Thanks to our Student Sponsors
August 27, 2009
Dear Mr. Charles Simonyi, Thank you so much for sponsoring my trip to the Adventures of the Mind mentoring summit this summer. This experience has been one of the most inspiring weekends of my life, and I deeply appreciate the opportunity. At first, I was mostly excited to hear the speakers at the “Computers and Brains” lecture, because I am interested in neuroscience. After the first night, I was amazed, because I became intrigued by areas I had never even considered I really enjoyed. Dr. Dalton Conley’s speech, and I am currently reading his book, Also, Billy Collins is my new favorite person. Your space video was astonishing! I was at the edge of my seat by the end, when the luncheon turned up and the camera broke. I also greatly enjoyed meeting you and hearing you talk about your experiences in space. It was so exciting to see how quickly Africa passed by on your re-entry. This experience was even better than I imagined it to be. I found myself eating dinner and chatting with Dr. Martin Chaffre one day and eating lunch with Ginny Ruffner the next! Ms. Ruffner is a truly inspiring person, and I never would have heard her inspiring story without attending Adventures of the Mind. I made so many friends at Adventures of the Mind. I was excited to meet so many students with such an array of interests. I know I will be keeping in touch with my new friends for many years to come, and I can’t wait to see what we all accomplish! This trip was so motivating, and I truly am so grateful for the opportunity. Thank you so much, Mr. Simonyi.
Sincerely, Devda Balacuandrom
Missoula, Montana
June 23-26, 2011