NBC Intern's NYC/EHS Experience

MY EHS Summer Experience

    My name is Cassidy Dixon and I am a junior film and television major at Howard University, originally from Houston, Texas. This summer I had the privilege of interning in New York City for NBC Universal at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. I was slightly nervous about moving to New York as it was a huge transition coming from Texas, although having to make the transition to going to school in Washington DC did make it easier for me to transition quicker into the New York City lifestyle. Choosing to live in an Educational Housing Services residence helped with this transition as the availability of a receptionist, security guard, and residence assistances made the transition a lot smoother and feel more like my time at school.

    I had the pleasure of staying in the Cooper Square residence during my time in New York City. The facility was very nice and accommodating and I truly enjoyed my time staying there and was able to utilize every facility from the laundry room to the gym. When I first arrived in New York I was mostly surprised about the preferred methods of transportation. I am so used to driving and taking Uber that the shift to taking the subway to get to where I need to go was a bit of a shock for me at first, but thanks to the maps app I definitely have it down packed now. As far as my internship, it was a great experience pertaining to my field of study and I loved all the opportunities it presented and Cooper Square was only a twenty minute subway ride away. Educational Housing Services helped to make my summer successful by of course providing me with a place to live but also being very efficient, friendly, and accommodating. The student life events that Educational housing services planned were great opportunities to go around the city and get to know other people in your residence. They are perfect for people who are new to the city and looking for different things to explore and to make more friends.

What I loved most about my Educational Housing Services residence is the easy access to a gym, laundry facility, your own kitchen, and nice large restrooms. Although my facility housed five individuals there were two full restrooms that complied perfectly with our needs. The neighborhood around the Cooper Square was great as well, it is right across from a little park and only a ten minute walk from Washington Square Park where I spent lots of Saturday mornings watching street performers and the plethora of bubbles being blown. Cooper Square residence is very close to SoHo as well for anyone who loves to shop like me with the availability of stores like Top Shop, H&M, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, as well as a five story Nike Store with a basketball court on the fifth floor. Only about a five minute walk from the Cooper Square residence is a very nice AMC movie theater. Some of my favorite places to go to grab a quick bite around the area are Otto’s Tacos and Chop’t. If you want to get your nails done I would suggest Lulu’s Nails and Spa, and Starbucks is not too far and stays open until 1 O’Clock AM. My favorite things to do in New York City as a whole was explore the city, shop, and going to shows and musicals.

    This summer one of my proudest accomplishments was learning how to navigate the city. I really love traveling so knowing how to get around provides me with the opportunity to get more done and New York is definitely a great city to know how to navigate. I will undoubtedly will miss how easy it was to be healthy in the city. From the long walks to the all the healthy options I had never felt as energetic and healthy as I did during my time in the city. I will also miss the people, yes it’s not the southern hospitality I was used to but New Yorkers are very straight forward and keep it real, and that I love. My favorite memory from my time in New York was walking the Brooklyn bridge at sunset, the view was breathtaking and perfect for picture taking. If I could go back in time and talk to myself before the summer started I would have told myself that “this summer grasp every opportunity and always take time to live in the moment. Yes your future is important and should always have a place in your mind, but taking the time out to just enjoy how far you have come is very important as well.” For anyone considering embarking on a summer internship in NYC (especially those from other parts of the country or the world) come early and take the time to learn your way around, you will get lost and it will get frustrating but don’t worry EVERYONE gets lost, even New Yorkers.

I hope you have a great summer and internship in New York City. Stay safe, take calculated risk, and find out a little about yourself as well.

If you would like to see my vlog of me moving into the Cooper Square residence check it out here: http://youtu.be/Nq0HabUpkks

Cassidy Dixon

Some pictures of my experience in NYC/EHS:

• Some amenities vary by building; please check official building page to see the full list of amenities.