My baby is going to Emory University!

Isabelle was accepted Early Decision to Emory University today.  For those of you with younger kids, there are two types of early applications to college (with a few flavors) – Early Decision, which is binding, and Early Action, which is not.  Some colleges offer both, but most just one type.

Emory was her first choice so she applied ED, which means that’s where she is going to college.  No ifs, ands or buts.  No take-backs.

She has worked hard the past three-and-a-half years, studied tirelessly for her SATs, SAT subject matter tests and Advanced Placement tests and wrote amazing essays.  It all paid off with great grades, scores and admission to the college of her choice.

Isabelle had tremendous support from her school, Harvard-Westlake, especially several of the deans who helped her craft her application and teachers who wrote her recommendations.  Thank you all!

I have to give a special shout out to Judge Michael Nash, presiding judge of Juvenile Court at Los Angeles Superior Court, for whom she worked this past summer.  He has been incredibly supportive of her ambitions and wrote a recommendation as well.  Thank you!

Words can’t express how proud I am of my girl!

A whole new adventure awaits…for both of us.

Isabelle accepted to Tulane!

My beautiful, talented daughter was accepted to Tulane University!  She’s going to college.  It’s cliché, but it really is hard to believe my baby girl will be off to college in nine short months.  I distinctly remember her first day of kindergarten, a story I tell to anyone who will listen (or in this case read).

She was in the back seat, buckled into her car seat, with her backpack sitting next to me on the front passenger seat.  I pulled up to the drop off point and simultaneously the passenger and back doors flew open.  One pair of hands grabbed the backpack while another reached in, unbuckled Isabelle and lifted her out of the car.  The first pair of hands strapped on her backpack, nearly bigger than she was, and she went running (running!) into school, backpack bouncing, without looking back.  I choked up then and still choke up whenever I think about it.

Her independence, confidence and self-sufficiency continues to this day.  I have no doubt she’s going to kill it at college!

DJ’s team (HWMS Quantum Potentials) qualify for regionals in 1st FTC robotics event

Toward the end of 8th grade, DJ was recruited to the Harvard-Westlake Middle School robotics team by a new friend.  He needed DJ’s skills to maintain the robot the team had designed but which was not doing well in competition.  DJ couldn’t help last year, but this year he leads the design/build efforts (with programming, the other major component, led by his friend).

They had a spectacular first qualifier.  They won the most points in a single round as well as the most points during the autonomous time.  It’s a complicated scoring system due to the fact that each team is randomly partnered with another team who then complete against another pair of teams (i.e., four robots on the field during each round), but in the end the Quantum Potentials came in third, which was good enough to qualify for regionals.

Impressive accomplishment for a first timer!