New York or Nowhere

I really hate to be that person but I have to say it - I lived in New York this summer and it changed my life.

It wasn’t the access to Chinese food at 2 a.m., the random celebrity sightings, or the idea that this was the place where dreams come true that did it for me. Honestly, it had nothing to do with New York itself - it was all about proving myself wrong.

If you had asked me when I was 8 years old where I wanted to live when I grew up I would have immediately said New York. The budding theater kid in me was fascinated by Broadway and the overall hustle and bustle of the city. But alas, I grew up and my plans changed.

I’ve always been a city person - growing up 25 minutes from the nation’s capital will do that to you. But the older I got the faith I had in myself to be able to handle living in the biggest city in the country wavered.

I went through the application process for summer 2024 internships looking at Raleigh, Boston, and D.C. All big cities, but all ones I thought I could handle. As the process went on I found myself drawn to more and more listings in New York. I figured it didn’t hurt to try. I mean it’s millions of people’s dream to move to New York so my competition would be fierce and I probably wouldn’t get a role anyway.

And yet, I did. I fell in love with Now What throughout their rigorous application process, starting from when I first stumbled upon their website while perusing job boards during some spring break downtime. In every round of interviews I met someone new I wanted to learn more about, work alongside, and even be friends with. When my offer came, I was ecstatic to accept the role. Then I saw a sentence in my future boss’s welcome e-mail that stopped me in my tracks: “See you in New York!”

Suddenly, some of my excitement wore away and was replaced by panic. I had gone through the application process thinking I’d either be in Raleigh (30 minutes from my college town), D.C. (30 minutes from my hometown), or Boston - the place I had determined was my dream city after I convinced myself New York may be too much for me to handle. But, lucky for me I am always ready to face a self-imposed challenge.

And so it was decided - I was moving to New York. My ten weeks of living and working in the city were transformative. I’ve always been an independent person but moving to an unknown city with 8 million people, living with a random roommate, and starting a new job is a lot to digest all at once. There was so much that could go wrong - but there was so much more that went right.

My colleagues, my roommate, and even my UNC friends it took moving 8 hours away from school to meet were all integral pieces to me feeling comfortable and at home in my new city. But in the end, it was me who got me there. I completed the rigorous application process, the company wanted me, and I got myself on that plane. I easily could’ve backed down and taken the safe route, working a familiar job at home. Boy, am I glad I didn’t.

New York is all about hustling. Southern hospitality very much does not exist and most of the people you pass on the streets are more intimidating than friendly - and I loved every second of it. I truly believe if you can make it in New York, you can make it almost anywhere. My ten weeks were just a taste of it and I’m sure any native New Yorkers reading this are rolling their eyes. But this post isn’t for the natives - it’s for all the people who think they can’t do it.

Maybe it’s not for you. But if there is any part of you asking if it is - take the leap of faith. I for one can’t wait to go back.

You heard it here first,

Kylie