Paul Harris pins were then presented to two Rotarians. Bobba Venkatadri received one with three rubies. Jennifer Pence was also a recipient of a pin for her Foundation donations over the years.
Susan Baker came forward to remind us of the upcoming Burlingame Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. It will be held on Friday, January 19 at the Hyatt Regency. There is still room to join your fellow Rotarians for the event.
https://burlingamechamber.org/
Past-president Fritz Brauner introduced a survey to assist the Community Services Committee direct our dollars and efforts where Club members feel have the most impact. He circulated hard copies of the form. But there is an easy-to-use online option of this short survey. The link is below.
Fritz moved on to the entertainment segment of his announcements. In lieu of doing birthdays for Rotarians who were born on this day, he went to not so famous personalities. Many required a certain age for the audience to even remember these individuals. 1927 Johnny Ray?? 1939 Sal Mineo?? 1943 Jim Croce?? Of course, this week’s editor does! Dennis Zell put us out of our misery by asking, “Is it over yet?”
Speaking of remembering the past, Cary asked who remembered the NPR radio show Car Talk with Click & Clack. The show ended each episode with humorously named “credits”. Cary listed a few of his favorites.
Breathalyzer Administrator - Eureka Garlic
Chief Negotiator - Bernadette Bridge
Clock Watcher - Colette O'Day
Head of Covert Operations - Dinah Tell
Proprietor of Car Talk's men clothing store - Euripedes Eumenedes
Cary then welcomed today’s speakers, Anne Bouliane and Jennifer Pence. Anne queued up Jennifer’s presentation on the challenges of applying for college with a very impressive bio. Jennifer received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Harvard, graduating summa cum laud and phi beta kappa. She eventually founded Academic Springboard, which assists students who are preparing for standardized tests for admission to high school and college. Jennifer also sits on four non-profit boards that provide counseling to first generation and low-income youth.
Jennifer then gave us her perspectives on today's competitive world of college admissions. Responding to a question from former college educator Mike Kimball, Jennifer noted that UCLA usually receives the most applications at over 100,000. UCLA alum, Dennis Zell, could certainly understand this statistic.
Anne continued her interview, leading Jennifer to outline the process for the various categories of colleges in California. The first are the state schools which share one application and do not require essays or letters of recommendation. The next are the universities in the UC system. They, too, share a single application but require four essays, lists of activities and hobbies as well as letters of recommendation. Assisting students who want to strive for a UC campus find most value in what Jennifer has to offer. The private schools and some out-of-state universities use the common application, so a student doesn’t have to repeat general information if applying to more than one school. But each of these institutions may have various essay requirements.
To hear Jennifer’s complete program and learn about the great service she offers to college bound young people, click on the link below.
Our very own Burlingame Rotarian, Mark Lucchesi has started a podcast for the Burlingame Historical Society called "Burlingame is a Small Town." He has interviewed a number of Burlingame Rotarians as well as other prominent folks in our community. You can check out his YouTube podcasts 