An Amazing Trip to New York City
By Farrin (Mumpower) DiRuggiero '17 - '17
Going to New York City with my fellow journalism students was one of the best experiences I have ever had. On the day we left for New York, I’d just returned from a spring break vacation; I was worn out and not very excited about the trip due to the imminent “nor'easter” blowing into the city. Our first two flights got canceled, and there was talk of taking a 13-hour train ride to the city, so the trip had a rough start.
We left for the airport at 1 a.m. on Wednesday morning, March 15. From there, the trip was a fantastic, thrilling whirlwind. Despite all obstacles, we traveled as planned, thanks to Mrs. Tunnell and Mrs. Forgette’s relentless efforts.
We went to Columbia University every morning for journalism classes. We went to many types of sessions throughout the day, focusing on topics ranging anywhere from photography, to yearbook design, to news reporting on modern-day crises. Our group really enjoyed attending our Herff Jones advisor Steve Kent's sessions throughout the day. He kept students engaged throughout his presentations because of his hilarious jokes and funny personality.
During one of his sessions, he was talking about good interviewing techniques that pull the important, interesting stories from an interviewee. To prove his point, Mr. Kent called a random girl from the crowd and made a bet with the rest of the students that he could get a fabulous story from her in under two minutes, despite the fact that they had never met. He began to talk to the girl about where she was from, who she came to the conference with, and what her name was. He asked why she goes by a nickname rather than her given name, which launched into her life story about a best friend who was wrongly accused of a crime and was currently in prison. He continued to question her about the boy, and she revealed that his parents had forbidden them from being friends because of her skin color. Steve could have stopped there, but he kept asking her about her feelings on the topic, which turned to her life story and her feelings on discrimination. Having proved his point, the entire room applauded Steve, and we each had learned a valuable lesson about interviewing from the experience.
On Friday morning, we attended the CSPA Crown Ceremony at the university, the entire reason for attending this New York conference. Waiting anxiously, we ended up winning a national yearbook award, an CSPA Silver Crown, for our 2016 Jabberwokk. We were absolutely thrilled and very proud of our hard efforts being rewarded and noticed. The award was definitely the highlight of our trip!
Outside of our experiences at Columbia University, we took the subway all over the city, which was an experience in itself. On the way back to our hotel one day, we saw an Instagram post by model Lucky Blue Smith saying, “Pop-up concert at the H&M in Times Square at 4 o'clock. See you there!” so of course, we immediately got off the subway at Times Square and rushed into H&M. Miraculously, five of us got the “lucky” golden ticket to meet The Atomics (Lucky Blue’s band). Their music wasn’t the best, but it was definitely a fun, unique experience for us!
We saw two Broadway shows while in the Big Apple, "Amelie" and "Waitress," which were both fantastic. We spent some time in Times Square “seeing the sights” and shopping. Daniel, our tour guide from Show Me Tours, took us to several delicious bakeries and restaurants throughout the city and told us all of the history behind each landmark. Some students even got to watch the infamous New York St. Patrick’s Day parade through Times Square.
Our last night in the City, Daniel took us on a dinner cruise down the Hudson River which was a favorite among all the students. We sailed past many landmarks including the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, which was lit up green for St. Patrick’s Day.
Saturday morning, before our evening flight home, we visited the Museum of Modern Art, or the MOMA, which was simply stunning for everyone on the trip, not just the fine arts students who were there for the art. We saw many famous pieces, including Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and Frida Kahlo’s famous self-portrait, “Fulang-Chang and I.” We then took a beautiful, but freezing cold, stroll through Central Park, seeing many areas where movies were shot, explored Fifth Avenue, saw Trump Tower, toured NBC Studios, and visited the Rockefeller Center. We ended our incredible New York City experience in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, one of the most iconic and gorgeous buildings in not just the city but the world.
All in all, we had an incredible time in the “Concrete Jungle.” From becoming national yearbook champions, to eating delicious food, to the green Empire State Building, to our tour guide’s hilarious snort laugh, there was never a dull moment. I know for sure that every student is so grateful for Mrs. Tunnell, Mrs. Forgette, and Mrs. Moore’s preparation and willingness to make this trip happen.
