May 31, 2018 – Graduation Ceremony
Graduation
The objective of this visit is to gather first hand information from the two colleges to enable a final commitment to one of them.
Another exciting adventure – to visit Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY) and The New School (New York City, NY)
Karmel will accompany Amelia to NYC. For Amelia this will be familiar territory, for Karmel, a completely new adventure.

Meeting up in SFO for the long dreary red-eye flight to New York, New York.
Arriving at JFK. Then by Red AirTrain to Jamaica. Walk to Jamaica Station and MTA to Penn Station.
Breakfast at Tick-Tock Diner.
Wandering around Manhattan. Visiting the Empire State Building – views from above the city.

A view of the Empire State Building from their hotel room! Wow!

Start of campus tour.
[Very interesting to note the New School building is marked with the LEED logo… meaning it is recognized as an example of environmentally sustainable building design – as buildings go] ~Dad

The New School Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts Admitted Student Day in NYC
“Congratulations on your admission to The New School. You are now a member of an elite community of visionary artists, designers, and scholars ready to take on a world that doesn’t exist yet.
Throughout April 2018, we offer a variety of events for admitted students to celebrate your achievement and help connect you with our community. We hope you’ll be able to join us at one of these events, where you’ll be able to meet our admission staff, proud New School alumni, inspiring faculty, and fellow members of the incoming class.
Welcome to your future!” ~ New School at Parsons, NYC
Admitted Students Seminar

Parsons The New School Ethos

Many prominent faculty and alumnus talking about their experience at New School and their careers & passions. Many are associated with the United Nations and prominent universities.
Visiting Chelsea Market
Meeting friends at Chelsea Market. Amelia has already made two friends in NYC. One is a new student at New School and the other is Karmel’s childhood friend and her sister’s best friend.

There will be yet more people she’ll meet in the months to come.
Train from Penn Station to Rhinecliff, NY then on to Hopson Cottage at Bard.
Views along the Hudson River
Bard College
“We very much look forward to your campus visit.
Your campus visit reservation is confirmed for Amelia Straight and 1 guest(s) on MM/DD/YYYY at HH:MM PM.
The campus visit begins in the Admission Office at Hopson Cottage. Your tour begins with a short information session and ends with a Q&A back at Hopson Cottage. Your campus visit is usually about 2 hours.
If you are driving, please enter the following address into your GPS: 51 Ravine Road, Red Hook, NY 12571. Free parking is available.
If you are taking Amtrak to the Rhinecliff, NY train station, there are local taxis, as well as Uber and Lyft, to take you to campus and back to the station.
Click here for directions and a campus map.
Please be in touch if you have any questions in the meantime; call 845-758-7472 or email admission@bard.edu.
Sincerely,
The Bard Admission Team”
“It’s okay. I was pretty excited going in, Don’t really like the vibe or the people. I have to take studio art classes. It’s required. No one really wants to talk to me. I think it would be too easy for me to isolate myself. Don’t know how it works in the winter. I don’t see any buses around campus. It’s very artistic. I’m pretty set on the new school. Don’t want to have to take studio art classes. There’s almost no one here and it’s 2:30 on a Monday. Lots of people in class I know. Spread out on two different fields. Mostly white kids and international students. Very few to none American people of color. Even in the tour I feel isolated and conspicuous. Everyone else is from the east coast. It’s the sort of east coast elite vibe.”
“I want to commit to the new school. I’m going to commit to the new school” ~Amelia
She’s now officially enrolled at Parsons The New School Eugene Lang College of Liberal Studies in the Global Studies program.
https://www.newschool.edu/lang/global-studies/
Heading home – objective accomplished.
New York, NY 10011
Bard College
Campus Road, PO Box 5000
Annandale-on-Hudson
New York 12504-5000
Their time has come. Magical.

Beautiful and elegant!
So proud of Amelia.
A much needed spring break at the Carmel Valley Ranch with her generous and gracious host family…. happy and relaxed after a grueling semester.

Wild deer, domesticated cat on Adirondack chairs and a bunny… gentle hikes and good food. Life’s good!
Carmel Valley Ranch Swimming Pool

On March 24, the kids and families of March For Our Lives will take to the streets of Washington DC, and around the country, to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today.

Amelia is attending the march in San Francisco.
Amelia received an acceptance letter, dated March 19, 2018, from her number one choice university, Parson’s New School.

She also received a $20,000 per year merit scholarship plus a $4,840 Lang scholarship. The total out of pocket cost is: $$44,390 / year.
Attended the 200, 000 strong march for women in San Francisco.

Los Angeles 600,000, Sacramento 150,000, Toronto 100,000, Philadelphia 150, 000, Austin 120,000, San Francisco 200,000, Chicago 300,000
December 25, 2017
“These are a few of my favorite things!”

Screaming for joy while her little sister looks on. Nothing like a bottle of high quality perfume, MAISON MARGIELA ’REPLICA’ By The Fireplace! Nothing but the best!