introduction
HELLO!!! This is a bit of a new format but I wanted to document my first weeks at Minerva University with periodic entries so here I am!! I can’t predict the future so no promises of how often or how much I’ll write, but within the next 2ish weeks this will become a published blog post:) and that’s all I can promise!!
Tuesday, August 26th, 22:30 — end of move-in period
Today is officially the last day of the move-in period and so far things have been pretty good. I moved my things into the dorm on Sunday (and then moved in completely on Monday). Looking back, it’s hard to believe it’s only been a few days! There has been so much change in my life in this time, and even though there haven’t been any scheduled activities, I’ve met a handful of my classmates just around the dorm. My roommates are from England and Brazil, and I’ve met classmates from Japan, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, Pakistan, China, and Denmark to name a few. Meeting people from everywhere has been so exciting, and I am getting used to reporting the weather in Celsius (even though we’re in America, LOL).
I’ve made about ten trips to IKEA and Target and Trader Joe’s and found myself doing lots of life set-up. By the end of these two days, I’ve got most of my boxes in order and I think I’m just about organized enough to start the year on good footing! I’m also getting used to living in a city again (except the last city I lived in was Taipei! San Francisco is definitely not the same!!).
I’ve also been doing the pre-work Foundation Week (orientation) and I’m quite impressed by their focus on inclusion and equity within communities on all fronts. In addition, I got my class schedule finally! I have class at 10:00-13:30 (with a 30 minute break at 11:30-12:00) Monday through Thursday, and I’m happy with this arrangement. There are definitely worse schedules!!!
Okay, those are all of my updates for today! I think I’ll be seriously meeting people tomorrow when the activities start so stay tuned and wish me luck. See you when I see you!
Thursday, August 28th, 20:46 — the start of the beginning
The days have been SO LONG recently and I have been getting to know so many people which is wonderful. It’s been both exciting and overwhelming at the same time, but that’s natural, and I am very grateful to be here.
Yesterday we had a field day with all of the students and today we had some more outings with our residence groups (a small group of ~4 rooms on the same floor). I am getting to know the city better, including the public transportation, and also slowly making this place feel like home!
Today we had a res-group dinner, which essentially was many people cooking all together in the commercial kitchen downstairs. The kitchen is a mess and I think that our standards for cleanliness vary drastically, but it was fun nonetheless. I had a really great time with everyone and definitely time to talk to people as well.
I realized that everyone (including me) brings different cooking methods from home, and everyone (…including me) tends to think that their way is the best way. But with this in mind, I am starting to get really excited about all of the new ways of cooking and living that I can learn. Even more, I am training myself to let go of the “very sure” ways of living and beliefs that I’ve grown up with. And I am excited to learn about the worlds that mine has just collided with!
Sunday, August 31st, 21:59 — official start of foundation week
Last night, Saturday, we had our Foundation Feast, which is the first “Milestone Event,” and officially kicked off our time here at Minerva! The feast was quite fun and also quite unexpected, but I won’t give away too many details.
At the end of the night, there was an open mic to share some things you are grateful for (which I think happens at every big event) and I was surprised by how many people stepped up to share. Of course, I had to step up too, and I ended up sharing gratitude for the attitudes that everyone has had during this past week. People have been open, patient, and kind, and it feels like I’ve been here way longer than a week.
Today, we had a real kickoff of events! We had orientation activities designed to help us get to know each other below the surface, to see more about where each of us comes from, and to also be a little bit more mindful of how each one of us will interact with this city differently.
So far, I am loving how these activities actually had us creating art, acting things out, and talking to one another. My favorite one was asking questions from your favorite word to what has made you resilient, what keeps you up at night and wakes you up in the morning, and what beliefs you use to navigate through life. We wrote the answers on a scroll, and by the end, there was a table-long sheet with our class’s precious memories, guiding philosophies, and questions about the world. (If you can’t tell, this sort of thing is totally up my alley.)
I’ve just finished my pre-class work for our first class tomorrow on professionalism and am stoked but also super ready for sleep. We’ll chat again not far from now!
Monday, September 1st, 11:23 — first class on forum
(Happy September! It’s the month that I like to call the month of new beginnings! :D) I’ve just finished my very first class on Minerva’s online learning platform, called Forum! While this class is similar to a freshman orientation class of sorts (so not a “real” academic course), we still had a good chunk of pre-readings to get to know Minerva’s curriculum and academic expectations. The class overall went well, though was not short of technical problems as we’re all still trying to figure out this system. I’m sure it will become more natural but it is a bit strange to think we’ll be spending so much time in this online academic learning environment. Definitely different from the classrooms that I’m used to, but engaging nonetheless.
Thursday, September 4th, 19:47 — convocation, twin peaks, and more foundations…
Whew! It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to sit down and write updates. Things have been moving so fast, days are full, and I’ve been really reflecting on my goals and purpose coming here.
In the time since I last wrote, we have had our convocation, or our official “welcome” into the school. It was a really nice ceremony with the whole freshman class (or at least everyone in SF currently, we have some classmates who went to Buenos Aires this first semester) and much of the administration.
One of the lines from opening speeches which stood out to me the most was that in this age with so many things developing and so fast, as well as so many widely available resources, being intelligent alone is no longer enough; the key is in attention. The speaker stressed that our most valuable commodity has become our attention, and more importantly, our ability to discern what to give attention to. This made me think about how there are so many things competing for our attention at all times, and it truly is a skill to be able to hone in on the things that truly matter.
With this mindset, my goal heading into the school year is to be discerning with my time and attention so that I can get the most out of this education. I hope to be fully present in this city, take advantage of opportunities, dive into the local community, and invest in projects with passion.
We were then all assigned to “legacies,” which has been a Minerva tradition since its founding class. There are over 20 legacies at Minerva, and each one is tied to a location in San Francisco, as well as centered around different core values and beliefs. Each graduating class will have 2-6 students in any given legacy, so they are also a way to create cross-class connections.
I was assigned to the legacy “Field,” which places emphasis on growth through teamwork. The quote goes as follows: “A blade of grass does not make a field, but many blades together do.”
I had a lovely afternoon with new friends assigned to the same legacy group, and then we had some down time before heading to an alumni networking event that evening! At the networking event, it was very cool to hear about what many of the alums were up to. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of alums in San Francisco were working at tech startups, but I was able to connect with a few alums who talked more about careers across the social sciences.
The following day, I took a little bus/hike trip with a handful of friends to the Twin Peaks to see an overlook of the city. Unsurprisingly, when we reached the top, it was clouded with fog and also quite windy. But safe to say we still had lots of good laughs and enjoyed a sunset walk back through the city.
It hasn’t even been two weeks since I’ve been here yet, but I already feel that I’ve made some really good friends, and for that I am really grateful. Coming into school, I had kept hearing that the community was the most precious part of the overall experience (as is with most places), and I think that that is already very true.
And that brings us to today! Hard to believe only two more official days of Foundation Week, and then we’ll be launched into classes. Today was a good day! We had a program that deconstructed racism in the US. I really appreciated the activities today and felt the school did a good job at introducing both the history of racism in the US, how it continues to infiltrate society today, and how we can move toward a more antiracist future. Following this session, we had a session about maintaining good mental health, finally followed by an in-depth history of the SF Bay Area (of course accompanied by Ghirardelli chocolate). I am starting to find my way around and feel more connected to the area, also getting more and more excited about what this city has to offer!
Sunday, September 7th, 11:02 — the end of the beginning!!
And just like that, our Foundation Week (or 2 weeks, actually) has wrapped up. Yesterday was probably my favorite day of the whole program, and after attending I am feeling really excited about this year. We started our day yesterday by going on an adventure with our legacy groups from earlier, navigating to the locations linked to our legacies. Without giving too much away, we got to take in the beautiful scenery outside, reflect on the past two weeks, and spend some time writing (my favorite!).
After a nice afternoon, we headed to the beach for the very end of the week, where there was a wonderful bonfire, s’mores roasting, music, dancing, and even fireworks! There were also some Minerva alumni who showed up to welcome us, which was really nice. Even with the freezing water and fog rolling in, it was such a perfect night.
closing
PHEW! And that is everything! I am feeling really great about this year (hopefully this feeling continues once classes start LOL) and hope to keep somewhat frequent updates on my blog. If you read this all the way through, I am thoroughly surprised, but glad you are here! Sending all of the best to wherever you are reading from. Until next time!
Love,
Leah
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