I Had to Speak, but I Also Got to Eat

Last night was the joint Vanderbilt-UChicago ILC dinner. It was an event that I had been experiencing mixed feelings about prior to attendance.  On the one hand, I was excited to see the rest of my cohort again and talk to both ILC and UChicago alumni about their time at the school, but on the other hand, I had volunteered to speak at the dinner.  Public speaking isn’t typically my strong suit, but I figured that since the whole ILC experience was about trying new things, it would be a good idea to step outside of my comfort zone whenever possible.  That being said, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to speak.  

The BART ride to Town Hall (the restaurant) was pretty smooth and uneventful, except for the fact that I was in constant fear of losing one of either the Clipper card Don gave us or the banners that I had been assigned to carry.  Once we got to the restaurant, we were escorted upstairs.  There was a small reception space between the dining area and restrooms where we (this year’s ILCers) were supposed to mingle with the alumni before dinner.  I talked to Christopher Dewing (UChicago c/o 2014) during this time.  He said that he chose UChicago because he felt that the people there complemented him well, and he told me all about the crazy things he did at his time there, from obscure sports like broom ball to involvement in organizations like the Zombie Readiness Task Force.

Don and Kevin setting up the dining room during the reception.

Trying to remember how to talk during my speech.

After a few minutes, Don let us take our seats. Shortly after the salad was served, Madeline Kronenberg gave a speech.  I wasn’t really paying attention to what she was saying because at this point, I realized that I would be speaking right after her.  I had been dreading the speech, and every time there was a pause in her words, I stiffened with tension.  I was so psyched out by the time it was finally my turn to speak that I tripped over my own name while introducing myself.  When I was up there, however, I realized that no one would be heavily critiquing me, so I calmed down a little.  Even so, I still wasn’t 100% comfortable, and I ended up rushing through some of my sentences.  I also forgot to thank my family and fellow cohort members while I was finishing up the speech.  Nonetheless, despite my initial unease and all of the mistakes I made, speaking in front of everyone wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  

My entree, farro with roasted vegetables.

As the night progressed, I realized how subconsciously on-edge I was before my speech because I was so relaxed afterwards.  The food and dessert were both great; I was served farro with roasted vegetables, which was followed by this dish called pot de creme that resembled creme brulee, except without the hard outer layer. Christopher was at my table, and he told us all about his interesting escapades during his time at UChicago.  The ILC alum at the table was Ryan Cutter, who actually got accepted to UChicago and will go there next year.  He told us a lot about his application experience, and about the financial aid that was offered to him by school.  I learned a lot from those two, and it was great to be able to talk to people who have gone through the same journey that I’m about to embark on.

Ryan (left) and Christopher sharing their experiences with us.

Before the dinner, I was uncertain about whether or not I would enjoy myself.  However, the main cause of my uncertainty, the speech, came and went smoothly and I had a lot of fun for the rest of the night learning about UChicago and just talking to other people.  The dinner was a really valuable experience; I learned so much about life at UChicago and what to expect this summer, and I also bonded with the rest of the cohort, including our chaperone.  I’m now even more excited for this July.

Mandatory group photo.  It was great talking to the alumni and hearing about their time at the school.