Boston Strong

So despite a little uncertainty leading up to our Boston Alumni Reception thanks to current events, "The show must go on," and that it did. Thankfully everyone who had planned to get to Boston arrived safely, including Matt and I who planned to drive in on Saturday (thank goodness we didn't try to have a long weekend and include Friday...).

Our strategy was to actually come in from the north through Essex to enjoy a lunch of fresh lobstah at the famous Woodmans, before heading into Ipswich for a very quick Choate heritage tour (island, bridge, etc - ask me about it sometime) and of course a visit to the Choate Bridge Pub (who NEVER ID's me and doesn't accept credit cards!!! How else do I discreetly get them to notice I'm local royalty?). Our pleasant little day went uneventfully and as planned, and we arrived in our hotel just in time for their nightly wine reception they apparently do (score). We spent the evening wandering and exploring Cambridge, again rather uneventfully (which is a good thing).

On the day of the reception, we strolled across the Charles to the Museum of Science (yes, our hotel was seriously RIGHT THERE, and totally by chance since we Pricelined it) and arrived shortly after opening, which after our recent trip to Dallas we have learned is the absolute BEST time to go anywhere because we beat the crowds. There was supposed to be a portion of the alumni event at the Museum, but it got canceled due to lack of interest (seriously?)... but we wanted to go anyways so we just went on our own. One of my favorite things there is actually in the lobby before you even have to pay, and it is a huge mural that you view through rotating polarizers. It is so beautiful and fascinating and simple and complex all at once... I can't even describe it, so here is some random person's picture of it and a delightfully retro video about the making of it. (At this point you ought to be noticing the background of my blog and noting the similarities...) Of course we saw one of the electricity shows, and one of my favorite exhibits was all about the history of the museum - because anyone who knows me knows that I like old, boring, dusty museums that require reading and quiet thought (instead of these new-fangled interactive entertainment museums that are practically just glorified playgrounds with kids running around and screaming). There was a display in there about polarized light that I thought was very interesting, informative, and effective at explaining a complex subject; so I was sad to think that it's one of the "old fashioned" exhibits now relegated to being a relic meant to illustrate past times (but at least it's on display at all). Sigh, museums can make me so emotional.

Anyways, although I can spend my whole life in a museum, we eventually had to cross back across the Charles to Restaurant dante, which was literally directly across the street from our hotel (I did a lot of planning for this trip, but that was one thing I did not plan out... how lucky. Maybe I should put less effort into planning and just hope for more things to serendipitously turn out perfectly?). We had our own little dedicated lounge area, with huge windows overlooking the river, which was beautiful. All in all, we had three imsci alumni attend, as well as one accepted student (who was also one of last year's interns; and, attended our accepted student open house!) and his parents. I spent most of my time with the accepted student and his parents, who are such a great family. I then introduced the recruit to our current imsci student that was in attendance, as well as the alumnus who arranged for the generous sponsorship of the recruit's internship here at CIS last year. I was very excited to have been able to make those connections, and it appeared from afar that the conversations went very well. I really really hope we get this student, because he is a very well-rounded, outgoing, and intelligent young man that would be a fantastic addition to CIS. We would all benefit from his presence here. And, I think the feeling is mutual; one of his parents told me that,

"The internship last summer was such a positive influence. This school year, he seems more mature, has (almost drastically) improved his academics and became more accountable for his actions and decisions. As a parent,  I am very grateful for this opportunity that was given to him."

What wonderful feedback!! We often hear positive reactions from teachers and from interns themselves, but we rarely hear from the parents. I am so glad we were able to provide this opportunity and that this student was able to benefit so much from it. But I digress!

During the reception I did have a chance to slip in some conversations with our alumni. Most of the chats were casual, but one action item that came out of our conversations was to promote alumni involvement in the RIT Alumni Admissions Volunteer program..... Duh! Why did I only just think of this now?! RIT already has a fantastic program set up that involves alumni in college fairs, hometown receptions, and other various recruitment events organized by RIT. Since it is coordinated by the Admissions office, they can leverage all of their nationwide contacts, regional staff, and extensive resources. I've worked with them on this before and have represented CIS at these events on multiple occasions, but for some reason it only just dawned on me to have our alumni from all around get in on the action, too. Plus then I won't have to travel, nor will I have to plan and coordinate events of our own. It seems so painfully obvious now that we should tap into our talented alumni across the US for these admissions programs, rather than me doing everything or reinventing the wheel for events of our own. SMH! So, moving forward, I will include upcoming dates of Alumni Admissions events in the Imaging Connection newsletter, and I will make an addition to the CIS Ambassadors website about how to get involved.

All in all, the reception turned out great! I know we have many more than 3 Boston-area alumni, though - so hopefully the next time we make it out that way, we will have more people join us ;-) Thanks, Boston!