For almost three months this summer,
Frank Sinatra's New York, New York was a
soundtrack that played through my mind over and over again. As I walked to work,
I would look up to see the Empire State Building towering over me and could feel
the song sneaking into my brain:
Start
spreading the news, I'm leaving today — I
want to be a part of it — New York, New York.
I continued walking
to the grimy subway station, hardly a place of culture. Yet, on any
given day I would pass the most talented dancers and musicians the
island of Manhattan could offer.
These
little town blues, are melting away—I'll
make a brand new start of it — in old New York.
Avoiding 45 sets of eyes (as a true New Yorker does), I arrived at a
destination best known for its enormous Christmas tree. An American symbol,
perhaps, that lights up entire city blocks. This is a place that I happened
to call work; most other people call it Rockefeller Center.
You might ask what a kid like me is doing singing Frank Sinatra songs
and traipsing about New York City. I could answer this the easy
way: I had an internship all summer at NBC. However, I choose to say that,
well, I was having the single greatest experience of my life.
I was born in Manhattan, Kansas, and never thought I would live in another
city named Manhattan. As a communications major, I heard about the amazing
internships other students were getting in the media industry and decided
to look into it myself. A cousin in the television business let me know that
the NBC Networks in New York had a great intern program and encouraged
me to apply. After a failed attempt to make it into
the exclusive program last year, I came back more determined than ever to get
the internship
for my final eligible summer.
So last year,
every time the numbers "212" popped
up on my cell phone, I felt a surge go through my body. The calls
from the New York
area code meant that I had to prove I was better than the 2,000 other
applicants hoping for a chance to intern at the National Broadcasting
Company. After
four phone interviews, the final call came and I was told that they
would love to have me as a part of the NBC internship team for the
summer. I'd
be shocked if my screams did not wake up the entire Reid Apartment
building.
Feelings of excitement, worry, anxiety, and curiosity were rushing all
around me. Would I like New York? Is it safe? Would I finally learn
how to do laundry by myself? I had learned from my numerous interviews
that I would be working in the news talent department. Since my area of
interest was reporting and anchoring, this would to be a good placement
for me. And, as it turned out, my internship was superb. I learned quickly
that the people I was working next to and in contact with are known throughout
the world; a five-minute conversation with them is a dream for many people.
I was in the executive offices of NBC News working under the vice president
of talent, Elena Nachmanoff. Right around the corner was President Neil
Shapiro, and neighboring us were the offices of Nightly News with
Tom Brokaw and The Today Show.
I was able to do many exciting things as the summer progressed. Not only
was I working in a place where seeing TV personalities was an everyday
occurrence, I had the chance to interview Donald Trump and former New York
mayor Rudy Giuliani, and bump elbows with several other celebrities. I
witnessed a taping of The Today Show, and attended the Friday concerts
in the Plaza.
As part of the seven-member NBC Mobile team, a project that started this
summer, I helped bring updated headline news to anyone with a video phone.
I shadowed in the Access Hollywood department and helped on an interview
in the Trump Plaza with singer Sarah McLachlan. I stood on Tom Brokaw's
mark and looked into his camera 10 minutes before the taping of Nightly
News began.
Most importantly, I sat in an office with the top people in my profession
every day and watched, listened, and learned all I could. I soaked in as
much as anyone possibly could and enjoyed every second of it.
Looking back now,
I arrived at LaGuardia Airport a scared Kansas girl, but I left full
of confidence and a little bit of that
famous New York
attitude. My summer was not only a good learning experience, but an
eye-opening point in life that I will never forget. Now when I walk
through the streets
of Winfield, Kansas, that familiar song starts to play again…
If I
can make it there, I'll make it anywhere — It's
up to you — New York, New York
Am I forever changed? Maybe. However, I am fully ready to face the real
world that lies ahead, armed now with a small can of Mace (you never know)
and a dream that feels reachable.
Summer
breaks allow students to earn academic credit while exploring their
future careers. A representative list of internships by SC students
during the summer of 2004 reveals the breadth of experience available
to enterprising Moundbuilders.
