The Beginning of the Rest of Our Lives

Technically, my first day of the rest of my life was Thursday, June 13 — the day after my graduation from high school — and the first day of my adulthood was Friday, June 14. I guess you could say it was a bit anticlimactic but, nonetheless, 18 is a big step for everyone. Even now, all I can say is “Wow” or sigh at the thought of taking my first steps into living for me, by me, and with only me to place the rules. This summer is a milestone for all of us graduates, and I can’t think of a better group to be sent off with.

Just a year ago, we were rising seniors — bright-eyed, hopeful and thinking we knew all about Stress and Drama, when we had only reached the tip of the iceberg. Some of us knowing where we wanted to go and others having no clue. And, now, we’re here — ending high school. There really aren’t words to describe how amazed I am at how time flies. In this moment, I realize that time had actually stopped for me, more so than I thought.

I don’t know anything about finances and credit, insurance, long-distance and extended stays, micro-managing my life, being treated like a full-fledged adult… So what do I do? What do you do? Worry? Get scared and become less than optimistic? Even with being overwhelmed, I wouldn’t give this moment for one minute to go back in my past. Yes, from this point on, “good enough” won’t be good enough anymore. It won’t be our dreams that define us and it won’t be what we make of those dreams. It’s what we make of the “here, now” — Be here, now. Our local realities, our insights into the world, our attempts to “be the change we want to see in the world…” — They will define the “who” and “what” we are, and, likewise, the “why” and “how” that make us rise to the top, when so many don’t make it and when others fall to the bottom. Often, leaders tell us to focus on “Mind, Body, Soul with Character” — in truth, that is your character. What we envision, what we embody and what “speaks out” our passion becomes our Character. And Character tells us “why” and “how” we become stars — and stars don’t just fall.

Ironically, I discovered that peace on Wednesday night, when my parents gave me a book from my childhood as a graduation gift: Oh, the Places You’ll Go. Like Dr. Seuss poetically explained, we will meet hang-ups and bang-ups on our way. No one said it would be easy, and it’s lonely at the top. Yet, that shouldn’t scare me. I have mountains to move; we have mountains to move. We’re dreamers, but that means more than sitting and waiting for a miracle. This is a time to celebrate the miracles we’ll make ourselves — and, in those miracles, we will form them together, just on separate mountains. You’re a mover-and-shaker, a visionary, an artist — Call me a romantic or whatever, but I know who you are. This is a chance to make a step towards taking your place among giants. Make the most of this opportunity; define the person you’ll become.

It’s here. Time to grab it

Mites '12 Alumnus to Study Abroad in Germany for a Year

As he jets off to Germany for a year through the prestigious CBYX Scholars Program, Yhan, '12, is going to be blogging about his once in a lifetime gap-year opportunity to study abroad on his new blog: Nur Alle Jubeljahre. Let's just hope that he doesn't only post 'once in a blue moon', as Germany seems like such an exciting place and we want to hear about it! Good luck, Yhan! He'll be heading to Columbia University in the fall of 2014.

Click here to read this article in La Prensa, a Floridian Spanish newspaper that features Yhan.

Destiny, maybe?

des·ti·ny  

/ˈdestinē/

Noun 1.      2. The hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future; fate.

1)      Takes a plane to the U.S., alone. Leaves family behind. Doesn’t even know proper English. Starts school at one of the top 3 worst cities of MA. Gets straight A’s the first term of school (regardless of mild depression for being far from home and not knowing English).

2)      Applies to MITES. Doesn’t submit PSAT/SAT scores. Hasn’t even heard of AP classes. Gets in. Summer’s successful.

3)      Tries to get an Internship for the following summer (money is an important fact). Finds an open application but work site is at Boston. Gets the job. Doesn’t even live in Boston. Thinks of denying the job. Gets informed that expenses and internship are paid. Plus a free trip to DC.

4)      Applies to dream school with the hope of leaving MA. Doesn’t get in. Applies to safety schools in MA. Gets in with full rides. Match schools (3 out of 4 located outside of MA) don’t seem to reply on time, except for one, which she hates (Funnily enough, the one located in MA). Starts to feel lost and thinks of taking a gap year.

5)      Decides to go to one of the safety schools. Feels miserable. Applies to scholarships regardless of full ride. Goes to visit previously  mentioned hated school which is beyond expensive. Falls in love with campus and students. Still not enough money to pay for it. Gets a scholarship that covers full cost for the next 4 years.  Commits to the no longer hated school (in MA). 

6)      Receives 3 acceptance letters 2 days after committing. All the other reach schools that seemed to be lost in space (and are locate outside of MA). Starts doubting if committing was a good choice. Receives financial award letters. None of them offered nearly as much money as the no longer hated school. Wise decision.

7)      Starts off with no friends.  Ends up with a new family. Very loved by the way. Most of the new friends are moving to the Boston area. No longer hated school is within an hour from them. 

So, should I believe in destiny? I think yes.

From Expectation to Reality: A Rude Awakening

Good morning all! After all my hard work this school year, I've gotten accepted by all my reach schools with a ton of scholarships and absurdly high honors. See you next fall! ;)

And Happy April Fools Day to all of you too!

So after the MITES program, when it came to applying to colleges, I was the cockiest kid in school this year. Thinking my good grades were inherited, I transitioned form taking zero AP classes junior year to three senior year. Since I had just taken the courses at MITES, I was on top of the game in my math and science classes. I became very proud, and in turn, very lazy. The CE² program added to the flame. Additionally, despite turning in everything while approaching the deadline, I became a QuestBridge finalist. While I doubted that I would be matched to a college, I knew MIT would accept me early action, and if they didn't, then there was always regular decision. I knew I could pull through.

Suddenly, as early action approached, I became very nervous alongside everyone else. Would I really be accepted to a school like this? I was treated sweetly by the admissions committee by mail numerous times. After a nerve-wracking hour of waiting for decisions and refreshing, I found out I had been rejected. It was then that I went to bed in tears in the middle of the afternoon. Maybe transfer admissions or graduate school could work, I said to myself. I thought about getting into a local school just so I could transfer over and make myself look better from a simple school. Eventually, I stopped and moved on.

While I applied to many of the big-name top-tier schools, I hastily completed my main Common App application and lazily completed the supplements. In some cases, I worked on supplements depending on how close each deadline was approaching. I cringed at having to pay about $70 total for sending additional CSS profiles and SAT score reports to the schools I applied. Meanwhile, my grades dropped first semester from a lack of focus at home and wildly changing sleep habits.

After finishing applications for some safety schools of my choice, I received my first acceptance letter from BYU-Idaho exactly two weeks after applying. That next week I received my acceptance letters from BYU and Drexel. These things uplifted my mood during February. The next thing to put a grin on my face happened at my dual-credit program's Saturday Academy, when I was told I would be guaranteed an acceptance at Rowan University if I applied. I received the letter about a week ago along with a $15,000 merit scholarship from the school if I applied, not including the $10,000 state grant money on the table. The offer was very tempting.

After all the good fortune I received from these schools, I waited patiently on Ivy Day for my college decisions. After scrolling through anxiety over college decisions on my newsfeeds, the time finally arrived! After an hour of madness, I found out that I was rejected by all of my applied schools except for Columbia, where I was waitlisted. For having Columbia as my third choice this year, I thought I did pretty well. I felt pretty bad for those school friends of mine who also applied to a few Ivy League schools and did not make it at all.

Here I am about to head off on a train to another city to spend time with friends there. I am really hoping to go to Columbia from my position on the waitlist. For now, I am simply deciding between two BYU campuses, Rowan, and Drexel. Wherever I go, I want to be able to go not only for myself, but also also on behalf of my friends and family who also go through struggles sometimes worse than my own. I want to ignite inspiration in others within my community to reach beyond the stereotypes of "one of the poorest, most dangerous cities in America."

Disappointments, Expectations, and Reality.

Hello, Liliana here!

I thought that it would be appropriate for me to follow up with the promise I made in my last post. It has been more than a month, and I’m pretty much set with my college decisions. (Go to my last post so you don’t feel lost.)

Well, first things first. Sadly, I wasn’t admitted into MIT. Apparently those dreams didn't have a hidden message. Hold on to your tears tho! I’m more than satisfied with the things that I accomplished at MIT and am well aware of the high amount of applicants every year. I knew how unlikely it would be for me to get in (I remember confessing my terrible low SAT scores and lack of academics) but I don’t regret giving it a shot.

I think my topic for this post will be disappointments, expectations, and reality.  To start off, let me tell you what a difficult month this has been for me. I applied to 12 colleges/universities this year, and have only been admitted to 6. That’s half of my list (This is the part where disappointment comes).  I have been offered admission to most of my state schools and some good private schools in MA. You may want to know that Purdue University (one of the top schools for Engineering in the country) is also among the list. GO BOILER MAKERS WOHO!

Now you may think, “Wow, I’m so happy for her. Her dream of going to a good college came true.” Well, not really. But I didn't know that at the moment. You see, when I got my acceptance letter I was elated. Beyond shocked. Excited enough to start packing my bags to move to Indiana (not really lol). When I decided to come to the U.S., I had big expectations for myself. I dreamed about being successful, being able to provide for my family, and receiving the best education out there.  Purdue definitely represented all of those things and I couldn't wish for anything else.

However, not everything is as it seems. All of my plans changed when I received my financial aid package and realized that not even in a million years could I afford Purdue. (This is where reality comes to play). No matter how much I begged, how many times I called their offices, how many scholarships I applied to, I couldn't pay for my dream school. Of course, taking loans came to my mind right away. But after thinking about it non-stop, and having crazy dreams about counting money, I came up with a decision.  

Why worry so much about something so simple? Education is education, no matter where you go. It doesn't matter if you go to a community college, a state school, or an Ivy League. You will get an education! What matters is what you do with it. That’s what’s gonna define how your life is going to be.

Short story short, I denied my Purdue offer. I’m actually thinking of attending to a state school during freshman year. But my story doesn't end here, no no! This is only the beginning for me. I hope to find my true passions, draft a plan to pursue them, and then set the plan in motion. After that is done, I plan to transfer out. To where? I don’t know yet. Ask me next year and I’ll tell you.

I’m really excited for the fall. I can already see amazing things happening. Being positive always helps even in the worst situations. We don’t always get what we want, but we can keep trying until we get something similar to it. That is what I’m planning to do. I’m gonna keep trying, keep applying, keep studying, and (of course) keep being positive. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up on the top of the world one day.

It is not that cold in MA anymore. The sun is actually out even though it is 6:00pm. Summer is approaching, and with it comes the start of an amazing internship opportunity I was offered (will explain in other post). Life is great. Hope yours is as good. Keep dreaming big. Best wishes and good luck to all of you who are trying to pursue something big. (Wish me luck, too).

Shades on,

Lily-

The Six Months Post

So I have been postponing this blogpost for quite some time now (6 months to be exact) , but  I think it's rather appropriate that I write a few words to describe this amazing and life changing experience, specially now that I have been accepted into MIT. I will try to provide an account that focuses on exploring how this experience truly ignited inspiration in me and how my life has changed as a result. It will be long though so you have been warned!

It's midnight in what has to be one of the most unremarkable (up to that point) days in my life. I'm laying down on my bed listening to some combination of Queen and Boston ,  just moments away from a complete shutdown to rest , and my calm and peace is just completely desecrated by the cold, loud, and obnoxious alert sound of an incoming email. I lift my phone look at It and find myself in utter disbelief to find a letter of admission to the 2012 MITES program. I ran upstairs woke up my family and told them the good news. This is where the journey began.

Fast forward two or so months and I find myself at the door of Simmons hall. Buzz, click, open, and I'm in to meet with my MITES T.A's. I'm informed that I'm in a cluster and that Alex will be the man in charge of keeping tabs on us for the next six weeks (an effort that resulted in records worthy of a Carmen San Diego adventure). I placed all my belongings in my room and went downstairs to await the remaining group to arrive, and there they were, the BLOCKS! Little congruent pieces of wood that captivated my imagination and led me to configure them into structures that deftly defied physics. Soon the rest of MITES arrived and by the end of the day we had built a metropolis, we had skyscrapers, bridges, convention centers, etc; all built by people that had never ever met before.In this manner these bricks became the first step in building (excuse the pun) our MITES family and consequently Igniting Inspiration in all of us.From that point on I soon realized that this program would be more than a glorified six week torture test for my academic skills.

It's week two going on three and I'm absolutely struggling to keep up with all the work that I'm given,  I can't seem to wrap my head around this way of thinking and problem solving, and frustration is reaching peak levels. Midterms come and I do well, but not great. It may seem weird to talk about failure as a good thing but thats MITES for you. looking back on this time when I was at my lowest I can see that it was necessary to truly ignite inspiration in me. Up to this point  I had been trying to do everything on my own, the work, studying, etc; and it wasn't working. So in order to become succesful I had to let go. I began to work with others and ensure that I asked for help when I needed it and I quickly found out that my MITES family had my back.

The following weeks were not easier, but they were the most important. I learned like never before and I finally began to realize my potential ( Electronics class FTW!) , I didn't get perfect grades but I was learning and being fascinated by everything and that made me happy. I had my cluster, my shenanigans , Ohm's Law , the Bohemian Rhapsody club, etc; all of which came together to form the MITES family, the spark.

I can't say when or where exactly MITES Ignited inspiration in me, It's like trying to identify the match that lit a forest, impossible, and in the long run irrelevant. What I can say however is what It left me with. Igniting inspiration has simply told me to be a role model it doesn't matter if it be by working hard towards my dreams, helping others, or which ever other means I find appropriate ; the point is to simply be one,  for by inspiring others we not only create change in them, but also in ourselves, and ultimately in all. I will leave you my dear reader with this quote to summarize this post  and the message it carries, “If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Questbridge, Robotics, and Car Crashes

Hello, Pedro here. It's hard to believe that it's been nearly a year since I heard about my MITES acceptance decision, and what an incredible amount of things have happened since then.

Looking back at this summer, a great memory for me was the day that we visited the Google office in Cambridge. Where else can you work, have free food, take a nap, and get your laundry done for free? I was like a kid at a candy store! That day I made it a goal to become a Googler for at least a short time in my life to experience it, and it was also the day that I decided to make computer science my perspective major.

Computer science, so sitting behind a computer screen all day is fun? Well, not quite. You see, I have this idea that computer science still has so many opportunities to change how we interact with one another and make our lives easier. For all I know, that could mean research at a university, making a start-up, or contribution to the work of the great companies out there (Apple, Google, Facebook... hire me!).

It seems like fate placed its invisible hand in my favor. I've always viewed MIT as my mecca of technological brilliance, but things took a different turn. I thought if I could make it to MIT, I could make it to the top in the computer world. I applied to Questbridge in hope of achieving this, and as I finally got the courage to check the decision status, I couldn't believe what I saw: "Congratulations, you've been matched with

STANFORD..."

WHAT THE...

It was a life changing moment, to say the least. Of course, I was stoked as could be, but there was a bitter sweet feeling in it. I didn't have to worry about which college to go to, how to pay, or anything like that. Now I was just worrying about not spending the next 4 years with all my MITES friends. Then the indecision came. Is this the right choice? Which program is the best? Who will I meet? Where's the best future? But then I looked into my circumstance a bit more. Stanford actually has the best CS program for what I want to do (artificial intelligence), the area is amazing, all the start-ups and the companies I want to work with are there, and the people I've met in my class so far are amazing people too. What was so surprising about it was that I always figures it must be MIT or bust, and it made me realize how close minded I've been. Just about any school has a lot of great things, and I needed to figure out where I had the best fit. The point is, always keep perspectives open! Sometimes what you're thinking won't be the best place even if it's great too. Palo Alto, here I come! So that's the update on my college status.

Now for robotics. My school is in its second year of having an FRC team, and I could not imagine how stressful it would be. Long hours every school day, no sleep, constantly going to Lowe's, and things always going wrong in the building process. It was an ideal example of Murphy's Law. I was stressed, probably more so than MITES. It felt like the weight of the world was on me, and I wasn't sure I'd make it rough the season with a robot built, but we managed...at a price.

Doctors sure are right when they say stress can take a toll. I couldn't focus in school, I kept forgetting the smallest things, I was irritable,  moody, you name it! The worst part was the distraction. For a moment I forgot that there were other things in life other than robotics. I kept thinking about the problems even as I was driving, and that's when I got into the wreck. Again, faith played its course. I don't know whether it was distraction, exhaustion, or just plain stupidity that caused me to rear end a preacher on Valentine's Day, but it sure made me ponder back at the fragile state of life.

I couldn't let myself be consumed by stress. I realized that I had to take control of my life, and if that meant accepting failure, then so be it. I stilled pressed on, and miraculously, the robot got done. Not as great as we planned, but the point is that it got done. I'm certain stress will come again in my life, but I have to learn how to deal with it, not by holding it in, but by doing little things like taking a small break, talking about it, getting more sleep, letting myself have some time with friends, etc. I know the MITES kids are notorious for never giving up, and although that's what makes us great, this is what makes us weak.

We sure have a difficult 4 years ahead of us: college, p-sets, projects, classes, living on our own, paying for things, possibly finding that significant other (THIRST), and then finally landing that perfect dream job. I'm sure we can all make it there, but if there's anything I want to leave is that we must realize that our dreams are in the future, and we still have to take care of ourselves in the present. I can just imagine all the possible rough days that will be head. Sometimes I'll just have to smile through it knowing that things will get better somehow. Just chill, keep focus, and stay happy. Easier said than done, right? This is something I really can't give up on. I know we can all ignite inspiration in each other to keep our heads up in the following years, and the network we've already made will be integral to our own success.

P.S. don't shake the baby.

Confusion and Failure, my two Frenemies.

" Hey Andres, since you got into MIT and all, can you fix my computer? Can you graph this complex polynomial in your head and tell me the average value? Can you hack into Pandora and get rid of the Pandora fish McBites commercial? Can you bring my bunny back to life? "

Okay so maybe I was exaggerating in the quote above, however, there has been a serious difference since my acceptance to MIT ( Which by the way I am still in shock of, maybe I will get over it when I graduate in four years ). One major difference I have seen is that people believe that I know the answer to everything, which is farrrrrrrrrrrrr from true. Like light years far. Like the distance between you and your remote when laying on the sofa far. Sure, I have worked hard and obtained great grades, however, I have had far more failures and moments of confusion than moments of success. The other day I was contemplating this, and I had flashbacks to MITES 2012. *Set the little flashback cloud*


I was in my dorm room at Simmons working on my electromagnetism and electricity physics p-set. This was early in the MITES program when I thought I could complete a p-set by myself. I looked at the intimidating paper and began to work. And I worked. And I worked. And I failed. Two hours had past and still no progress at all. I went down to the hallway and saw a group of fellow MITES students working on the same p-set and sat down and conversed with them. After working a couple of minutes we had solved the problem I had spent two hours trying to do myself.

Another MITES example, it was during the last day of engineering design. The countdown began and every team was racing to finish their robots for the competition. I was in charge of the hammer mechanism that was meant to smash down on a high striker in order to gain points. The design was sketched out with dimensions and it was time to go to the workshop and cut out the parts. I went to the drill press and drilled a hole in the shaft of the hammer. Oh did I mention I drilled the hole in the wrong side of the hammer shaft? So instead of smashing with the hammer head, the hammer would smash with its side. Brilliance alert here.

One more recent example, I was in my AP chemistry class and decided that my pencil was dull. Went to sharpen said pencil. Failed completely. I didn't pay attention to the side I was sharpening so I ended up putting the eraser side in the sharpener. Again, let me say, I fail a lot.

What is the point of me ridiculing my blunders? I want to say that failure and confusion is an essential part of life. Don't be scared to not know something or to be confused. It happens to everyone, and more importantly failure and confusion are essential to success. I have learned far more from my failures and moments of confusion than from my moments of success. Trust me, I definitely will remember more drilling the hole on the wrong side of the hammer shaft versus remembering the time I understood perfectly Euler's method and Separable Differential Equations. In MITES I failed so much, but I stuck with it. I would learn from my failures and moments of confusion and continue on.

I ended up acing my MITES finals.

So no, I am no super human that knows everything. I am just someone who is constantly confused and who constantly fails but decides to constantly keep at it and learn from these moments of failure. Intelligence is not measured on how much one knows, but on how much one is willing to learn.

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

Nervousness

Do you ever get really nervous?

For the opening of the big show, a first date, or before the results of an exam? Trust me, I have been there. Many times. This week seems to take the cake, though.

This past weekend was my robotics team's hosting of a FIRST Lego League tournament. What is FLL? Well, if you click the link, you can check out what FLL is all about. Personally, I am in love with the program. It introduces kids to problem solving with a little bit of engineering and science mixed in there, too. I totally wish I was on one of these teams when I was little. Anywho, I've mentored a couple teams and it's totally rewarding and I'd recommend everyone and anyone to get involved! Even though this wasn't going to be my first time exposed to this. Still, I was nervous. 

This tournament was entirely student run, and our tournament director was starting to feel the heat. Additionally, I was going to be Emceeing the tournament. Now, if you haven't met me, I am a really shy, quiet person. Sure, I can talk in front of people when I need to, but these types of situations....I usually steer clear away from completely. Emcees typically dance, interview teams, sing, jump around, etc. They also officiate the opening ceremonies. To be honest, this wasn't my cup of tea. Sadly, I'd do anything to keep kids excited about robotics. Looking back, I think I filled my position very nicely (except for the part when one boy almost started crying due to robot malfunction, I almost cried with him it was so sad) and I was sore and exhausted the next day to prove it. The tournament went awesome and the kids had a great time. Can't wait to do it again soon!

As always, check out my team by visiting our website here. We're always doing cool things with the community, spreading STEM and other exciting things like that. That's one reason I can't stay away.

I was also nervous due to the fact that a certain school's Early Action results (a school in which I REALLY would like to attend) were coming out on Saturday (at 12:15, to be precise). And I pretty much got the case of "ItotallyknowI'mnotgettinginsoIshouldjustgiveupandnothopeandbecomeabumorapplytomoresafeties" disease. I guess, I got way more than nervous because I pretty much shut down and watched Entertainment television all day yesterday instead of studying for my AP Physics test on Angular Momentum, which I am sooo behind on! Now, as much as I love doing physics problems, there was a HUGE part of me that just wanted to give up. 6 AP classes this semester was a lot for me. I definitely have had no such thing as a break. My friends and I would hang out and talk about the amounts of work we'd just have to do later on. It just felt monotonous and bleh. Plus, my grades are not looking too hot because there are a lot of assignments I am behind on and a couple tests I still have to take. Of course this only adds to my nervousness (and borderline anxiety).

But, then I realized that I was a survivor. Of MITES. One of the most difficult courseloads ever. Not to mention, I actually did really well in all my classes. So, I really don't know why I was complaining. At all. So, my solution was to tell myself to suck it up, deal with it, and use the strategies I learned at Mit to make the best of what I have. First, I will start off by prioritizing. ASAP. I will see where that goes.

I also need to buy my Secret Snowman gift (The MITES 2012 version of Secret Santa, which is going to be pretty awesome because I have the perfect person.) Also, Saturdayat12:15 needs to get here quicker. So that my latent nerves that want to resurface can dissipate!

Until luego,

Eunice

p.s. I'm doing some name analysis

Eu: Greek for good, well

Nice: nice...

Definition: Victory.

I wonder how that was decided. What about your name?

Pantsers and Plotters

MITES was the most inspirational six weeks of my life.  Such a simple sentence that tells a truth, but does not convey enough.  It does not convey that my MITES 2012 family continues to inspire me.  It's in every Google+ hangout that lasts into the wee hours of the morning.  It's in every Facebook post about completing college applications or a scholarship/award won.  Igniting inspiration?  Definitely.

This past Sunday I was inspired at and attended, for the final time, the Connecticut Children's Book Fair. Going to the Book Fair has been a tradition for my mother and me for at least 8 years.  Every year, authors for children and young adult come to the Fair to present (~20 minutes each) and autograph books for young fans.  This year, during the Q&A session of the teen panel, a boy around my age asked if they (the authors) outlined the story before actually writing a novel.  One of the panelists, Kim Harrington, stated that there are "pantsers" and "plotters," but many times it depends on the novel.  Overall, she believed herself to be somewhere in between.  

The comment resonated with me and I started thinking about my life.  I used to plan things to the extreme.  I would outline my night's homework, even including approximate durations of time for each assignment.  Sometimes my plans went haywire, but after those numerous hiccups, I would go back to my old planning ways.

At MITES, my perspective changed.  I loved being able to go on a spur-of-the-moment 10:40 PM LaVerde's run with a friend.  Or even being able to text a friend about meeting for a vanilla-coffee coolatta in 10 minutes.  As for PSets?  If I understood the idea, then maybe it would only take 4 hours or so.  Many times, I would THINK I mostly understood, go to Office Hours and finally finish about when the TA was going to call it quits for the night.  Humanities?  I don't even want to think about how many times I revised a thesis statement.  A thesis statement is not just any sentence.  Trust me.

I'm still a little neurotic at times (who isn't?), but I've found the balance between obsessively outlining and living.  There are still many things I need to plan for including college application deadlines, but it is in every break from work that I realize how wonderful life is.  These breaks are spent with friends.  They are spent on the couch reading my new (autographed even!) book with a mug of coffee precariously perched on the nearby table.  They are spent embracing life and all forms of inspiration.

Until next time,

Katie

I've returned!

I know I haven't talked to you guys in a while so here I am again! School has been really stressful. my school's homecoming game was a couple of weeks ago and I made the mistake of enrolling in the class that would make me hate it. My Leadership teacher, a perfectionist, made my life a living hell because the game is such a big deal and he's an ass.


So he stressed me out way too much all of October (when I was trying to get some college apps done). But I got through it and now he should be easier to deal with.

I've missed you guys. It has been way too long since I last attended a hangout. I always talk about you guys. People are so tired of me saying  "Oh yea this reminds me of MITES" but I can't stop telling people about you amazing people <3. Whenever I wear my MIT sweater, I remember Kaelyn saying that woman told her she was voting for Mitt Romney. I got my evals on Friday. It brought all the memories back of how hard yet fun MITES was.

Well I hope you guys receive good news from the colleges you applied early to. Hopefully, we can talk more  because I don't want to lose touch.

Liz

Post-MITES Personal Reflection

Hello Everyone! I'm a new blogger on this page. Hopefully you'll get to know me better as I post more. Here's a small something to start with. I've undergone many changes since MITES, and here is one that I noticed recently. I hope you enjoy this personal reflection:

 I was in a damn hurry. I had lost my schedule and reprinted it, wasting valuable time I could've spent working out at the gym. As I rushed to the gate by the 700 building*, I was angry at myself and everyone around me because of my tardiness. But as I walked in the 700 building, I saw three girls wave hi to me. I didn't know them, but waved back politely. 

 As I got closer, one of them gave me this heart warming look, a look you only get from your younger sister, as if pleading me to talk to her. She extended her hand out to me, and asked me, "You're my friend right?"

 I replied "Of course I'm your friend!", And shook her hand amiably. 

 As I walked past she giggled and told her friends she had met her new best friend.

 All my anger was flushed somehow. When I reached the gate by the football stadium it had already been closed. I walked away gracefully however, not having the same frustration as before. 

 The girl I met left an incredible mark on me. In that short interaction she made me teary eyed with the way she gazed at me and asked for my friendship. I might have a 4.0 and this and that, but I learned something very special from that beautiful girl in the special education program. In that brief moment I saw the value in taking your time to be kind to others and not getting angry over the most trivial things. 

 The shortest "hi" can make a difference in your life. I encourage you to be more friendlier with everyone around you. No groups. We're all one. We all need to get along.

MITES 2012

-Miguel A. Garcia

*700 building is the building used for career counseling, drama class, and special education at Robert A. Millikan High School in Long Beach, California.

So many have been asking me how life has been after MITES. Here is a quick description of this Colombian's life so far!

So many have been asking me how life has been after MITES. Here is a quick description of this Colombian's life so far! 

        Time flies and I can't even believe it has been more than two months since I left MIT on that very depressing bus ride to the airport. (On a side note of the airport: I still can't believe they let me take that hammer on my carry on. I guess wearing a suit and having a diploma with the MIT logo makes it all okay.)
Senior year has been interesting to say the least. Well, most of it. My AP classes are not too bad. Sure AP literature makes me want to crawl in a hole, but at least the hole has pillows! Calculus has been such a breeze thanks to the amazing teachings of Mr. Craiginski at MITES. I am taking it online and my teacher gets annoyed at the speed I finish her lessons. I am just like " what can I say, I got the skills and I am not afraid to derive." Statistics hasn't been bad, just z-scoring every day you know? And then comes Chemistry. Lets not discuss Chemistry ( still doing good though ). But enough of Academics. I have been really busy with Cross-Country and my school's Beta Club.  I have been running miles upon miles daily since the day I got back from MITES. My shoes have the mileage of car now. This year we had a lot of new runners come in and I am happy to say that I have seen every single one of those runners grow. I remember in the beginning of the season when they all were like " 5 miles? Um my leg just exploded. Can't do it." Now they are all running the courses without stopping! I can't explain how happy it makes me to know that these new runners are now completing these distance courses. Originally I would have to run next to them and encourage them to run. They would stop of course, but as persistent ( and annoying ) as I am I would push them from behind and tell them that they can complete it. Now I see a transformation in these runners, not just in their running skills. They are now having confidence in their own abilities and they have built up their determination. Knowing that they are all growing is what makes this Captain position so worth it. Recently I was put in charge of a fund raiser for the American Heart Association for my school's National Beta Club. At first the fund raiser was going slow and we were making little to no process, but then we started to pick up the pace ( after a well played motivational pep talk) and we even managed to raise close to five hundred dollars! Needless to say it felt great to be able to donate money for a good cause. Lately I have been really busy tutoring and helping friends with their work. For some reason I am always drawn to help my fellow classmates even though my own homework resembles the rocky mountains. Let me just clarify, however, that I do not give my classmates the answer. I teach them the process to get the answer. I am basically teaching them one of the great MITES principles. On top of all these club activities, sports, and homework I have also been working my job at Red Lobster. Yes, I do "sea" food differently. Work isn't exactly the funnest thing in the world. I run more cleaning tables on one shift than I do at two cross-country practices. My co-workers are all at least double my age and I am the "baby" in the restaurant. Let's just say sometimes these conversations get weird. Now to the last part of my long post MITES story, college applications. I just recently finished my MIT essays and now I am revising and soon I shall click the suspenseful "submit" button. I have my hopes high, but I am applying to other good engineering schools as well just in case. These essays, however, are basically as demanding as another AP class. Alright, so what was the point of this long blog besides giving an insight on my life? Point is that MITES is basically in every part of my life. My coaches, co-workers, classmates, and friends all know about my MITES experience. I am constantly talking about it. I can't help it. I want to spread the great things I learned at MITES and try to inspire my friends to dream big and work hard. I have grown from it and now I am applying what I have learned to help my community. For now, that is the update on this Colombian's life.

RISE Above the Norm

I was sitting in the couch in the living room, looking forward to the typical Saturday morning for me. I signed into my email as I usually do, and there it was. I could barely believe it - I was reading an email

from an actual Google employee and it was addressed to me.

I've heard of the Google RISE Awards and how the grants are intended to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and CS (Computer Science) outreach programs. All the recipients, staff and other professionals were to come together to discuss current company projects and share information/ideas so that the attendees could improve their programs at the 2012 Google RISE Summit in New York City. Google was asking me to be one of the four students on their panel discussion; Google wanted to hear my thoughts and MIT's OEOP office thought I would do a good job representing the MITES program. The first time I read the email, I ran straight over the words and jumped out of my seat, running to my mom, shouting "Can I go? Mom, can I go please?!" and forgetting that she knew nothing of what I was asking. As soon as I read the email to my parents and sister, my family responded with a supportive "Let's do this." The door to an opportunity to speak before business professionals and network had been opened to me and I was not going to let it slide past me.

Around 6 am on the second day of the conference, September 14, my mother and I boarded the train to Penn Station (which was exciting in itself as it was my first time on a train). We finally arrived at the station between 8 and 9 am, grabbed some Dunkin' Donuts, and joined the long line of others waiting for a New York taxi. Wasn't that an experience! We eventually grabbed a ride and made our way to the Google NY building. If we had more foresight then, we might have just walked the distance instead of waited. When I arrived, the building was busy and people were everywhere, and I began to feel intimidated by the fact that these people were able to inspire so many others through their own dreams. After the last session finished the workshops, all eight of the panelists - one student and one professional for each program - took their places. In the beginning, all the students, including myself, were quiet and allowed the adults to address questions, but, after we received an invitation to share our thoughts, we instantly expressed the significance of our experiences.

One thing that MITES taught me is that you don't have to be "the best" to succeed. When a question about admitting students with potential versus students with developed skills in STEM, I had to speak up: even though I may not have the perfect SAT score or the highest GPA in my class, I am not defined by a few shortcomings. I would have never discovered how much I can become if someone didn't give me the opportunity to not "be the best" but to "do my best." I clearly remember the night of orientation, when I was informed - rather forewarned - that my successes would not carry me through MITES. I appreciate that aspect of MITES. If we only focus on igniting inspiration on those that would appear to become the most successful, we minimize the power of inspiration and alienate an entire world of possibility and of progress. There are plenty of teenagers like myself in this country who could have more drive, more obstacles or even more potential than I have, but, because someone could not think outside of the box and allow them the chance to develop themselves, it is possible that they may never fully experience their talents.

"Igniting Inspiration" is a challenge that I hope I helped fulfill at the conference. These professionals wanted to hear from the students in order to learn how to better their program, and I wanted to make sure that I shared what became most important to me. While I've already explained how someone's "risk" influenced me and others students so greatly, I cannot deny the importance of diversity and exposure, both of which go hand-in-hand with what I've stated. By taking a risk on a student who may not fit the norm, I believe the level of each student's experience is heightened. Why? It follows the statement "hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard.." At MITES, we were all placed in environment where we couldn't rely on our own experiences from home, because the situation was entirely different. Where some of us succeeded in areas, others who were used to achievement did not, and, where some of us foresaw a struggle and despair in weaknesses, others found a strength where they had least expected it. We were all faced with academic and social diversity as well as an exposure to new ideas and new paths. Without someone taking the chance to "shake things up." how else would anyone discover that magnitude of success? We can only grow when we are forced to reach new heights; learning how to jump high means learning how to fall. I hope this inspired you.

Came out motivated to do greater things to "ignite inspiration"

Life (64.5 days) after MITES!

During MITES, I struggled to keep up with the demands of every class. Here in my senior year of high school, all but two of my classes are a math or science course, and I breeze past each one of them. In fact, I even tutor my peers in two of those classes: physics and calculus. I practically get my way this year! I spent my free time sleeping, socializing, drawing, playing with my graphing calculator, and copying notes from John's notebook. ;)

I still have one major opposing force to my success: laziness. As a result of slacking and being a little too full of myself, I am now a little behind in assessments and schoolwork. I hope to be able to use the experiences I've gained in MITES to help me not only catch up on my schoolwork, but also to make an impact this year.

Did I forget to mention college? I submitted my QuestBridge application this past Friday, but I am not too sure what colleges I want to rank just yet. Meanwhile, I will go into Columbia's CE2 program in two weeks. I have to thank my MITES peers for introducing me to flyout programs! ^_^

With my band and other commitments in mind, I sure hope to effectively manage my time. I also hope to have a great year. Same goes for you, the reader!
(>^__^)>♥<(^__^<)