The Next Phase Anonymous

From the age of seven, when I first stepped off the train at Grand Central Station and took in a performance of Les Miserables with my mother, there has not been a doubt in my mind that my future would lead me to New York City. With time, the realities of public transportation and exorbitant expenses can undermine the allure of New York for some, but not for me: the jolt of energy I felt when if first walked onto Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus for a tour last spring paralleled my first moments in New York. The cathartic experience symbolized an end to my time as a tourist and the beginning of a future as not only a New Yorker, but a Fordham Ram.

Growing up just about an hour long train ride away from Manhattan, I was privileged to have teachers who often utilized New York City as a chance to put our lessons into context in the real world. I attended Broadway shows for chorus class, walked the Brooklyn Bridge with a camera in hand to study photography, and visited the Museum of Natural History to see my social studies textbook translated into larger than life exhibits. I learned more in one day from these hands on experiences than from a whole week in the classroom.

These field experiences will no longer be a train ride away;...