ETSU Honors College in New York 2021 by East Tennessee State University

A classroom called New York City

The students were enrolled in the summer course, City as Text, offered by the ETSU Honors College. Participants spent a week in New York City. For some of the students, it was their first time getting on a plane, and many had never been to NYC.

Students enrolled in City as Text included many Honors College students as well as leaders from the B.U.C.S. Academy Living-Learning Community.

As Dr. Chris Keller, dean of the ETSU Honors College, explains, this was much more than just a class trip. Each day, they had an assignment. “We paired them into teams and sent them to various neighborhoods, from West Harlem down to Battery Park,” Keller said. “Each day there was a different theme assigned, and we told them to go to a specific part of the city and to walk around and tell us what they say through the lens of that theme.” These themes related to scarcity and abundancy, insiders and outsiders, and new and old, which especially resonated with ETSU Honors College student Christian Price.

“During my time in New York City, I was challenged to intently examine my surroundings to discover how our nation’s most populous city functions,” Price said. “Throughout the week, one specific theme resonated with me above the others – the city’s offering of a sense of belonging for all people.

“It’s easy to classify New York as the ‘American Melting Pot’ based simply upon what we’ve learned from school and media, but it’s not until you’re immersed in the city itself that you begin to realize the magnitude of the city’s diversity.

Each district - each city within the city - provides a culture disparate from the one before as you examine architecture, taste food, and hear languages exclusive to that certain district. This is a direct result of the immigration that has taken place over the city’s history, which has also served as a major factor in giving New York its renowned vibrancy.”

Keller said that while they did provide students directions on how to get to the neighborhoods, they did not tell them what to expect when they arrived.

After the morning neighborhood exploration, the students would gather back in a meeting room to debrief and share what they saw. The students were given some free time, and Keller was surprised to see some of the students return to those neighborhoods for further exploration.

“New York City, and any other place on Earth, must be stripped of polished ideas to be fully appreciated,” said Honors College student Jessica Potter. “On the other side of glamorous personas, those born of a million cameras and cinematic depictions, life is still life. The breaths of all cities are found in ubiquitous and mundane human experiences: the constancy of love between caregiver and child, laughter shared during humdrum grocery trips, and peace found in the silence of the subway.”

“Subscription to a rose-tinted, broad concept of New York fails to capture what contributes to the pulsing vibrancy of the city –– its inhabitants.”

Potter added, “New York City is both grit and lacquer, systemic poverty and boundless opportunities, an iconic metropolis and a place as typical as any other. By casting aside my own suppositions about New York, I found myself within the context of real conditions rather than an idea. It’s within tangible places and present moments that we find the intimacy and authenticity of a lived experience. The extravagant naturally demands our attention, but I found the most substantial lessons by looking towards the quiet, understated heartbeats, wherein people are actually living.”

Carshonda Martin, who is director of ETSU’s Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center, said this was a great bonding experience for leaders in B.U.C.S. Academy, a college success initiative for underrepresented students.

“Our leaders enjoyed very meaningful experiences and said they learned how to observe, listen, and reflect on things they otherwise would never have noticed,” Martin said. “They returned home with a transformed perspective of New York.”

Each student received one credit hour for participating. The City as Text pedagogy continues this fall as new honors students explore social issues here in Johnson City through a course in the new Changemaker Scholars Program.

m Joe Smith Senior Director of Strategic Communications East Tennessee State University

Allen Archer, Senior, Honors College College of Public Health Beneath The Surface

This picture was taken on Saturday July 10th, 2021, at 9:00am in the Garment District near the corner of W 34th St and 8th Ave facing east. I chose this picture because, for me, it embodies several of the themes that were discussed on this trip. As I look at this picture, and the reason I thought to take this picture in the first place, what really jumps out is the trash strewn across the sidewalk underneath the American flags and the several stories tall Macy’s Sign.

This is symbolic of our capitalistic society constructing monuments to mass-manufactured products and producing an endless stream of waste.

The left side of this picture is lined with concrete, granite, and gold making up a line of ornate buildings. The right side, in contrast, is lined with trees and shrubs, which are much less frequent throughout Manhattan. While there are parks strewn across Manhattan, this splash of green amid a neighborhood block was almost surprising. In this picture, you can also make out a couple of light clouds painted across the sky. This is also not always as easy as it may seem amongst the endless skyscrapers and lingering haze.

Finally, the people captured in this image represent my experience and interactions while in NYC. The two gentlemen on the left side of the image, both appearing to be construction workers, likely just exited the subway on their commute to work. These two have differing skin colors from one another and likely spent the rest of their day, like me, interacting

and coexisting with people from numerous races, ethnicities, cultures, and countries as they made their way across Manhattan. During my short few days on this trip, I encountered people from around the globe.

One very important aspect of this photo is the location where it was taken. This photo was taken about four blocks south of Times Square and one block north of Pennsylvania Station. What isn’t captured in this image is the stark contrast between the overwhelming excess that permeates through Times Square and the obvious hardships and struggles that the people in the surrounding neighborhoods constantly face.

As our group walked around the Garment District and Times Square on the morning this picture was taken, we encountered homeless people who clearly hadn’t had an opportunity to bathe in several days. We saw a gentleman smoking a crackpipe on the front steps of a building. There were several people with obvious mental struggles that clearly lacked the access to the resources that could prevent living on the streets. All the while, just a couple blocks away, thousands of people flock to Times Square daily and spend small fortunes on fleeting experiences and wasteful products.

During my time in NYC, one of my personal favorite activities was riding in the subway. Not only did I enjoy the challenge of navigating the city, I also quickly recognized the subway as an equalizing space.

People in suits commuting to and from the Financial District shared a bench seat with construction workers commuting into Manhattan from Harlem or Queens. The below ground platforms where people enter and exit the subway were an oven during the summer afternoons and we were all at the mercy of the subway schedule. Yet, despite the heat, nearly everyone wore their masks from the time they made their way down the stairs onto the platform until they reached their destinations.

As vast and diverse as New York City is, the common theme that I kept picking up on whenever I went below the ground was a sense of community. The New Yorkers I interacted with made space in their lives for one another. They wore their masks in solidarity with the many thousands of lives lost during the pandemic. And, while they seemed to have little patience for the slow pace of southerners and tourists, they were quick to offer up assistance to anyone in need or have a conversation about their lived experiences in the city.

Beneath the surface of this sprawling metropolis is where I felt I had the most Authentic experiences.

m Kennedy Averhart, Sophomore, B.U.C.S. Academy College of Arts & Sciences

New York is the epicenter for everything fast-paced and exciting.

However, with everyone constantly moving and never taking the time to look beyond just the surface, many historical and modern updates lie. This photo I have chosen shows the abundance of Times Square as well as its artificiality. With so much liveliness in Times Square’s nighttime, it can easily mask the authenticity that the rest of the state has to offer.

The significant numbers of billboards, buildings, and people showcase the abundance that New York has to offer. However, there is no single place in the photo which shows an empty spot. It is hard not to feel alone with the thousands of people coming and going in such a packed place. Though looking beyond all that, I realized that it is easy to feel alone in such a prominent place with everyone constantly going. There is never a moment to just stop and talk and enjoy what is around you. The artificiality of the “concrete jungle” showcases how there are very little to no trees or even grass. The artificial lights of the billboards overshadow the natural beauty that New York has to offer. Rather than seeing the shining stars in the sky, I was able to see the glowing lights of the buildings, which were just as beautiful but not the same as seeing authentic stars.

Throughout all of New York’s artificiality, hidden gems revealed more of the city to me than I ever knew.

On-screen, the portrayal of New York is different from actually being there, and people are willing to help on the streets when you do not know where to go. They help carry strollers

upstairs when they see you are struggling, but above all else, individuals always are willing to tell you how they ended up in New York.

Through this experience of this study-away trip, it opened my eyes to the factual statement that New York is a melting pot of everyone; no matter where you look, there are different people, ethnicities, and different languages spoken in the street.

I discovered that the big city, although beautiful, is not something I could do daily. In E.B. White’s “Here is New York” essay, he describes how there is always something going on in New York, and you can never know about everything. This description resonated with me while in New York because you can experience everything and nothing while being there because of the hustle and bustle.

Being in New York opened my eyes to traveling and how I want to continue to explore the world and expand my horizons, not only for the different cultures but also for the experience and to meet new people.

I did not expect my perspective to change but realizing how lucky I was to have a home, a car, and the ability to get around without any problems made me appreciate all that I have and be grateful to have this opportunity.

m Cassidy Blackwell, Junior, Honors College College of Arts & Sciences A Roaring City

This image was taken after strolling through a park in the Upper Financial district on the first day of walkabouts.

It was raining that morning, casting the city in a dreamy view.

This being our first experience outside of Manhattan, we were stunned by the large official buildings and stone sidewalks. I spotted this message, “Dream until its your reality,” on a far off wall enclosing a section of the sidewalk. As my time in New York went on, I began seeing this graffitied message everywhere. This was the only picture I snapped of it, but I probably saw the same message five times in different areas of New York. A friend joked that it must be meant for me.

This juxtaposition between hope and opportunity and obstacles and hatred was jarring, and I viewed this from my privileged standpoint.

The pictured street art does not necessarily show the contrast I kept running into, but it is an ode to what New York stands for. “Dream until its your reality” echoes the American desire towards betterment. We saw several protests while in New York and it was refreshing to see people advocating for their beliefs. Art, too, is a form of passion. Graffiti sprawls street corners unhinged.

Being in New York felt like being a part of something that’s bigger than you. This conglomerate of diverse people surges throughout the city in a rythmic wave.

Fire and soul is amplified in the city. In a conversation with my mother after returning to slow southern life, I remarked how New Yorkers cannot choose ignorance. They can’t just turn off the news. They can’t only be aware of their own lives. In this city you are forced to cross paths different than your own. You can’t opt out of being in the room where it happens (yes, that is a nod to Hamilton).

This image encapsulates many revelations I had during “City as Text.” The things I noticed while exploring districts were art and nature. It amazed me how such beauty could be packed into the oddest of places within the overwhelming rush of the concrete jungle. The pictured art is especially important because it captures the sensational view of New York as a place for dreamers and doers. Before the trip, we reflected on Emma Lazarus’ “The New Colussus” and while here, visited the Statue of Liberty and the National Immigration Museum.

As I walked through rooms immigrants would have been processed in on Ellis Island, I felt the energies of those who were there before me. It was exciting to walk through history and to understand the hope immigrants had in coming here, but as I saw exhibits of health evaluations, literacy tests, and publications of xenophobic sentiments, I felt cold. The American Dream that the Statue of Liberty had just inspired in me wilted away.

One of my greatest fears is being stagnant. I don’t want to be in the same place all of my life. I don’t think I could take living in New York permanently, but cities have always appealed to me because they are rich with unfamiliarty. I found life and confidence in New York. I am directionally challenged, but was able to figure out the subway and navigated our group most of the time. I took a night off from going out and sat in the hotel room looking out at the hazy skyline which grounded me to the stillness being alone brings.

Change reminded me of who I am and sparked my passions. After returning home, I was excited to read and bake like I used to. My once boring and mundane life was cast in a new light. Being in New York taught me how much mindset matters.

New York is a mash of people, for better or worse. The physical dynamics of art, nature, concrete, and machinery being forced together is mirrored socially. These contrasting facets keep New York pulsing with life. There is always more than meets the eye, always a new experience to grow from. The image with the phrase, “Dream until it’s your reality” connects us all because it reflects the passion we share to uplift ourselves and others. Yes, the world is broken, but it is the dreamers and the doers that work to fix it.

Jaelyn Cargle, Junior, B.U.C.S. Academy Clemmer College of Education

For the final takeaway I decided to use this picture that was taken in the subway station connected to the One Trade Center that houses all of the shopping centers. In the picture you can see that it is a small convenience store that is filled with cold drinks, snacks, and some personal use items as well.

Since we had to pick one picture, I would also like to describe what the rest of the subway station looked like. All around the subway station there were small shops that sold t-shirts, a pretzel shop, and other small stores to grab a quick hot meal or snack. I remember almost being in shock because during my five days of being in New York I hadn’t seen a subway station that was clean, had food stores, or even had air conditioning. When you hear someone talk about the subway you automatically envison a hot, smelly, crowded place and this subway station was the complete opposite of that stereotype.

IT was calm and quiet At this station, you could smell many types OF different foods, as well as enjoy the cool air conditioning. But one of the main observations I made was that there were no homeless people in that area at all and everyone seemed to be dressed in nice clothing.

It became obvious to me why the subway was so different from the other ones I had seen. In this area there were mainly white citizens passing through trying to get to their destination, which made me understand why the station was so nice. Because this subway station was surrounded by offices, the place where the Twin Towers once stood, and a fire station, they must appeal to the people around them. In this case the insiders would be the people who use this subway station on the regular because they work near this area. On their way to their destinations, they are able to grab a quick snack or a hot meal, in a calm and cool setting. Whereas the outsiders who do not live or work on that side of town have a different experience when they use the subway. The outsiders have to endure the cold or hot weather while they wait on their train, smell the bodily fluids of a random person, and there’s also no small food shops for them to grab a snack on the way to their destination.

During my time in New York, I feel that I grew as an individual as well as a leader. I have always been so worried about what my next steps are and how to better prepare for whatever happens.

To me, this picture captures the theme of “insiders and outsiders.” During my time in New York, I saw people of different races, religions, people that spoke different languages and many more differences.

One thing I noticed while in New York is that there are certain groups of people that have different access to places and resources. It could be something as small as having a nice subway station or the bathroom at a restaurant requiring you to have a code to even get in. As I stated earlier, this subway station was located in the One World Trade Center shopping area, and the atmosphere in the subway was very different from the other stations we had been to.

I have realized that takes away from me enjoying what it is happening in that moment and I realized how blessed I am to have the opportunities I have. There is a certain feeling of comfort and openness that I felt during my time in New York which made me realize I should embrace my culture more, along with the good and the bad that might come along with it. As a student leader I want to encourage my students to live in the moment and enjoy their time as a college student because the time does pass by fast, but to also not be ashamed to embrace their true selves despite what others might think of them.

New York in a way provided me with conformation that everyone is different for a reason and although we have different perspectives and might look different, we all have something in common. Overall, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to go on this trip and make new bonds with my classmates, and for that I would like to say thank you.

Anna Carpenter, Junior, Honors College College of Public Health

I took over 700 photos in less than six days while visiting New York City. I couldn’t stop taking pictures. I wanted to remember this feeling, a shockwave of energy proceeding and following fresh new excitement. And while I took many of these photos without much thought as I passed through, I didn’t expect to find each so meaningful. I want to keep every picture, even the blurry ones. And it has been difficult trying to choose a single picture to capture this incredible experience. However, I knew I had found my moment, once I swiped onto what was a video, now a still frame taken in Harlem as Kylee and I followed our hearts and our ears to Harlem Shake, a diner-style restaurant hosting Sunday Jazz.

It is so rare that you walk into a space that is 100% happiness. I’ve been to places and found mostly happiness, but this occasion was unique in that every single person had a bright enthusiastic smile on their face.

While in New York City I was surprised to find that happiness is not scarce like it is portrayed and perceived by many outsiders. In the South sometimes we like to think that our region is the most friendly and hospitable, while places such as New York City are too busy and hostile for things like hospitality and even happiness. The city is often portrayed as selfish and lacking community. However, this picture displays a strong sense of community. Although Kylee and I were outsiders looking in on this radiant community, we were welcomed and allowed to observe. The audience was encouraged to become part of the concert. People coming from all directions began to surround the sound and join in the fun, and their dancing and singing overpowered the band as everyone became united in music.

As a tourist, an outsider, preparing myself for what I thought would be a culture shock leaving my small town for a week to visit one of the world’s largest cities, I was told not to make eye contact with people while walking along the streets or riding the subway. I was told not to bother with saying “excuse me” or apologize for bumping into someone. I was told to hide my compassion, as compassion would make me vulnerable. However, this culture shock I had prepared myself for never came. The city felt familiar even though this was my first time seeing and experiencing it.

Over the past week, I have pondered why New York City did not feel as foreign as I had expected, and now I believe it was the people.

Within just six days of being in New York City I began to see people I recognized; although I had never spoken to these individuals, I began to recognize their faces and understand their routines. This experience provided me with a new perception of the world. To participate in this trip, I battled my anxiety about traveling to New York, a place so different and far from home. Now I realize it is not difficult nor scary to adapt to a new place. It is so much fun seeing, learning, and experiencing a new place, and meeting so many new amazing people. During this trip I have made so many new and wonderful friends, and I am so excited for this blossoming community we have built through this trip, which we will carry on to campus.

My biggest take away has been my new understanding of community. Spending time in New York City helped to realize a grander sense of community, which is still alive within the world. A sense of community that was, in my experience, scarce during the past year of dealing with the pandemic. Walking through the 9/11 Museum I reflected on how this city withstood such tragedy and came together to support one another through crisis and rebuild all that was lost. Looking back on 9/11 we remember how this disaster was felt by all across our nation. Everyone watched as the Twin Towers fell, and everyone mourned this catastrophic loss. Americans were united as one large community. And as I experienced New York amid another hardship, which has been arguably more devastating, this picture containing smiling faces and Sunday Jazz assures me that this resilient city is well on its way to overcoming yet another disaster, and I am hopeful the United States will unite once again, following in this city’s footsteps by coming together as a community to rebuild.

As I climbed into the sky to head back home, I gazed over the city one last time and made two promises. The first was a promise to see this beautiful city that I love again; and the second was to do my part to unite those around me in the rebuilding process which we have ahead of us.

Malachi Cope, Sophomore, Honors College College of Public Health

many others, Charging Bull trivializes the difference between subsistence and utter destitution. Relentless optimism in the midst of such high stakes is virtually impossible. Charging Bull, then, represents the naïveté that comes with wealth—in its message as well as its creator.

As one moves through New York, the clean prosperity of Wall Street falls away and is replaced by the messy subsistence of Chinatown or Harlem—then more clean prosperity—and then subsistence once more.

This is a picture of Charging Bull, an iconic statue and tourist attraction in front of Bowling Green on Broadway. The statue, which was originally placed outside of the stock exchange on Wall Street, was created by artist Arturo Di Monica in the wake of a late 80’s market crash. Di Monica created the statue as a (rather unsubtle) symbol of the prowess and relentless optimism that he believed the Merrill Lynches and J.P. Morgan Chases of the financial district exemplified. Di Monica’s statue, then, was created to represent a Wall Street that is relentlessly successful in the face of economic adversity.

In the financial district, where streets are clean, buildings are well-maintained, and wealth is evident in even the worst of economies, Charging Bull is at home. The statue represents the optimism that only those who have never been at risk of destitution can unwaveringly hold.

For the hedge fund manager on Wall Street, the market takes a downward turn and his portfolio drops to half its value—from 15 million dollars of assets under management to a measly 7 or 8 million dollars. He takes a break from work (needing to de-stress), takes the elevator down to Wall Street, and strolls through the financial district. He sees Charging Bull, absorbs the statue’s message of relentless optimism, and finds new confidence as he returns to work. Or, at least, that’s what Di Monica likely imaged, seeing as he was willing and able to spend $350,000 of his own money creating the statue—despite the poor condition of the market at the time.

For others, the relentless optimism that Charging Bull espouses is impossible. To the lower-class, first or second-generation immigrant in Chinatown, for example, a market downturn can mean downsizing at work, a layoff, and perhaps even hunger. For him and

New York brings these two sides of life into constant contact. In suburban America, prosperity and subsistence are separated by a far greater physical space. At work, the New York hedge fund manager immerses himself in the privilege of Wall Street. He walks past Charging Bull and lives according to its message. On his way home, though, he rides in his limousine past people from all positions and walks of life—doing so is unavoidable, after all, if he wishes to get anywhere in New York. He still maintains his naïve optimism—it being a product and privilege of his position in life—but he gains some level of perspective as he looks out of his double-paned limousine window at those who merely subsist. Perhaps in moments like these, he gains some understanding of how difficult it can be for some New Yorkers to subscribe to Charging Bull’s optimism.

In suburbia, where space and routine afford a greater degree of separation between those who prosper and those who struggle, it’s easy to forget how the other half lives or to regard others’ lives as exceptions rooted in laziness. In New York, constant contact makes it more difficult to remain so naïve. Clearly, the naïveté of wealth is still present in New York— otherwise, there would be no Charging Bull. Not so far from Charging Bull, though, New Yorkers who barely make ends meet struggle on, living their lives within viewing distance of J.P. Morgan’s loftiest offices.

It’s in New York’s very nature—in its compression of all strata of economic status—to make it harder for the privileged to remain so hopelessly naïve, and to foster in even its most wealthy a greater compassion for those less fortunate.

Andrew Davis, Senior, Honors College College of Nursing Happiness and Sorrow

“She is a tigress, roar!” We were walking down the street on our way to see one of the popular tourist sites of New York City, the Empire State Building. As we walked, out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a plump cat sitting just outside the entrance to a shop. She sat there peacefully, surprisingly uninfringed upon by the ever-passing crowds of NYC locals and tourists. As we stooped down to pet the cat, the owner, an older Asian lady began conversing with us. One lie I was led to believe before going to NYC was that the people there are mean. This is not the case; blunt maybe, but certainly not mean.

The lady told us “She loves to sit by the window and watch the pigeons.” To which I laughed and responded “my cats do the same thing!”

No matter where you travel to, people are people and if you reach out with kindness they will often respond in like manner, or at least I would like to believe so.

This moment is one of the many moments in New York City where happiness was evident; just a lady and her cat laughing along with a handful of tourist.

Later that same day we were wandering aimlessly through Central Park to pass the time. I never could have imagined how comforting and refreshing it is for a city dweller to be surrounded by greenery before going to NYC.

After being encircled by concrete pillars in what seemed to be a never-ending maze of crowded roads for days, Central Park was serene haven to me.

As the group of us made our way through the park, we eventually found a couple of benches and sat down to simply relax in the enveloping vegetation for a couple of hours. Adjacent to us sat an ethnically Indian businessman wearing a nice suit. He had taken his keys, wallet, phone, and everything else out of his pockets and was just wandering around aimlessly nearby eating some kind of unknown fruit as he walked. My first thought was simply that he had a long day at work and was trying to “just vibe,” so I did not think of it any more until a couple of NYC locals approached us. They asked if they could get a picture with the bench we were sitting on, as they had donated to have it put it there with a plaque in reverence for a dear friend of theirs, who they reported was a leader of the women’s rights movements in NYC.

The man whose picture we took looked around concertedly and asked “where did that man go … he kind of looked like he was going to kill himself” and then briefly later when the business man reappeared from around the corner, the man awkwardly chuckled and said “well, maybe not.” After the couple left, I approached the businessman and asked “brother, are you doing okay?” to which he responded “No, not really.” He went on to explain to me that he and his wife had gotten into an argument in which she pulled his ear. With a downtrodden and sodden look in his eyes, he peered into mine and said “I just don’t understand why she would ever do something like that to me.” I immediately realized that in Indian culture, pulling someone’s ear must be a sign of great disrespect often only invoked on disobedient children. For a wife to do it to her husband must carry an unequivocally significant weight. The businessman and I continued to converse for the next 20 minutes. He told me he was a contractor with a PhD in neuroscience, a smart and successful man. Before we departed, I comfortingly grasped the businessman’s shoulder and told him “Look, I can tell that obviously you’re really depressed right now, but I just want you to know that your life has meaning. I am a Christian, and I will be praying for you brother” to which he responded with an incredibly genuine smile and thanked me.

One can never truly know what another is going through, sometimes all it takes is being the person to reach out and ask “Are you okay?” For a city filled with much happiness, this encounter made it more than evident to me that there is a counterbalance of sorrow spread throughout the sprawling streets as well.

Abraham Escarcega, Senior, B.U.C.S. Academy College of Business & Technology New York Through My Eyes

Spending time in New York was amazing to me. As I have mentioned before, this was my second time in New York City. I got to do more on this trip than I did my previous trip to NYC in 2016. I have noticed how authentic New York City really is. I felt like I belonged in the city and that I was there for a reason. New York really did remind me that I am a city boy, born and raised. I was born about 6 hours away in Pittsburgh, PA.

When I was in New York, I snapped a picture of the World Trade Center memorial. I saw how united the city was when the attacks happened. After all the dust settled from the attacks, sporting games were returning, and I watched the videos of Americans coming together at Yankees games and New York Giants games to support all the New Yorkers who lost their lives.

Strangers coming together and as a nation. I do not know what is more authentic than that. I would make conversations with random people in Times Square, and it made me feel included.

The interesting part of going to the 9/11 memorial was figuring out how closely the Flight 93 plane crashed from my hometown - about an hour or so away. A woman with same last name as me, lost her life on that day. I always wondered if she was related to my family in some way, but I will never know the answer to that. People were crying in the memorial even to the day of July 10th, 2021. The love the city had for those who were lost in the attacks was felt all throughout the memorial and Financial District.

That is the beauty of meeting new people and connecting with them. That is what I learned about myself during this trip to NYC. I could go around NYC and help anyone who needed

assistance, which I have done by assisting a lost woman to Central Park. I think it is crazy that I have not lived in NYC but have helped someone find their way.

I am a people person. I love the business of the city and the fact that the city never sleeps. Everyone is working and something is always going on.

So I was starstruck even though I have been to NYC before. I see EB White’s viewpoint of a magical city where everyone is there for a different reason, but the common theme is that NYC is authentic to anyone with an open mind. The small-town flower shops and local fruit operated vendors by west side Manhattan to the Financial District and the Brooklyn Bridge, there is something authentic for everyone.

The most authentic part of visiting New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles and any other major city I have been to, is the people.

One World Trade Center is the symbol that after a horrifying memory, love and prosperity will come out of it.

Daniel Escarcega, Junior, B.U.C.S. Academy College of Clinical & Rehabilitative Health Sciences

This is the picture I chose for this assignment. This is a picture of 3 children playing around with stuff they found on the ground. I took this picture at The Metropolitan Museum, and this picture is in the Bronx in the year 1942. These children are playing with the most random stuff they could find, yet they are having an abundant amount of fun. The smile on 2 of the kid’s faces really caught my attention and it just seems they are having the time of their lives.

Nowadays, kids need technology to have fun. As I stroll through my neighborhood on my way to work, I never see any kids playing outside anymore. It is scary to see that in this time.

Back when I was a kid, I have fond memories of playing with dirt, or playing with toys with my brother Abraham. I am blessed to have those fond memories, because that was a rich childhood, not having to worry about my tablet being dead, or losing it, or even breaking it. What I also love about this picture is the road they are playing on. As I said, this picture was taken in 1942, the scenery is much different than the New York we saw throughout this trip. The buildings are much smaller, there are no big towers, or huge skyline in the picture. This is taken in the Bronx, and it is much smaller than Manhattan. The buildings are older looking and the lot they are in is worn down and rough looking.

The main thing I learned about the city is how nice the people are. There are so many stereotypes of how rude and mean the people of New York are, but that is totally opposite.

I only had one bad encounter and that was trying to enter the American Museum of Natural History. A man thought I was trying to cut in front of him, so he almost grabbed me, but the

security guard was there to stop that and he calmed the man down and he eventually apologized. But the rich conversations I had with some people were fascinating. On Saturday, when our group went to the Meatpacking District, we stopped for street tacos. Fortunately, I have the blessing and ability to speak Spanish. It is not the best, but it gets me in conversations. I talked to the taco stand owners and they told me how they prepared the food. Another conversation I had was with a homeless man. I do not remember his name, but he was private of his story and did not tell me much; he left home for New York for a better life, but unfortunately that did not happen. I had a few bucks on me, so he got 2 hot dogs and I wished him the best of luck and we left.

I love how diverse the city was. I heard so many different languages from Spanish to French and even Russian. I learned that I need to speak Spanish more.

My girlfriend, who is Hispanic as well, has been helping me come out of my shell with that. Finally, this picture helps me understand that these kids didn’t need toys to have fun. They made their own fun and had abundant amounts of it as well. They did not care what others thought of them, as long as they were smiling and laughing.

Devin Herzog, Sophomore, Honors College College of Public Health

On the free day of the ETSU Honors College NYC trip, John Tester and I decided to take on a new experience and see the NY Mets face the Pittsburgh Pirates. The primary message of the picture is the fact that the common “New Yorkers are mean” stereotype is not true.

Many people have the general conception that New Yorkers are mean. However, that is not the case. As John and I waited in line to get in, we got to speak to some Mets fans. One of them was a diehard fan from Brooklyn. We talked about how cool the new Mets jersey looked, and then talked about our own careers.

When John and I explained we work at a hospital, he expressed he did as well. He explained that he was a security guard and that he loves his job. It turns out that there are a lot of similarities between his hospital in NYC and our hospital in Tennessee.

John and I stood there for a while talking to him, conveying our tremendous respect for hospital security guards. While we were in line, we also talked to some lifelong fans that were working as stadium staff. They were as pleasant as could be, and it seemed all of them were cheery due to the fact it was gameday.

Once we got to the stands, we sat down in what seemed to be where a bunch of season tickets holders sat. Little by little, fans poured in; as they did, it was like a family gathering! People would greet each other, hug, catch up, and talk during the game. The game was essentially a family function on a Sunday! As people left the game, there were heartfelt

goodbyes. After experiencing this for five hours, I was blown away. I have sat in many sporting events-as well as many season tickets seats-and have never seen fans act so warm!

Although the stadium was authentic-as it was full of New Yorkers-it felt very welcoming to outsiders.

The people, food, and atmosphere of the stadium was authentic. I felt like a New Yorker when I was at the game! Hearing the song “Sunday in New York” by Bobby Darin booming over the stadium speakers was a magical moment. John and I kind of looked at each other, and were like “wow.”

Another display of evidence that New Yorkers are nice is how most of them act on the subway. There were multiple people willing to help with directions during our first few times using the system. There were multiple occurrences where men acted like gentlemen and stood to offer their seat to women. Additionally, many people also held the door open for passengers getting on the train. Although many were living their life privately with music in their ears, most were considerate of others.

My next claim is that the NYPD are the nicest police officers I have talked to. The ones that patrol the subway spend a lot of their time giving tourist directions. Ones on the street also let tourists know they are available to answer questions and give directions. There is a sense of comfort with the NYPD around; questions and concerns will be taken care of. There were some NYPD officers working at the Mets stadium that were very fun to talk to!

In summary, New Yorkers are nice! Do not listen to the people who say that they are mean. From what I have gathered, they only appear hostile if you lose common sense and stand in the middle of a walkway.

I loved my interactions with the people of New York City, and I see the city differently; the city has more warmth to it than it did before. I feel more comfortable going to New York City, and I have developed more of a sense that although humans may appear different, we are similar in many ways. New York City taught me that the people there are trying to get through their life one day at a time, just like I am.

Dhania Jeanty, Junior, B.U.C.S. Academy College of Public Health

New York City was an amazing opportunity. Everything I saw, everything I experienced was a once in a lifetime chance. The people I met in New York City the people I experienced my trip with were an amazing group of people. Everything about New York was so lovely. We got to experience what an actual New Yorker does to get by day-to-day from subway to different subways, Ubers to Taxis.

New York felt like home away from home. everyone around us was so cultured and diverse. everyone was different; everyone was unique, and nobody looked at nobody look like nobody you can tell everyone they were from somewhere and they all came together in a big city living as one.

My picture is from the upper Eastside and in the upper Eastside and we saw a community called Chinatown where all the Asians came together and built their own little community in New York City.

Being able to witness the upper Eastside just reminded me so much of home in Florida where all the Asians came together and built a community in a safe place just for them. They had different meat stores different clothing and shoe stores and even had a school with all Asian children. They have different Asian markets, different Asian sellers just making a living on a day-to-day basis and everyone’s getting along with everyone. It was just so amazing to see that there’s different people everywhere and there’s diversity and culture everywhere. New York made me realize just because I could be uncomfortable in one place, I’m very welcome in many other places. In Chinatown there are also people stopping to tell us that congratulations, especially the ones that will see us with our honors

college towels. Everyone was so sweet and welcoming. I personally took away from this trip that living in East Tennessee for three years made me realize that I will always stand out anywhere I go and I’ll always be different in a classroom or in a store. Being in New York City for eight days made me realize that

I’m not so different. ther’re other people like me and ther’re other people of other cultures in one setting and you’re not even being looked at for being AfricanAmerican or being looked at for speaking a different language.

Being in the upper Eastside just reminded me so much of being back home in Florida where my immigrant grandparents and immigrant parents came for a better life to live in a community with people that wanted the same for themselves and their children. That’s what I was getting from in Chinatown: that these people came here wanting a better life for each other and built a community where they can sell items and trade items and still live a life they want to live together and that’s how it feels in Florida where everybody looks like me and everybody speaks the same language as me.

I learned a lot about myself in New York. I learned a lot of what people think around me or what they feel and I learned a lot about my schoolmates.

And with my group, I learned what people found interesting and what people didn’t find interesting. The whole experience was one of a kind.

Zack Keith, Senior, Honors College College

of Arts & Sciences

The Dawn of a Century: The Black American Vagabond(s)

It was around 11:00 p.m. when I had my head pressed against my hotel window, peering 31 stories down into Manhattan’s bustling night rush. My thoughts were drenched in James Baldwin’s “Fifth Avenue, Uptown,” W.E.B. Dubois’s Song of The Black Folk, and even Booker T. Washington’s Up from Slavery—all writers on Black existentialism.

As a Black American, raised and educated in Southern Appalachia, near Bristol, Tennessee, My Race accounted for less than 1% of students throughout k-12.

The rarity of my color was so extreme that I did not befriend a Black peer until I was 21, deep into my sophomore year in college. In New York City, such a thing would have been impossible; in fact, I often pondered how my life could have been different if raised within the beauty of its sublime racial and cultural diversity. Perhaps, I would not have been alienated, perhaps I would have studied more and worried less about my skin, and perhaps I would not have felt so detached from myself and humanity. During my stay in New York City, a single question was invoked within me: my existence as a Black American.

The eyes of the Black folk in Manhattan are quite different from those in Southern Appalachia, especially those from Bluff City, Tennessee—my hometown. There seems to be a nonverbal communication of the eyes that may be racially exclusive between two Black strangers who meet for the first time. Their gaze will linger as if trying to remember their name or trying to establish some form of connection. However, in Manhattan, such a thing does not exist among the Black folk. As a Black individual, I found myself slipping through their gaze like a diver slipping through the water. I was invisible. I did not feel the limelight of Dubois’ double consciousness, where a Black American must reconcile the weight of

their skin with their identity, nor did I feel Baldwin’s notion of being under surveillance by the world.

Although New York City is immensely diverse, it was not until I solo traveled to the East Village on 7th and 8th street that I saw various races, cultures, and ethnicities blending together, fellowshipping with one another on two narrow roads.

I became so intrigued that I stayed all day to watch how the area would change throughout the day. In the evening restaurants and bars begin to open, and at night, locals would block off the street entrances. Lights similar to Christmas bulbs lined the two roads, flickering to the beat of some distant music. People wandered up and down the sidewalk, while others rode neon scooters in the streets. Everything there seemed separated from New York City. It was as if it was its own small but mighty city that operated on diversity without even being cognizant of it.

I was no longer Black in the East Village; I was myself, a mere human. I recall going to a Buddhist antique shop, a Japanese bar, and then an Irish one on my last two nights in New York City. I spent the final handful of hours with strangers who quickly became like old friends. They shared their aspirations and secrets of the city. The feeling and energy of these places plunged me into deep nostalgia for the times I spent with local and international students at ETSU when I was a sophomore at Northeast State Community College.

There is not a day that goes by I do not think about these memories, despite the warning I had given myself in the final stanza. I believed I would never experience such a feeling, such a saccharine warmth again. However, I did in the East Village while having a drink with some locals. Perhaps I am coming to the conclusion that it is certainly not the place, not even the people, but the feeling, the energy in a place that makes a person feel human.

Throughout most of my life, I felt like a Black vagabond, searching for his own existence outside of race. I searched and searched for a place to call mine, a place where I could leave the dark coat home.

The time I spent in New York City has matured me in ways that would be impossible in the classroom setting. The diversity and unification in the East Village are special, perhaps even childlike in nature. It is a place where I felt at home; it is a place that makes me proud to be an American.

Noemi Mejia, Senior, B.U.C.S. Academy Clemmer College of Education

A better life. A better country. A better state. All the things that immigrants hoped for when leaving their motherland.

As I walked the streets of New York, exploring Greenwich Village, the Financial District, and the Upper East Side, I thought to myself, “Who is an insider and who are the outsiders?”

The poem “The New Colossus” made me look at the Statue of Liberty from a different perspective. New York, to me, is truly magical because the people there seem not to sleep. The night could never end if you did not want it to.

But the value of the state grew in my heart after seeing all of the history with my own eyes. “The immigrants” a sculpture located at The Battery, captured my eye instantly. As my group and I walked towards the sculpture, I stopped for a second to take it all in. “This is a part of what Emma Lazarus wrote in her poem,” I thought to myself. I was standing on land that took outsiders in over years and years, until eventually these outsiders become insiders.

In the photo at right you can see a man and a woman holding a baby, and they are all looking up. Behind them is a man who holds his arms up in the air while grasping a piece of a broken shackle in each hand. This picture is a perfect representation of how I perceived outsiders and insiders throughout my entire time in New York. Each district was different; they were each unique in ways where a person who would be considered an insider in the

Upper East Side, would be considered an outsider in Harlem. I wish that I could experience New York as if I lived there, and not just as a tourist. Besides the fact that I felt like an outsider, it was as if I wasn’t. The thing that I loved most about New York was knowing that I was an outsider but still feeling a sense of belonging, as if I were in fact an insider.

During my time in New York I felt a sense of belonging that I did not feel in Tennessee. Perhaps it was because I was surrounded by diversity on every corner, but I learned to love my own identity.

Seeing so many people with different cultures and backgrounds was enlightening. It carries the theme of insiders and outsiders so well by allowing me to see things from different viewpoints.

Sitting there looking at the Immigrants Sculpture gave me a chance to reflect on all of the themes that were discussed.

It gave me a chance to think about the words of Emma Lazarus in her poem “The New Colossus.” Another thing I learned is that I belong in a big city.

Kylee Phalen, Senior, Honors College College of Arts & Sciences Outsider to (Potential) Insider

As I wandered both alone and with others through the subway and down well-lit sidewalks, past both street rats and breathtaking architecture, I knew that New York City would not leave my mind as I stepped onto my flight home.

Is it the grease of all those dollar slices still in my veins? Was it possibly the air still in my lungs, the air that tinted my sneezes a concerning shade of gray? Maybe it was how the lights burned into my eyes and angered my astigmatism. Whatever it may be, New York plagues my thoughts.

While some may find this wonderful, it is truly quite the inconvenience. I have a plan. I always have a plan. Thoughtfully determined, there has been little variation in the ultimate goal of medical school. Three and a half years at East Tennessee State University as an undergraduate student. A semester dedicated to studying for the Medical College Admission Test. One year working full-time as a healthcare transition educator at ETSU Pediatrics during my gap. Early decisioning Quillen College of Medicine to increase my chances of acceptance. Though I can only early decision one medical school and am locked into that school if I am accepted, it would be worth it. I could explore the country and live in big cities during my residency.

My walks through the city threw a wrench in those plans. I am convinced a large part of the reason might be the addicting nature of dollar slices (now making a second appearance in this short essay), but for the first time in years, I could see myself going somewhere other than ETSU for medical school. While this might be heretical to write in a paper for an ETSU class, I could see myself as an insider of New York City, and Dr. Rebecca Brown is to blame.

Going out of her way to assist a pre-medical student, neuro-oncologist Dr. Brown guided me and a fellow student through the halls of Mount Sinai hospital. I was stunned. Having never been in a hospital so large, I was instantly taken aback. Mount Sinai was filled with gorgeous yet functional amenities that enriched the lives of patients both physically and emotionally. Knowing my heart is set on pediatrics, Dr. Brown led us to the children’s hospital where I could hear overlapping voices of kids talking in their rooms. This was the moment of my tour that stood out the most, and I felt such a deep sense of belonging in those halls, in the world of pediatric care.

Days later, Dr. Brown reached out to set up an informal interview with the medical school and children’s hospital. Helping out a fellow Buccaneer, she is continually going out of her way to be of assistance to me. By meeting staff of the medical college, my foot will be in the door of the Icahn School of Medicine. While this not a guaranteed in, it has allowed me to consider applying to medical schools in larger cities, being somewhere new and bustling while I am young.

The day after this tour, I stumbled upon St. Thomas Church in the Upper East Side. Seeing the flag I have come to love, the shield of the Episcopal church, I had to walk through those doors. As the light shining through the stained glass painted the building various shades of blue and red, I walked to the alter. Frozen by the beauty of this church, the familiarity brought my deepest and final sense of belonging.

No matter where I am, either the Appalachian mountains or the concrete jungle of New York, I am home and welcome in the Episcopal church.

Katherine Pollard, Sophomore, Honors College College of Arts & Sciences

While we were in the middle of a crosswalk, this clock caught my eye. It’s very ornate, and it’s on the side of a beautiful building.

What drew me to it, though, was its inscription: “The Sun, it shines for all.” For the rest of the day, and then for the rest of the trip, I kept coming back to these words.

To the person who wrote it, to the people who read it, to me personally – what did this phrase mean? I looked a little into the background of the building and this clock, and discovered that the building is called “The Sun Building.” The clock, put up in 1930, was installed by a newspaper called “The Evening Sun,” which was merged with a larger newspaper decades ago. The building has changed ownership several times since then, but the clock and its inscription have remained.

Over the course of the week, we were asked to reflect on different themes. One that resonated deeply with me was the theme of insiders versus outsiders, the question of who belongs in a place like New York City and who doesn’t. I saw all walks of life during my week in Manhattan, and I saw very clearly that, while New York is a place of wonder and opportunity for some, it’s a place of suffering and destitution for many others. “The Sun, it shines for all” was originally a slogan for a newspaper. Now that the newspaper is long-gone, these words are left largely up to interpretation. To me, through the lens of my experiences in New York City, this phrase highlights the commonalities between the very diverse groups of people I encountered in the city and the divide that exists between groups in spite of these commonalities. It also highlights the way most things are dual in nature, rather than being just one thing.

The sun is generally considered good, a positive force. Most people enjoy sunny weather, and see the sun as a source of warmth and vitality. However, too much exposure to the sun can be dangerous. It has the ability to scorch and shrivel, and even to cause life-threatening disease. It’s a good thing if you have the resources to protect yourself from it. It can be nourishing, but also has the potential to be relentless and cruel. This duality of the sun, I think, is comparable to the duality of New York

City. Throughout my time in the city, I was awestruck by the architecture, art, and unique people I saw. Most of the things I stopped to appreciate were expressions of immense wealth. While I am so grateful I had the opportunity to experience such a beautiful place, I couldn’t help noticing the disparity between the glittering skyscrapers and the people sleeping on the sidewalks at their feet.

The sun did indeed shine on all, but it was not kind to everyone it touched.

New York City draws people with dreams, people who want to be a part of something larger than life. It does nourish some – they meet the right people, get the right jobs, are buoyed up higher and higher until they are really, truly, living in the shining New York City that is, to most, a mirage. Others, though, the city scorches, throwing one disappointment after another in their faces, pushing them further and further down until they have nowhere else to go.

As I am someone who has not traveled much before, this experience in New York showed me that the places I’ve read about my entire life are solid and real, and that seeing them in person is so very different from seeing them on television, or in my mind. I learned a lot on this trip, but a main takeaway for me was the multiplicity of everything – of the people, the places, and the symbols I saw. I realized that New York City can be multiple things at once. It can be affluent, rich in history, and abundant in opportunity at the same time it is full of poverty and hopelessness, a place where even the park benches are hostile to those who aren’t successful enough to make it in the city.

It has many layers, and it’s possible for all these layers to be important and equally real at once. This multiplicity of New York also applies to the people I encountered and the buildings and symbols I saw. For example, the Statue of Liberty also has layers upon layers of meaning, representing many different things to different people.

In sum, one of the main things I gained from this week was a much-needed reminder to look a little deeper than surface level, to remember that there is much more to people and their actions, to events and places and objects than meets my eyes. I see the world through the lens of my own experiences, and I often forget to think about the fact that other people’s realities exist, and are just as real and important as mine. The sun shines for all, but that means different things to different people. New York City, Johnson City, and everywhere else are many distinct places at once depending on who experiences them.

Each place warmly accepts some, but excludes others. Each place has groups that belong and groups that don’t, and while the criteria for ‘belonging’ changes from place to place, the fact remains that some group is always being considered the other.

My time in Manhattan made me more aware of these layers of reality that exist everywhere, and reinforced why it so important to listen to others, and to be willing to learn from everyone I encounter.

Jessica Potter, Junior, Honors College College of Arts & Sciences

Authenticity vs. Artificiality

New York City- illustrious, iconic, inimitable. It’s the city of a million dreams lived and lost with every passing moment.

The air pulses with a veritable thump; it’s of little consequence to whether the unabated pounding finds its source from ceaseless traffic, construction, or eight million hearts beating in unison.

The urban sprawl vibrates and hums and glows, commanding attention and attracting an untold number of visitors and new residents. Fed by revenue and a persona conceived by a thousand different cameras, New York arches its luminescent high-rises with a comfortable sigh. Newcomers witnessing New York’s sprawling form are wonderstruck. Thus, the rosecolored veil enfolding New York is unsurprising- it is an astonishing organism that has uniquely evolved to meet the demands of countless communities. However, the romanticized ‘concept’ of New York does not aptly capture the dynamic reality that is the metropolis.

For all the conversations about New York’s impressive stature and its ability to be both hostile as well as opportunity-laden, it is ultimately just a place where people live their lives. While bright lights and insurmountable traffic are equally a part of New York City, its heart is found in the people who quietly find peace beneath the maelstrom of restless movement.

The most authentic New York persists in the soft, understated, and amazingly mundane lives of its inhabitants.

The real New York is not catered to the interests of tourism and profit; rather, it is a vessel for the anonymous citizen to live and grow and interact. New York finds inhalations in the breaths of ubiquitous human experiences, as the laughter of a caregiver and child at a park, or humdrum trips to purchase groceries, are as present in the city as anywhere else. Authenticity is found in

intimate, subtle instances that we often miss when distracted by the extravagant. It's everywhere, and yet, we have never learned to see or appreciate it.

The picture I chose captures a grocery and flower store on Tuesday morning, somewhere in the upper west side of Manhattan. Vibrant flowers surround an otherwise unnoteworthy corner convenience shop, and the shopkeeper works with artistry as he constructs bouquets one by one. I had paused to admire the myriad of flowers gathered and carefully displayed around the store- I was in awe. With discretion, I watched the shopkeeper carefully pick up each flower, tying them into a bundle and arranging them to his determined idea of perfection. In this photo, taken before I had even had the opportunity to approach the storefront, you can see him at work, focused on the task at hand. Here, in the simple instance of an individual seeing to the upkeep of floral merchandise, I find one of the many facets of an authentic New York.

The grocery shop in question does not necessarily catch the eye or exist for the purpose of attracting tourists or copious amounts of money. It merely caters to the needs of local families, perhaps providing fresh produce or a bouquet that brightens an apartment space.

This photo depicts a man working for his livelihood and supporting others while doing so, and that is such a beautiful thing.

Stripping the lacquered facade from New York reveals an equally breathtaking city that is guided by the lives of its inhabitants rather than a persona. By casting aside my own suppositions about New York, I found myself within the context of a place as lived in and tangible as any other.

Prior to the trip, being able to acclimate to “New York City” felt like an impossibility- how could I possibly stay afloat when inundated in the tide of a million other lives? I learned throughout my week, however, that I have a greater capacity to adjust smoothly to the flow of urban demands than I had given myself credit for.

I proved to myself that I am capable and that I am flexible. With a deep breath and open eyes, I realized that my life is my own, wherever I take myself. I can be happy and prosper in whatever circumstances I approach in the future, as long as I have windows, a quiet space to appreciate my circumstances, and a few cherished relationships. Visiting New York has shown me not only that I can, but that I will.

Christian Price, Junior, Honors College College of Arts & Sciences

Taken on Monday, July 12 in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, this photograph summarizes my learning experience of the trip to New York City. Despite its external simplicity, this picture of a single tree residing on 82nd Street speaks volumes about the fabric of America’s most populous city.

First, this picture explains the abundance of municipality present in New York City. Apart from the simple tree, all one can view in this picture is the excess of housing complexes, businesses, scaffolding, streetlights, and cars. Such objects and their large quantity are what classify New York City as a “concrete jungle.”

The city’s overabundance of industry and construction leaves little to no space for nature to run unrestrained.

Additionally, this photograph unveils New York’s artificiality of nature. As referenced, most of the city is enveloped in concrete, brick, and metal. This leaves so little space for greenspace to accumulate that in order for any amount of plant life to be added, trees must be planted like they are single flowers––accurately depicted in the photograph.

This trip has taught me greatly about myself as a person. New York City has educated me about a privilege I never even knew I had––the privilege of living in east Tennessee where green life is plentiful.

At any point in time, I’m capable of walking outside and immersing myself in the wilderness. Meanwhile, New York residents are forced to travel hours to escape the metropolis and enter true nature. One may argue that various parks within the city, such as Central Park, suffice for locals, but such parks––most of which span only two blocks––are all many locals have known their entire lives.

My journey through New York City has also opened new perspectives for me.

I learned during my travels throughout the week that when exploring uncharted territory, one tends to fixate themselves on what is potentially missing from that scene.

As I marveled at architecture and landmarks I had only previously seen in media and television, I couldn’t help but ponder the trees, grass, and flowers that could have given the city such vibrant color––a breath of fresh air from the vast concrete that encompassed me––had they only been planted. None of this is to say that my experience in the city wasn’t what I had hoped for; it was all spectacular, and my experience was invaluable. I simply began to yearn for the hills, rivers, and mountains that I had grown up with as a child. The hustle and bustle of a metropolitan area was a pleasant temporary change of pace, but it’s not what I wish to call home.

As I’ve been reflecting on what I’ve learned during my week in New York City, I’ve found myself habitually glancing at this photograph. This simple picture of a single tree amid a busy 82nd Street serves as a reminder of how fortunate I am to live in an environment with beautiful grass fields, serene forests, and clean air. I am beyond grateful for being given a newfound appreciation for green space, an east-Tennessee amenity I prize.

Matthew Rauhuff, Junior, Honors College College of Public Health Turbulence

A turbulent system is a means to describe the chaotic and unsolved nature of fluid dynamics in physics. Things like the path of a leaf on a river’s water or the upcoming week’s weather might be predictable for a short moment, but the further ahead one looks, the more impossible an accurate prediction becomes.

There are many ways I could describe the time I spent in New York City, meeting engaging peers, exploring monolithic places, pursuing edifying meaning, but in the end, I would describe the experience as turbulent.

For the average tourist of the city, a visit entails an event that almost no other place will offer. The vivid lights and flash of color across each street packed with people makes a person feel small in the world. The taste of the smell around each corner’s local cuisine of a foreign culture can fill a stomach and make a person feel that the whole world is in New York. Yet down in the subways beneath the city’s streets there is a stench.

An area of concentrated wealth is juxtaposed with an area of concentrated poverty; while New York is a city known for progress and potential, much is a matter of perspective.

As a guy simply visiting alongside a domestic study, the perspective I had differed even from my peers. The first train ride in the metro went in a blur attempting to navigate the network so unfamiliar to us. However, as that experience became more common, a new intensity rose in the place of unfamiliarity — I found my eyes scanning each train car and myself poised with my peers in mind, because every second in that confined space was

opportunity for sexual assault. Within a day of arriving, the women in our group were having to confront the creeping gazes, covert pictures, and groping hands of the city. My time in New York impressed on me how severe and ever-present the problem, elevated by their gender, remained for them.

Yet even the locals imply the different perspectives that city life can show depending on the hand life has given them. The most obvious example would be the man sleeping beside the stairs on his cardboard mat or the woman huddled beneath scaffolding in the night’s downpour. Each day I walked the streets, there were empty rooms and buildings for rent while even more homeless lined them. These are the people ignored and neglected — visitors try their best to avoid them, and officials would line benches with spikes if they could. Nevertheless, each of the homeless have their own perspective of the city, and it is not the perspective of a tourist or some social elite. In more cases than not, the margin of error life gives those people is factors greater than those that end up in the streets, but where there is wealth there is poverty. New York has wealth.

The picture I took shows the Statue of Liberty ahead of the setting sun; the statue was an expectant site for those entering the country by boat long ago. As people filtered through Ellis Island, they held individual experiences and characteristics that life would treat them differently, but one thing they had in common was that the life ahead of them was unpredictable because many would face discrimination and harsh conditions, and that was no fault of their own. I had no way of knowing that the sun would line up for a picture. Some things are just up to chance.

Life is difficult for everyone in some way, but identities can push and pull in more and more directions. With so many people packed into one place, there are many perspectives that New York City has to offer.

It acts as an unimaginable hub, concentrated with some of the best opportunity, food, and culture that the world has to offer. It is also concentrated with some of the most blatant inequality, filth, and apathy that the world has to offer. One word that I would use to describe the city itself would be condensed, but in life, experience itself is turbulent.

Amanda Robinette, Sophomore, Honors College College of Clinical & Rehabilitative Health Sciences

This picture was taken in Washington Square Park on July 10. On this day, my group had been assigned to Greenwich Village for our walkabout. During the walkabout, I noticed areas of greenery that allowed people to slow down and take in nature, which they rarely saw on their way to work and other daily activities. People in New York City are constantly on the move, normally by themselves, and surrounded by towering buildings and skyscrapers.

Most of the time they are in a hurry, are on their phones, and are thinking about all the tasks they must complete for the day. Car horns are always going off, and no one seems to know each other. All these factors can cause people in New York, who should technically be insiders, to feel like outsiders within their own city.

However, the parks and gardens in New York have a whole different environment than that of the rest of the city. Throughout the New York trip, I noticed how the people in the parks looked happy and relaxed. These were the places where I saw families walking together, friends meeting up, and lots of physical activity. I felt the most sense of community within the green spaces in the city. These areas allowed people to slow down and be brought back into reality, away from the automatic movements of their workday.

Compared to the streets and subways, where each person kept to himself or herself and did not want to be bothered, the parks were a whole other world. On the subway, people put their earbuds in, stayed glued to their phones, and would sometimes move if I sat down beside them. In the green spaces, however, people were talking and laughing with one another. This made me realize how much we take our small community in Johnson City and the abundant nature within it for granted. If I ever want to run through the grass,

play outdoor games, and look at the trees, all I have to do is open the door to my backyard. However, in New York, people have to walk good distances to find a place to enjoy those comforts. Although nature is much scarcer in New York than in Tennessee, there is a sense of community wherever it can be found. When my group visited Washington Square Park, kids were playing soccer, people were talking to one another as they walked, and others were reading instead of looking at their phones.

These areas reminded me of home and provided a nice break from the busy and fast-paced city. Although they were scarce and might have seemed artificial being in the middle of the most urban city in the country, the parks brought authenticity to an area surrounded by high buildings.

Each green space had its own unique qualities and environment. While in Greenwich, my group also walked through Jefferson Market Garden, which was filled with several kinds of flowers and greenery on each side of the path. People strolled through to examine the plants and to be immersed in nature for a few moments. Although it was small, the garden was quiet, peaceful, and offered a place to relax. Central Park, on the other hand, was very large and had space for people to run, walk dogs, have picnics, and so much more. Walking through it made me feel like I was back in Tennessee, and there were several times I couldn’t even see one building. The last park we went to was Carl Schurz Park, which had two dog runs–where many people took their dogs to play–and a playground that some elementary students went to. My group went into one of these dog runs, and I noticed that several of the owners were talking to each other even though they did not personally know one another. They laughed about their dogs playing together and had big smiles on their faces, unlike the people on the subways or on the streets.

All in all, the trip showed me that although New York’s tall buildings and structures are beautiful and breathtaking, nature is still an important part of life and is key to building community.

I also realized how I take the mountains and greenery that surround me for granted sometimes, and that there are places that do not have as easy access to it. I am very thankful for the opportunity to have gotten to experience New York, and one of the many things it taught me was how much parks, gardens, and nature as a whole play a crucial role in society.

Kwesi Small, Sophomore, B.U.C.S. Academy College of Business & Technology

The trip to New York was an exciting one. Although I have been there several times throughout my life, this trip was different.

Being able to explore the city on my own allowed me to view the city I grew up with through a different perspective.

Walking around and learning the history behind each area was eye opening. However, when I went to the top of the Empire State I was able to see every part of the city. This picture was taken atop the Empire State Building during our free day on Sunday 7/11 around 6:30 pm.

At the top of the skyscraper, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, New Jersey, and parts further uptown came into view. From the construction, the traffic, various shops and businesses, the people walking around carrying out their business, the homeless, the street performers, the tourists, and even the subway system underground. There was nothing hidden and everything was out in the open. This picture shows the lower side of Manhattan and how far the eye can see from the top. The view from the top allowed one to see for miles in all four directions of the building.

While I was there, I video called several family members and they all had the same initial reaction, “That’s scary to be that high up.” I understood their reactions however, seeing the view from a screen and in person are not the same. It was more calming than frightening as seeing parts of each city and district in full view. Toward the end of my experience atop the Empire State, my eyes became fixed on my place of birth, Brooklyn.

Although

of Brooklyn as a second home for me. With my

Brooklyn numerous times, but at the Empire State Building, Brooklyn came into full view, and I was able to see most of the area, leaving me in shock and awe.

Seeing the district where I used to live left me wondering how my life would have been if I had stayed in New York, if I would’ve ended up taking the same path that I did or if it would be completely different.

This made me appreciate nearly everything that happened in my life to bring me to this point. Seeing the different streets where many events took place at once left me thinking how peaceful the city was amongst the “chaos” that is seen when at street level.

Everything flows smoothly in every direction even when the city is at its busiest, with people coming from different backgrounds and perspectives but moving as one forming the city known as Manhattan.

Mollie Smith, Sophomore, Honors College General Education Core

What makes a person an “insider” or an “outsider”? Is it their ability to navigate? Is it how much they know about one area? Is it based on how they are perceived by those around them, or how they perceive themselves?

What made this course so impactful to me was not only how I was able to interact with my group and the city, but also how I came to understand that I can make an impact on both myself and those around me.

to the financial district, that the person in leather loafers is on his way to work while the person in tennis shoes adjacent to him is a tourist.

New York City is just like Johnson City, in which it is simply a place to go with things to see and opportunities to find.

It is the people (from the workers to the street performers to a visitor) that make New York so distinctive.

The photo I have provided was taken on the 42nd Grand Central subway platform as my group headed to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on our free day. I only knew one person coming into this course, which admittingly caused much hesitation and apprehension. Despite this, I quickly found the honors group to be a welcoming and positive source of energy. I used this picture to reflect on that welcoming feeling, and how it became much easier to navigate and discover the city because I had people alongside of me doing the exact same thing. They allowed me to feel like an “insider” (at least in a group aspect), though we were all technically “outsiders” in the sense of New York society.

New York is known for its towering skyscrapers and popular tourist traps, but more importantly, it’s known for being a melting pot of society and commonwealth. In fact, when coming back home from my trip, my coworker (a former New Yorker herself) asked me “what did you think of the people.” To simply put it, the people are what makes New York what it is today. There are different ways one can identify the type of person alongside of you whilst in the big apple. For instance, as you walk down the street, it’s the tourist who looks up while the native walks forward. Or perhaps you can identify, on the subway

While I do have many takeaways about the city itself and its people, I also derived multiple takeaways about myself and how I fit into a group setting. I discovered my resiliency in different situations and my ability to maintain a positive spirit (even when navigating the subway). Something made clear to me by a few of my peers was my ability to be a natural leader. Though, yes, occasionally that meant to be the “line leader” at various points, it also meant that what I did/how I acted affected those in my group. At multiple times, I found myself to rise up to challenges that I would never even haved dreamed of facing a few years ago.

All in all, this trip allowed me to grow as a student, friend, and person. While I got to learn more about one of the most culturally diverse cities in the nation/world, I further discovered my passion for travel and making connections (whether it be through strangers on the street or other people in my class).

This course has made an imprint on me that I hope will guide me through the remainder of my time at ETSU and for the rest of my life.

John Tester, Senior, Honors College College of Arts & Sciences

This photo was taken during my third walkabout, which was to the Upper West side of New York City on July 12th, 2021. This picture represents a simple, but modern, apartment complex that is home to the residents of New York City. I chose this picture due to its ability to discern between what is artificial and what is authentic within the city.

After visiting Grand Central, Times Square, and many other popular tourist attractions in New York City, I found the Upper West Side to be vastly different than the other areas I had observed. One immediate observation I made when I arrived was that there were many more apartment complexes, like the ones shown in the photo above, that would be more affordable for the everyday person, as opposed to the ritzy hotels and penthouses commonly found in other parts of the city. Another observation I made while walking around was how uncommon it was for people to stop and take photos of different buildings, sculptures, restaurants, etc. This further showed me that most of these people are locals and are less interested in their surroundings since they are surrounded by them daily.

While I felt like the Upper West Side was authentic, not every other area in New York City felt like that to me. Other areas like Times Square and Grand Central seemed much more artificial to me.

These popular attractions are innundated with so many tourists, it seemed to take away the authenticity that areas like Upper West Side provided me.

The main takeaway from this trip was that New York City is an amazing city to visit, but not a place I could see myself living in.

The biggest reason for this is dealing with the different modes of transportation. Since I am not an aggressive driver, I would struggle to drive alongside aggressive drivers who would constantly honk their horn at me. Another common mode of transportation is Ubering, which I could simply not afford to do on a daily basis. Another mode of transportation is the subway. I found this to be very confusing at first, but once I got the hang out of it, getting around the city was quite easy. However, after riding the subway all day, I felt very gross. If I lived up here, I would constantly be taking showers which would not be good for my skin. The last mode of transportation would be to walk to all my destinations. While this would be good for my health, it would take careful planning to get to my destinations on time. This goes to show me how nice it is to live in an area like Johnson City.

After this trip, I have learned something about myself. It showed me that I love to travel to different areas and experience unfamiliar cultures. I have found that being able to completely immerse myself into a new area and live like the locals for a brief time is truly an amazing experience. While I was sad to leave,

I did reflect on my experience on the plane ride home and have decided that this has been one of my favorite trips I have ever been on. Not only was it because I got to explore and learn so much about New York City, but also because of the friendships I made with the different students and faculty of ETSU!

William Thompson, Senior, Honors College College of Public Health

This above picture encompasses so much. It was taken atop the Empire State Building on the afternoon of July 11, 2021. This photo illustrates the view to the south, which overlooks New York Harbor. When given a closer look, one can see the Statue of Liberty. The very symbol of liberty and opportunity. A symbol which is starkly juxtaposed by the slums, ghettos, and homelessness that abound within New York City. The photo allows for a bird’s eye view of “The Big Apple.” It shows a glimpse of the advanced architecture and intricate design. A city with modernism at every turn, yet rich with history, original beauty, and tradition.

This photograph shows a city with an abundance of concrete, food, symbolism, and culture - and a scarcity of empathy, compassion, love, and genuine concern for one’s fellow human.

It is a photo of millions of people scattered across three of New York’s five boroughs. They reside, work, and live their lives within this city, yet they are worlds apart. These people are separated by a plethora of social and cultural factors that are often recognized as little more than nuance by those who observe them. I have now walked many miles within this city. I have passed through affluent areas which are flanked by impoverished communities. I have sat in Times Square and watched tourists step over a homeless man, never to be bothered with so much as a passing glance. I have watched those same tourists then enter a gift shop to purchase hundreds of dollars' worth of merchandise, all of which

say something to the effect of, “I Love New York City!” While many U.S. cities have unique areas that differ in socioeconomic status, I was intrigued to find that this city had members of every class at each storefront or corner. The direness of those in poverty and the riches of the upper class were equally apparent here. The haves and the have nots of the world have never been more obvious.

I have often wondered if we, as a people, are “blissfully ignorant” to the poverty and strife of others, but it seems now that we are unashamedly aware, merely indifferent. This program has been wonderful for a variety of reasons. It combined a unique pedagogical approach with a very real, very tangible opportunity to explore unfamiliar places while simultaneously exploring complex facets of my own personal philosophy. It has also allowed for a much deeper appreciation of rural living and the niceties that comprise the southern United States. For example, I have discovered value in my quiet, usually uneventful, morning commute. This program has been rich in cultivating self-awareness and the ability to self-reflect. One of my main takeaways from this trip has been derived directly from the city itself, but is applicable to so many other areas of life.

The newfound understanding that the gap between today’s reality and tomorrow’s potential is a large one, and the belief that the first step towards bridging that gap begins with recognizing one exists.

Nichole VanDusen, Junior, Honors College College of Business & Technology

In New York, I probably took over 400 photos of the city, the people, and, of course, the tourist attractions. However, the one thing I kept coming back to was the New York Fire Department. My dad is a firefighter, and that has had a big impact on my life and our family. Due to my connection, the 9/11 museum hit hard for me. Walking through it, I could not help but imagine that it could have been my dad. I could not settle on one photo, but two that relate to each other in the sense that the New York Fire Department is the backbone of New York.

The photo of the destroyed fire truck was one I could not look away from, and yet I had to step away from it because I got emotional.

The entire experience of the 9/11 museum was sobering. Despite the fact I did not see that day firsthand, I saw the repercussions that impacted everyone. Going through the museum, seeing the videos and items, and hearing the voices, is not something I will easily forget. However, my eyes always went straight to the firefighters and this truck in particular. This fire truck was what was left after the towers collapsed. Needless to say, I have been in fire trucks since I was a small child and they have always held a happy memory. Seeing this, I froze in not knowing what happened to the crew or the people around and all that was left was the back half of a ladder truck. These were brave men and women who fought to save their city and most likely sacrificed their lives in the process.

The other picture is of a fire station in Little Italy. The outside of Station 55 serves as a memorial to the men of that company who died on September 11. Each plaque has a name and his story. A conversation with my dad after our trip put things into perspective for me.

My father knew the exact number of firefighters that died on 9/11. Three hundred and forty-three. He knew that right off the top of his head with no hesitation as a firefighter from Tennessee.

He also mentioned stories of those men and women who, after the chaos would come to the stations and express their gratitude and condolences; however, at one point, they simply wanted to be left alone to grieve their brothers and sisters. I came to realize it was the NYFD and all fire departments that were affected the most by 9/11. There is nothing more authentic than the NYFD. These are real men and women doing their jobs and following their passions to keep their city safe. They go through sacrifices every day to simply keep New York afloat, and that is apparent by seeing the 9/11 museum to view the past, or walking down the street as they zoom by today.

This trip had great impact on me. I have never truly traveled before, and I had a lot of firsts. The first time seeing a big city, the first time being around cosmopolitan people, and the first time understanding what it means to explore different cultures. It showed me it doesn't matter where you are from, or who you are, but someone somewhere will welcome you in. From locals to tourists, most people were kind, helpful, and willing to make conversation. Although I could never live in a city, this trip makes me want to see and do more. These pictures in particular do not see the division among people. They show brave people helping everyone in a time of need, despite the consequences.

There may be evil in this world; however, there is also good that brings people together. New York knows this first hand and prevails with hope.

Loren Vermillion, Sophomore, Honors College College of Clinical & Rehabilitative Health Sciences

This picture was taken at a park called “Little Island” in the West Village of Manhattan.

What other city than New York itself would create a floating park, almost, it seems, a skyscraper park for civilians to enjoy outside the hustle and bustle of city life?

Don’t get me wrong, there definitely were a couple.

But, unlike Central Park, this area was more peaceful and tranquil, and had a very homey feel to it.

You may be thinking, “wouldn’t any park or outdoor area in New York feel homey compared to the avid city life?” Well, not necessarily. It was clear when visiting Central Park that there was a large number of people visiting simply to check it off their bucket list. On Little Island though, it was clear that a significant amount of people were locals, not only because of their mannerisms, but because this is such a hidden gem in the city, very few people know about it. It isn’t blasted and advertised in Times Square, and there isn’t a subway stop designated to this island. It took effort to discover and, unfortunately, many tourists don’t have time to just go adventuring on their days in the city.

While there were many parks we visited, including Central Park, Bryant Park, and Riverside Park, this Little Island was the one that stuck out to me the most simply because of the atmosphere it created. The people there weren’t tourists looking for their next social media post, they weren’t avid joggers going on their daily run or artists set up painting the landscape. No, they were just simply New Yorkers. People who love the city and everything that comes with it. There was a tranquility about this park and the people who chose to spend their afternoons there.

This lesser-known area of Manhattan also proved itself to be a spot for beautiful photography because, unlike the people that were enjoying the park alongside me, let’s face it, I was absolutely a tourist looking for my next social media post. I found it interesting that there was such an amazing view of Manhattan and I was one of the select few people on the island taking pictures of it. Do people ever get used to seeing the breathtaking city line? Is it too “Gen Z” to take pictures on a smartphone while walking around a park? This perplexed me as I stood in awe of everything I was surrounded by; others were simply going through their daily routine, it seemed like.

While this area was full of benches, tables, chairs, and other places to sit and cool off, there seemed to be a lack of food trucks, ice cream stands, and other vendors at the park.

The opportunity to go to New York and experience not only Little Island but an abundance of activities was truly a once in a lifetime experience. I came back from the trip feeling like a completely different person mentally and emotionally.

Going to New York challenged me in all the right ways. I was able to grow as a student, friend, and member of society. In many ways, visiting the lesser-known areas, like Little Island, contributed to this growth more than going to the main tourist attractions the city had to offer. Because of this experience, I am not afraid to try new things that maybe aren’t the first pick of everyone else. I am more apt to find the hidden gems, whether that be places, people, jobs, or other experiences. While I have been told this throughout my life, I can now truly understand the importance and significance of actually implementing this practice.

My time in New York is time that I will always cherish and hold dear to my heart. I had the experience of a lifetime and I will be forever grateful for that opportunity.

Ethan Walker, Sophomore, Honors College College of Arts & Sciences

At night the city skyline further echoes a key component that is not as clear during the day, occupancy.

Each light on a building implies the presence of somebody else, a completely different person with entirely different experiences and idealizations about the surrounding world. The city is a disco ball; when one peers into each different facet they glimpse an entirely different aspect of the human experience. We act as fragmented souls embarking on our own adventures, and the city is what glues us together into one crude mosaic. However, something has been built using this glue, a community.

Most people believe the difference between each other is just too vast to formulate any real sense of community, outside of a small-town ,that is. yet New York City has built an entirely different type of community from its collected parts.

is not present. When one constantly sees different parts of the mosaic they become aware that they are not separate from it, but just another facet of it. That is what the night sky showcases, the mosaic in its full glory. At its peak, the city is a bustling metropolis filled to the brim with all types of people crossing paths with one another, though that was not the state of the city only a few short months ago. That is another aspect of the city that leaves one in just absolute awe, its capacity.

After months of isolation from the ‘normalcy’ of society, it feels strange and exhilarating to suddenly be immersed in the crowds.

During the events of the past year and a half, I felt as if I was in an airplane that was stuck in the clouds. If I looked down I could vaguely see the bustling world beneath me, but there was no way to access it; there was nowhere to land. Above me sat the stars, burning brighter than ever, but at its current course, my plane could not reach them. I was stuck longing for the old world that was beneath my feet, and still yearning for the stars.

While I am happy that landing has commenced and the old world will soon be at my feet, I cannot help but see the flaw in how I see the world. So many of us look up and see the skyline and the stars, and we reach for them.

In a small town, one is mostly surrounded by like-minded people. When opinions and ideas about the world are mutual among a group of people, stubbornness ensues when an outsider tries to change that mindset. In the city, however, nobody is ever in complete agreement. It becomes clear that there is not a right answer, just a better option. New Yorkers are constantly in a room screaming at each other at the top of their lungs, and while some voices are louder than others, nobody can deny that a certain person’s voice

One lives life climbing a mountain of their own making, only looking ahead. When an avalanche comes forth and knocks them off the mountain, all they can do is look back and wish they were still able to climb it, never taking the time to appreciate the meadow that lies at the bottom. One can not live life with the sole intention to climb to the top. To do that is to experience life looking out of one window, one facet. And, as the city skylines portray, life is multifaceted.

The life and success of ETSU requires four things: wonderful students enjoying a tremendous experience; dedicated faculty and staff; a supportive campus learning environment; and substantial financial resources.

A living institution makes an impact on everything it touches - on the minds, dreams, and character of students and on the communities with which we engage, locally and around the globe.

Thanks to our generous donors for supporting student opportunities to transfer their knowledge and innovations beyond our campus through academically rigorous programs, internships, study abroad, undergraduate research, and community engagement activities and service.

Thanks to all who support ETSU Honors Scholars and B.U.C.S. Academy students and for helping them create remarkable stories about themselves and about ETSU!

Creating Remarkable Stories The Honors College East Tennessee State University PO Box 70589 Johnson City, TN 37614-1708

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423-439-6080 Email: honorscollege@etsu.edu Thank You New York City! ETSU is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action University: www.etsu.edu/universitycounsel/compliance/ ETSU-2200441-A-250

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ETSU Honors College in New York 2021

Creating Remarkable Stories

ETSU in new york city 2021

July 8 - 14, 2021

A classroom called New York City

Authenticity vs. Artificiality