On a beautiful fall day in early October, a group of Ticktockers from the National Charity League Ridgefield Class of 2019 traveled to Yale University for an introductory college tour.
The tour began at the Pierpont House, which is home to the schools Visitor’s Center. While there we learned that, in 1718 when the school was founded, its original name was the Collegiate School. It was later renamed Yale College in recognition of Elihu Yale’s donations of books and goods. We were also introduced to the school's mascot, Handsome Dan. Yale’s bulldog mascot was the first to be adopted to represent a university.
Our group was assigned a private tour guide who was both funny and informative. We were led through the city of New Haven where much of the campus is located. Ticktocker Avery Buckanavage said, "It was interesting to be exposed to a historical school that was located in a fairly large city."
The tour took us through the main entrance of the school where we got a chance to see the freshmen dorms and green. Our tour guide explained that Yale is organized into 12 self-governing residential colleges, each with its own dormitory, dining hall, library, gym and social events. Each new student is randomly placed in one of these 12 colleges, which gives the school a smaller and more intimate feel. The campus is filled with many beautiful and historic buildings representing many types of architecture. One of the most impressive buildings we saw was Sterling Memorial Library, which was built in 1930 and resembles a great European cathedral.
We concluded our tour with lunch at the Commons at Schwarzman Center dining hall, also known as “Yale Commons”. Yale Commons is a beautiful ornate cafeteria with the feel of something out of the Harry Potter series. Before we headed home we stopped by the campus bookstore to purchase some souvenirs. All of those who attended were impressed by the tour and enjoyed the exposure to college visits. Ticktocker Carly Lieder said, “I really enjoyed seeing Yale because it gave us an idea of what it would be like to attend an Ivy League University and a chance to learn about Yale’s amazing history.”
The National Charity League, Inc. is a mother-daughter philanthropic-based organization committed to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences. NCL's Ridgefield Area Chapter will host an Informational Coffee for Prospective Members on January 25th at 7:00pm at the Keeler Tavern. The Chapter is holding their annual Membership Drive until January 29th and is seeking qualified candidates of girls entering grades 7-10 in the fall of 2017. For more information and details about the application process, please contact Christine Carnicelli at christine.carnicelli@gmail.com.