In July of 2011, I visited Berkeley, CA, together with my
mother. This was a trip to represent the AlphaMax Academy at the National
Student Leadership Conference It was a very exciting and learning trip and for
sure a life's milestone for me.
By Yamil Baptista ---GAC 2012 Class
In July of 2011, I visited Berkeley, CA, together with my
mother. This was a trip to represent the AlphaMax Academy at the NationalStudent Leadership Conference It was a very exciting and learning trip and for
sure a life's milestone for me.
I arrived in Berkeley on the 4th of July after a 12-hour flight
from Miami The conference did not start until the 6th, so
we settled in the university city. In the morning of the 6th we walked over to
UC Berkeley's Residence Hall's center. I signed up and went through their
standard procedure. I received the dorm
key mom and I went over to the room. It was my first time seeing an
American-style university dorm. Not much later, my mother left, and I was on my
own from then on. I quickly got around
speaking to people; this was another achievement for me because I am a very shy
person.
During this experience I learned a lot more than I had
expected, both about engineering and about myself as a leader. We endured
through some trust activities in the cold parks of San Fransisco (I can not
remember the name.) The group which I was in also were challenged with the
creation of a sea perch. This was a challenge for all of us and it was the best
opportunity to learn skills from each other, and also learn about each
other.
Next to the activities we had to engage in, we also visited
a few places such as: the San Fransisco Exploratorium, Intel, Pier 39 and 43½.
We also had a boat tour, passing by Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate Although the conference was 10 days, it felt
like we knew each other for years. This was indeed one of the best experiences
in my life.
