senior program summer site : conversations : first session



	justin from florida (7/3) Justin is entering the tenth grade and it’s his second year at Explo (first year at the Senior Program). He wants to pursue a career in law; a pursuit furthered by his mock trial and public speaking courses. What is your first course and what did you do in it yesterday? Public Speaking. We presented speeches about ourselves to the rest of the class. Mine was about my life, my past experiences, and my history with Exploration Programs. What about your second course? Mock Trial. We watched part of a mock trial done in the past by high school students. It was a civil trial. I appreciate the law and would like to advance in that field later in my life. I’m interested in being an attorney. Both of my parents are personal injury attorneys and I’m looking into that. What are you taking for afternoon academics? I am participating in a crew class. It is extremely interesting. Yesterday we went to the gym, and in the basement of the gym they having rowing machines that we engaged on. I do crew at my school. I think it’s important for getting into college. What was the main event last night and how did you like it? I certainly enjoyed Carnival Night [last night] -- it was a fun experience for everyone. I participated in the gladiator event. I won both times I tried it. Have you been encouraged to try something new at Explo? I have been encouraged to play sports like soccer that I don’t normally play, considering that all the international students are so into it. I will probably play more back at school. What do you think of the food? To be honest, most of the time I go into the restaurants in New Haven. I have been to Starbucks twice, which is always amazing, and Yorkside Pizza, which is also very yummy. Have you explored any other parts of New Haven? I went to Yale’s Barnes & Noble Bookstore and bought ESPN Magazine. What is your favorite thing about living in the suites at Yale? My favorite thing is the type of bonds that I am making with the other students from all over the world. Both of my roommates are from Sweden! So you're enjoying your living group? Yeah. They all have different backgrounds -- each student -- and they all take different classes. I’ve tried to make friends and learn about people’s lives. I have learned a lot about the European lifestyle. It seems they have a lot more freedom then Americans do in their daily lives. They certainly don’t like the American football, but some of them are trying it. [Laughs] You mentioned this is your second year at Explo, but your first time at the Senior Program, how has this experience been different? Definitely the campus is different, and we have more freedom and responsibilities. I like the freedom for the most part. Last year I took a film class and a sports class. I chose totally different courses this year. I think it’s important to go into a lot of different aspects of courses here, that’s why I chose different classes. Both are pretty interesting so far. What advice would you give someone coming to Explo for the first time? I would advise them to definitely take public speaking because it’s a great class. Have fun and explore all the different restaurants and shops in the area. Do you think Explo is preparing you for college? Definitely! Just the lifestyle around here and what the campus is like and how to get around and stuff like that. If I got into Yale, it would be very high on my list. What are you looking forward to most at Explo? I am looking forward to the trips coming up this weekend. Last year I went to New York for a weekend and then to the Blue Man Group and Hard Rock Café in Boston. I had so much fun at that. Tonight I am looking forward to the main event, Ise Lyfe. I’m interested and curious to see what he is going to do. Have you been to a speaker series yet? I went to the one with Casey Jordan. I found it extremely, extremely interesting. It was about law and some criminal aspects of it. I think it’s something I could see myself participating in. She spoke a lot about different cases that I found very interesting. . .about crimes, murders, and interesting CSI stuff. All the cases sounded like they could be CSI TV episodes, but they were real cases. . .so that was interesting to me. more conversations > first session \| second session