NYC: Columbia University

Coat: t.babaton for Aritzia (thinking about getting a trench  for the spring) | Sweater: Tommy Hilfiger | Pants: Banana Republic ‘Sloan’ | Boots: MICHAEL Michael Kors ‘Bromley’ (and here) | Bag: MICHAEL Michael Kors ‘Hamilton’ (also in gold hardware and saffiano leather) | Pom pom keychain: Michael Kors | Watch: Daniel Wellington | Bracelet: J.Crew  | Lips: Burberry No. 30 Primrose Hill Pink + Chanel Rouge Coco Shine No. 61 Bonheur

The main purpose for my trip to New York was to spend some quality time with my brother. I also hoped that he might be inspired by a city like New York and have big expansive dreams for his future. I want him to believe that he can do anything and live anywhere he wants. On Monday morning we attended an info session for prospective students at Columbia University to kick off what I hope to be the first of several college tours around the US for the two of us and I thought it would be a great way to get him motivated for the start of highschool this fall. The info session was led by an admissions officer (a graduate from Columbia Engineering actually – engineers represent!) who was arguably the best public speaker I have ever listened to in my life. She spoke for over an hour with no visual aids and covered everything I wanted to know and didn’t know I wanted to know. She was engaging, funny and had me completely riveted. I learned a lot about Columbia’s rich history and culture and laughed at hilarious traditions like the mandatory swim test that all students have to take in order to graduate (engineers were exempt after they argued that they can build a boat if they had to get off the island). Even though my brother is still quite young I can totally picture him studying at Columbia one day, and I can picture myself studying there too. My only concern is that he would eat hot dogs for breakfast, lunch and dinner if he lived in New York! I had a MBA info session at Columbia Business School scheduled after lunch so after the first year info session ended we gave ourselves a quick tour of the campus, went to the bookstore, and went to a hot dog stand (what a surprise).

A quick note about college tours. Maybe it’s because I’m Asian and believe strongly in higher education or whatever (Tiger Mom ain’t got nothing on me) but I think it’s great to add a college tour component to trips with children or teenagers if you’re visiting the East Coast (Ivy Leagues), California (UC colleges, Stanford, etc.) or any city with a reputable university. I’m not a parent so I might have no clue what I’m talking about but I don’t think it’s ever too early to inspire kids to think big, to see the big picture, and to know all the possibilities that await them if they work hard. When I was my brother’s age I had a UC Berkeley sweater from when my dad did his post-doc at the university, and I considered it such a highly-esteemed piece of clothing that I wore it to my highschool interview. Of course I find it horrifying now that I wore a college sweatshirt to an interview and wonder why my parents didn’t advise me to wear a dress, but it turned out that I was interviewed by the highschool principal who just happened to be a UC Berkeley graduate and was thrilled by my interest in his alma mater. I look back now and see things that only God could orchestrate but my point is that it wasn’t difficult for me to be inspired by my dad and the things he said about going to university. My dream is for my brother to have the confidence to pursue what he wants and to see himself the way that God and the people who love him see him. His future is so, so bright.

Thank you for reading!