Case on the Cuyahoga closing picnic

Last night, we had a closing picnic for Case's Summer on the Cuyahoga program. Case students and their alumni hosts all gathered at the beautiful home of Carol and David Skirball for an evening of great food and conversation.

It's been very rewarding being able to meet, or get to know better, Case students through this program. Our students had to apply to be part of the program along with students from other elite schools, including Yale and Princeton. Employers chose the students they wanted for each internship and it's great to see that our students can compete with the best of them. My student, Josh, has been asked to stay on throughout the year. His internship is with Thompson Hine, a prestigious law firm.

It's hard to predict how many of these students will actually pursue a career in Cleveland after they graduate, but I hope this program will help fuel the Brain Gain. (Here's a plug on behalf of a friend: Janet Cho runs the Brain Gain feature every Monday in the Plain Dealer. Email her if you know anyone who fits the bill.)

Anyhow, the Summer on the Cuyahoga program is an excellent way for Cleveland alums to connect with current students. I'd encourage all area alums to get involved with this program next year, whether it's providing an internship, planning a social program, or serving as a host. It's a great way to contribute to Case and to the Greater Cleveland community.

Dumplings on the Cuyahoga

This summer, I've been involved with Summer on the Cuyahoga, a program that encourages college students from Case, Colgate, Cornell, Princeton, Smith and Yale to explore professional careers in Cleveland. The selective program places students in valuable summer internships and includes a variety of social programs too. During the summer, all SOTC students live in one of Case's residence halls. Each student is paired with an alumni host who helps them get acclimated to Cleveland. The Plain Dealer recently covered the program.

As an alumni host, I was paired with Case student, Josh Shaw, an economics pre-law major. Josh is awesome! He's sharp, thoughtful, funny and just an all-around great kid who also happens to be good friends with two of my interns, Joan Chase and Janine Kaiser. Yesterday, all three of them came over for dinner. Joanie and Janine came over early to help me cook, as Joanie has been asking me to teach her how to make Chinese dumplings. The three of us made flower dumplings and pearl balls together. I also made sesame peanut noodles too. (These aren't the recipes I used, but they're kinda close. Also, I generally use ground chicken instead of ground pork.)

We had a nice dinner together. These students are so impressive! All three of them are econ majors (they might be double or triple majors, actually) who read the Economist regularly and are keenly aware of global issues. These students are so focused and so engaged, so connected to the people and places around them. It's inspiring, really. I love talking with them about their plans for the future: Josh applying to law schools, Joanie gearing up for her Experiential Learning Fellowship in Amsterdam this fall, Janine preparing for another Engineers Without Borders trip to the Dominican Republic soon, etc.

Another thing that struck me is how well-mannered Josh, Joanie and Janine are. I hired, trained and managed Joanie and Janine so I already know how they behave in a work setting, but to see them in a more social setting is something else. All of them, including Josh, are very gracious and polite. I guess because I'm a mom with a four-year-old, I'm very aware of good manners right now. We're trying to teach Nico to be courteous and thoughtful, beyond just saying "please" and "thank you". Clearly, Josh, Joanie and Janine have great parents who raised them well.

I had a very enjoyable evening with these guys. I'm convinced that each of them is a rising star that will make Case proud some day.

The party's over

What a weekend - I'm exhausted.

Yesterday was Nico's birthday party and we had more than 60 people in our back yard, with at least a third of them under age five. The event may have taken years off my life, but it was totally worth it. Nico had a great time, despite being whiny and crabby at times (no nap).

The party was much like a wedding, with so much happening in a blur of activity. The main difference, though, was the added fun of having to say, "Stop that! Share! You have to share! Do I need to take that away from you?" at regular intervals.

For the most part, Nico behaved well and greeted his guests as I had coached him earlier: Say hello, give your friend a hug, and say, "Thank you for coming to my party." Nico did this for the first handful of guests, but after a while, he just ran up to people, pointed to the wrapped gift in their hands and said, "That's for me? Yes, it's my birthday, that's for me." He had to be reminded many times to be a gracious host.

A few people noticed that we had a culturally diverse mix of people at the party. It was one of the best things about the day - we had guests from Nigeria, India, Egypt, Taiwan and from various parts of the U.S. (North Dakota, Georgia, etc.). One of Nico's friends, whose parents are Australian, was also supposed to come, but had to fly back home for a family emergency.

I think most people who know me and Vic well have come to expect that social gatherings we host will typically have some sort of cultural component attached to them, such as our Lunar New Year party or our multicultural potluck dinners.

I'd like to think that even if Nico weren't part Taiwanese and Italian, we would still raise him to be understanding and appreciative of diverse cultures. But especially since he is multicultural, it's important that he sees the world as beyond black and white.

Anyhow, Nico had a great time at his back yard bash. He loved the Thomas & Friends theme and kept saying "Wow!" when he saw all the decorations. He chowed down on sushi, potstickers, pizza, rigatoni, watermelon and, of course, birthday cake. He led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to himself and he got loads of presents, which I'm tempted to hide until Christmas and the one after that and the one after that. We don't want him to be spoiled and really, how many toys does a four-year-old boy need?

Beyond the material stuff, Nico's very fortunate in other ways. Yesterday, besides being surrounded by so many of his friends, he was also lucky to have grandparents and his great uncle and aunt there to join him for his big day. It was a fun celebration of friends and family.

Preschool birthday parties

Lately, I've been busy planning Nico's birthday party. He'll be four next week. Vic and I are planning another back yard party for him and few of his preschool pals.

For the last two years, Nico has been really into Thomas the Tank Engine, so I bought a bunch of stuff to have a Thomas themed party: plates, napkins, cups, favors, stickers, etc. I was quite pleased with myself - until Nico decided that he's now into Spiderman instead.

Mr. Manners

Nico is becoming increasingly independent and confident. Last night, he accused me of being rude to him. He warned me that if I did not stop being rude, he would not love me.