A Weekend in NYC
6:08 a.m.
And we’re off! The sun hasn’t even risen yet, but we're on our way to the Big Apple (does anyone call it that anymore?)! The Career Center staff kindly brought us baked goods and coffee to make up for the torturous (but necessary) 5:45 a.m. check-in time. The bus is filled with students ranging from sophomores to seniors, many of them friends and familiar faces (including Kyle Paul, an Admissions Intern who works with me and the rest of the Student Communications Group and who took many of the upcoming photos)!
(Photo by Julie Doten)
10:45 a.m.
Welcome to NYC! We actually arrived earlier than expected so we took an impromptu detour to Times Square! Unfortunately, the temperature is below freezing and I did not bring enough layers.
(Photo by Kyle Paul)
11:50 a.m.
Our first stop of the day is a group visit to the American Theatre Wing, an organization dedicated to supporting education in theater and best known for sponsoring the Tony Awards! Two representatives talked to us about their programs and the grants that they offer to schools and students around the country. They even passed around real Tony Awards and let us take pictures with them! My personal favorite piece was Ingrid Bergman’s Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, awarded to her at the first Tony Awards in 1947; the award at the time was actually a compact mirror with her initials engraved on the front (men received a money clip).
(Photo by Julie Doten)
12:35 p.m.
We have a bit of time now to get lunch on our own and explore the city. My friend Phoebe and I went to Dig Inn, recommended to me by a friend from high school who works in the city. We were gravely overwhelmed with the number of choices and by how fast the line moved, but I ended up with a tasty and healthy lunch even though I’m not sure what I was eating.
(Photo by Kyle Paul)
1:46 p.m.
After lunch we split up into groups to visit different companies: HBO, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Grey’s Advertising – where I am now! We are meeting with Josh Rabinowtiz, a Tufts alum who works here as the EVP Director of Music. This visit is exciting for me because I hope to start a career in advertising when I graduate, so I am very eager to learn about what it is like to work in the industry.
(Photo by Julie Doten)
4:42 p.m.
We had so much to talk about at Grey’s Advertising that we went a bit over time, but are now making our way to Warby Parker HQ for a reception with representatives from the site visits and additional Tufts alumni. Josh asked several employees from different positions in the company to come talk to us so that we could get a broader view of the types of positions. It was really interesting and helpful to hear from everyone and to get different perspectives about working for an advertising agency. Kyle actually got out of his visit at HBO with time to visit the Empire State Building and take some amazing photos of NYC at sunset!
(Photo by Kyle Paul)
6:51 p.m.
I had a really great time at the reception talking to different alums and hearing about their work and lives in NYC since graduation. Ryan Smith, Assistant Director and Career Advisor for the Arts at the Career Center, concluded the day by thanking all of the employees and alumni who took time out of their day to talk to us and answer our questions about the entertainment and arts industries.
(Photo by Julie Doten)
7:28 p.m.
After a long and busy day, we’re boarding the bus and heading back to Tufts! Everyone has been sharing their experiences from the different site visits and it is really awesome to hear the range of perspectives about the day. This trip allowed each student to ask any questions they came with and shape the experience into what was most helpful for them, which I think is great since everyone’s career path will be unique. Having the opportunity to talk to Tufts alumni working in industries that interest us was a great way to gather insight about what we might want our individual careers to look like.
