The Heat is ON!

Considering that Philadelphia was 85 today and is expected to hit 90 on Tuesday and Wednesday, even though it feels like 96 with the humidity, I have to admit, that that good ol'East Coast heat and humidity is on! And, so is the heat from the first day of the Bio-Med class' expectations and amount of work the students are expected to burn through in the next four weeks.
Professor Kristy Shuda is a phenomenal lecturer and brilliant scientist. Because she is so dynamic and enthusiastic, she really is a perfect fit for teaching an intensive Bio-Med class to high school students. Madeline and I were lucky enough to sit in on her morning lecture where she went over the course syllabus, course expectations, and where she amazed us with the impressive task of learning the names of all 65 students in her class within one hour!!! If only I could have done that when I was a teacher!!
We learned that there are approximately 65 students in the Bio-Med program at UPenn this summer and they come from places as far as Ghana, Turkey, Brazil, Spain, North Korea, Hong Kong, and France; there are many students from New Jersey (20!!) and another 10 from the Pennsylvania/ Baltimore/ Long Island area; and there were only six students from California, our three WCCUSD students, and the other three California students, two from private schools in Los Angeles, and the last student from Cupertino.
So, although the Bio-Med program is "diverse" because of all of the international students, it is still pretty homogeneous when it comes to ethnic/cultural/socio-economic diversity. Many of the students in this program have participated in other summer programs at places such as John-Hopkins because their families can afford such programs and because they are also aware of the importance of such programs. That's why the fact that our students have the chance to participate in this program is an amazing opportunity for them that will open so many doors for them when it is their turn to apply to college, and the Ivy Leagues. Unfortunately, there are no African-American or Latino students enrolled in the Bio-Med program and few in the UPenn Summer Program! Nonetheless, I know that we can begin to change that fact next year by encouraging more WCCUSD students to apply to this amazing program earlier in the year. Of course, my brain has already started rattling around ideas to begin recruiting students (and parents) in mid-November and just roll with it from there.
Madeline and I were also fortunate enough to meet Johhny Irizarry at La Casa Latina and had a wonderful conversation about his efforts and work with Latino students at the UPenn campus. We're trying to build a collaborative that would allow UPenn to recruit Latino students from WCCUSD, so Johnny and I are going to meet for lunch next week to begin working on this. I know he will be an amazing asset and contact at UPenn.
Well, Madeline just left a little while ago for California and I am finally going to take some down time and eat dinner. I know our girls will do very well in this program this summer. They already have a bit of work tonight to finish and the first full day of classes begins tomorrow. Sorry for the lengthy post but there is soooo much to share.
Patty