Click here to return to Messiah College's homepage

Into the City: A Taste of the Big Apple

Group poses with Today's Show Meredith Vieirea

One of the most prominent characteristics of a city is its diversity. From people, to landmarks, to opportunities, to challenges; each city promises an exhilarating adventure for tourists and residents alike. Recently, 20 Messiah students jumped at the opportunity to get a taste of real-life in New York City.

Students and leaders from the College left early on April 8 for a two-day networking trip organized by the Career Center with help from the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations and the Development Office. The trip’s focus was to give students a chance to learn from and network with Messiah alumni and business leaders, while also experiencing what life is like in the city.

Students chose which of the pre-planned site visits they would attend. Options included the New York Stock Exchange, “The Today Show,” McGraw Hill Publishing, Vanguard Direct, Time Warner Incorporated, and entertainer Sean Combs’ fashion line, Sean John.

Some students went into the networking trip with clear ideas about their post-graduate life while others sought to use the trip to see the opportunities available in a metropolitan area like New York.

“I saw the opportunity to go to New York City, which I had only been to a few times, and was interested in some of the site visits including McGraw Hill and “The Today Show.” I also had never considered living in New York City, so I wanted to see if I would ever consider it,” said junior Stephanie Schick.

Students met with employees of the company at each site visit. At “The Today Show,” they were greeted by two of the show’s hosts Meredith Vieira and Ann Curry. Also, the students were able to be on-set of the live show and get a first-hand look at the production process.

Students tour company in NYC

Students visiting McGraw Hill Publishing even got a chance to hear from the editor-in-chief of the entire company and learn what employers look for in a job candidate. At Sean John, future fashion designers had the opportunity to meet with the vice president of sales and learn how a creative concept becomes a reality. That opportunity came a week prior to New York’s Fashion Week, one of the company’s most important times of the year.

The New York Stock Exchange was her favorite part, says senior Kristen Mozian. “It was incredible going on the floor and experiencing the financial capital of the world. The NYSE is full of history and plays such a critical role in the world, so it was exciting to be there.”

In addition to the site visits, the trip also included panel discussions with Messiah alumni and parents who work in the city. “There were many favorites during the trip,” according to Career Center Director Christy Hanson. “Ultimately though, the trip turned out even better than expected because of the hospitality and generosity of our alumni and hosts at the different organizations.”

The most enlightening thing students learned was that many of the alumni did not have a traditional path to their current jobs. “My favorite part about the trip was hearing all of the individuals in NYC sharing with us their journeys and their stories as to how they got to be where they are today,” said sophomore Xu Ren. “A common message across the board was that they had never expected to come to New York or to be doing what they are doing today when they first graduated from Messiah. However, God opens doors and opportunities that no one can ever imagine, and they actively took up those opportunities.”

The trip organizers hope to make Into the City an annual event. In the future, the cities will change, but the idea will stay the same: students getting the chance to visit a new place, see what life there is like, and network with people along the way.

Story by Erin Kriner `10.

Photos provided by Christy Hanson `03, director of the Career Center.

Comments are closed.