Finding Mentors and Connections
Okay. Another reality check.
The first marking period for the independent study has passed, and I have one more left to go.
I have 3 research papers to write, while also dealing with APs, college visits, SATs/ACTs, subject tests, grad project presentation, volunteering, and some other priorities.
I find out that when I list out all the things I have to do, it's easier for me to compartmentalize, prioritize, and find motivation to work. Hard part is not sinking down beneath the weight of all.
So, one thing at a time.
Social Media Experiment: analyzing language used on Twitter (blog post coming soon)
I contacted two different linguists, one who works as a researcher for Facebook (in the field of artificial intelligence and computational linguistics), the other a professor of linguistics/computer and physical science in the University of Chicago.
The latter, named John Goldsmith (https://linguistics.uchicago.edu/faculty/goldsmith) answered my call for help. He won't be able to mentor me, but he pointed me towards several resources that really helped me. So I do consider him to be a 'mentor', even though I'm going to contact him 3 or 4 times at most.
Overall COMMotion stuff:
I've been going to Cigus Vanni's college admissions workshops in Radnor, and they really helped put everything in perspective for me.
At the last meeting, I asked Mr. Vanni for advice on finding mentors and working on a project of this scale. He's actually the one who pointed me to Mr. Goldsmith - they were classmates in Swarthmore.
(I don't think I've ever known someone who is in stock photos, so this is frickin cool)
Anyway, I look up to Mr. Vanni like a mentor; he's a former Swarthmore admissions counselor and assistant dean, and is now known as "Cigus the College Fairy" (https://cigus.net/).
If you ever need help with college topics, go to Cigus. If you're going through the I-don't-know-what-the-heck-I'm-doing-with-my-life phase, once again, go to Cigus (or your own school counselor, but Mr. Vanni puts his own little humorous twist on it that just makes your day)
