesting popped up on my Facebook wall. A video entitled "what most schools don't teach". I watched it and my face instantly brightened. Once I realized I was interested in "techy" things in high school, I instantly wanted to learn programming. Disappointed that there was no course at my school (or any school in our district), I sought to join our school's Computer Science Club (and, by association, the Robotics Team's programmers). We had a lot of fun, but I'm still not a very good programmer. Code.org is a non-profit organization that strives to give more students the opportunity to learn programming. I totally wish this was around 4 years ago when I started high school!

See the video here:

Go to Code.org and learn more about what you can do to help the cause and maybe learn some code yourself! I know that I'm going to be taking advantage of it!

Late Night Confessions

Is there a better way to spend the night than writing in the MITES 12’ blog? I think NOT! Let’s be honest though… I wouldn’t be doing this if I had school tomorrow. (Cheers to the winter break). Anyways, now that you know my reasons for joining this amazing group of bloggers, I shall start telling you my story.

Let me start by telling you a crazy dream I had four nights ago. I was suddenly at the MIT campus, surrounded by people I had never seen in my entire life. As the dream progressed, I realized that I was in one of those overnight campus visit programs. Funny thing was that I really didn’t know anyone and I kept wondering why I was even visiting the campus if I had already seen it from head to toes. Instead of going crazy asking pointless questions, I decided to follow the flow and get to know the people around me. Turned out that I became friends with a Chinese girl and some boy I can’t remember. They kept saying how MIT was their dream school and how excited they were that they got in. Instead of joining their gushiness, I only said that I didn’t know what I was doing there and that I still hadn’t been accepted to MIT. They looked at me as if I had grown another head, completely ignoring me afterwards (talk about weird people). I woke up soon after, not really remembering anything else.

I won’t deny that I put much thought into the dream. First of all, why was I even dreaming about MIT? I mean, I do have great memories about the place but, I wasn’t even considering going there for college. Yeah, I know. A MITES student who doesn’t like MIT as a potential college. What can I say? I guess I am looking for a ‘cozier’ place, not so involved with research, and little bit farther away from home. At least that is what I keep telling myself.

I guess my perspective on things changed when I had a second weird dream, the night after the first one. This dream was one of those that feel too real for you not to believe it didn’t happen. I was completely and irrevocably sure that all the things that went on in my head were true. So, as I was taking a shower, I heard my phone ringing. I went to pick it up and saw that I had an email notification from the Admission Office at MIT. “On behalf of the bla bla bla, You have been accepted …” I mean, I stopped showering right away. First thing I did was call my sister over to tell her the news (first sign that I was indeed dreaming as she lives in California). We both started crying and jumping around. Then, I got out of the shower and went screaming around my house (second sign that I was dreaming as “my house” was actually my aunt’s house in the Dominican Republic). The happiness I felt inside was something I can’t describe. I created so many plans in my head, imagining what my next four freaking years at MIT would be like. And then, sadly, I woke up panting on my bed. I took me a while to realize that I was dreaming, and that I had never been accepted to MIT.

Now, you may be asking yourselves, why is this chick talking about dreams and shit? Well, I really don’t know. I’m bored, I can’t seem to fall asleep, and I already finished reading my book for the week. But in reality, I do find these dreams kind of fascinating, hence to why I’m sharing them with you. I don’t think they came to me by accident. There has to be a deeper meaning to them, don’t you think? And as I kept asking myself those questions throughout these couple of days, I came out with a hypothesis.

How about if it isn’t the fact that MIT is not “cozy” enough what has me neglecting the idea of attending there so bad? How about if it is actually fear of being denied from such a great institution? I have felt fear many times in my life. I also know how it feels to be rejected. The feeling is not pleasant, not at all, and that’s why I try to exempt myself from those kinds of positions. However, I also know how it feels to be accepted, and let me tell you how great it feels.

After a lot of thinking, talking to myself, and remembering MITES, I realized that MIT might be in reality my dream school. I may have gotten lost between the idea of what I really want and what I think I should want, but now I’m certain that I would love to attend MIT. Obviously, that was the meaning behind those particular dreams. Why else would I be dreaming about MIT when I’m so close to learning if I got in or not? It is no secret that I’m scared, way too scared. I am definitely not the student with perfect SAT scores (far from that, actually) or an amazing record of AP classes, but that hasn’t stop me from trying. And I can’t help but to think back to MITES and remember all of the times I felt inferior and not capable enough of excelling. And here I am, several months after, feeling the same way. But I guess things do happen for a reason, and every lesson in this world is important. If I hadn’t attended MITES, I wouldn’t have known that I can achieve more of the things I can ever imagine. I wouldn’t have realized how strong I am, much less know that fear and anxiety are things that I can overcome easily.

I guess what I am trying to say here (Yes, you will finally read the real message in this long as post) is that we often lock the doors in front of us before they have even closed. We bring ourselves down by repeating how incapable we are of achieving things even before trying. It is our job to leave those antics back and step into the game, no matter how scary it can be. And if it doesn’t work out? Who cares! At least we know we tried. At least I know I tried getting into my dream school. And don’t even start thinking is because you weren’t good enough. You’re foolish if you think that way. Some things are meant to be for us, but some of them just aren’t. So, keep looking until you find that thing that captivates you and then try reaching it. Don’t ever stop dreaming big, I know I won’t.

Hopefully, you will hear of me again during April. I may say that I am an MIT alumna, but I may not. But maybe, I may say how I got into this other amazing place (and how I had crazy dreams about it, too), and it will all be alright.There’s a really weird quote I read somewhere (which i like a lot), and it goes along the lines:  “Dreams can come true, just not for dreamers.” Start acting up! Don’t wait for things to happen. And never, ever, ever, never let the fear of falling stop you from flying.

That is all for tonight. It’s almost 3:30 am and I have sleep to catch up on. Best wishes and good luck to all of you who are trying to pursue something big. (Wish me luck, too).

Much love from the girl with the cute Dominican accent.

-Lily 

In the News: Andrea speaks at Girls Inc. Luncheon

Here is a video and an article about my friend and teammate (Go Underdogs!) from MITES. As she teared up, I pretty much lost it, too, weeping. Her strength and perseverance astounds me and I admire her determination and drive. This is one MITES story that shouldn't go untold. Please check it out.

Video: Scroll down to see Andrea's speech
Article: Girls Inc. of Carpinteria National Scholar Spends Summer at MIT

(Upcoming) Spring and a New Year

Here's Food for Thought: 

Last time I was here, I said you have to learn how to fall in order to jump high -- and I guess it's time to take a bit of medicine. One thing I regret is not applying to more Early Action schools this year, because it's not necessarily fun to be the awkward person who hasn't received a favorable word from a school. Not that, I was heartbroken to see "you've been deferred" from my dream school, and not being able to enhance my much-in-need scholarship fund really had me thinking that I was stuck. Then, while scrolling through Google+, I saw someone had shared my post recently and who knew I could be so insightful, even for myself?

 I read my own words which I had posted just a few months ago and there, I found a liveliness that felt foreign to me. I was reading the story of a girl who was experiencing successes that she would never thought of just a few years ago, a girl filled with ambition and vision who was willing to go after what she wanted -- and it was then that I realized that this fall may have actually been good for me. Possibly, falling after trying to climb so much and so hard made me realize what's really important to me since "being on top of the world" put me out of touch with my roots, my original perspective. I remember receiving a shirt that my aunt designed for me, "based on my personality": right above my heart it says "don't just reach for the sky, touch the stars." Yet if I have to jump, leave the world that helped form that same ambition, I'd rather just bring the stars to me. I'm taking back my ambition, going back to my roots, embracing my original dreams -- that's more important than I can get on any Jupiter.

The Energy Fair that I've wanted to do for the past 3 years, I'm going to make it a reality. I have a greater vision for a community festival this year and I'm making sure it happens. The one thing that I've learned from my successes is to not get caught on them. Success doesn't make us who we are. In many ways our victories and prizes are really the result of it. Don't become stuck and fall into that trap -- you are more than such. All of us have striven to fulfill our dreams and explore our interests: whether it's becoming a programmer or part of the electronics team for a robotics competition like I have, presenting your experience at MITES to other students, or surpassing the odds to pursue top schools and recognition, each and every one of us have gifts of which we cannot conceive. As MITES students or not, college-accepted or not, with scholarships in our hands or with nothing in them, if we define ourselves by what we gain, by what others give us, we limit ourselves to it and cannot fully visualize the magnitude of what we could become. I stepped upon this path of thought but fortunately I caught myself before I fell into this spiral. We all have purpose, meaning, capabilities that we ourselves could never imagine: the sum of the parts does not equal our whole. Please never forget those words. For us to inspire others, we must first find inspiration in ourselves.

The Struggle is Real

So in about 3 days, we’ll be saying buy to the year 2012, and hello to 2013. For us Haitians out there, that means T minus 3 days until we feast on some soup joumou! I digress. For me, the year 2012 has been a year that I will never forget. I remember checking my email early April 11^th. I was ready to see the words “We’re sorry…” Instead, I saw the message, “Your application for MITES has been given a decision. Please log in to the application website to see it.” I thought, great, they’re just prolonging the inevitable.  Logging into the application website was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do, but I was fortunate enough to be one of the 80 students chosen to participate in the MITES program.

If you’ve read any of the other blogs, you already know that MITES has been a life changing experience for all of the participants. If you haven’t read any of the blogs yet, go read them first, then continue with mine. I’ll even wait for you………………..Alight, let’s continue. MITES left me with a desire to make a difference, a change in my community. I had the warm feeling inside, kind of like after you watch Wall-E, and I wanted to share that with others. I told myself that once school started, I was going to ignite some inspiration!

The funny thing is, saying you’re going to do something is much more difficult than actually doing it. For example, I had this really good idea to organize a career fair for the local middle schools in my area. I wanted to inform them about many different careers in the STEM areas and inspire them to dream big. As NHS president, I thought it would be no sweat to get people to make presentations about certain careers. However, I faced an unmotivated chapter who only did the bare minimum in terms of community service just to put NHS on their applications. After only a few volunteered to assist me, I felt discouraged. I began to feel like a failure. I couldn’t even inspire my own chapter. How could I inspire anyone else?

I think God was listening in, because he answered my question. A few months later, December 15^th rolled around and I was accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Class of 2017. I was in shock and disbelief. Was I being punked? No, this was real life. After notifying my guidance counselor, she told me that I would be the first student from Sussex Central High School to attend MIT. Most normally end up going to state universities (I live in Delaware, not impressive). She told me that I was a role model for others to follow. Many of the underclassmen looked up to me, and I was their inspiration. Not only that, but I was on my way to becoming my high school’s first black valedictorian.

I was really motivated by what my guidance counselor told me. Through my success, I was igniting inspiration. This has caused me to push myself to work harder as to not let those who look up to me down. It has given me the motivation to do things that I had previously set off. Right now, I am working on the Gates Millennium Scholarship aka the Mac Daddy of scholarships. This scholarship gives you 5 months to write 8 essays. The reward is basically a full ride through graduate school. At the moment, I have 19 days to write 5 essays. Yeah, I know. I should probably go work on those. Procrastination is a ditch.   

Stay Classy

-Rosemond “RowZay” Dorleans