Farewell, New York
Hard to believe, but the term has come to an end and it is time to leave this wonderful city. I want to thank each and every one of you for signing up for this adventure and being such willing participants. I am grateful for your spirit of adventure and willingness to do things like eat Ethiopian food without utensils. Likewise, thank you for your efforts on our class project. You really did feast on all that the city has to offer. You were patient as you worked through air conditioning failures in 90-plus degree weather, power outages, and crowded lobbies, elevators, subways and sidewalks. I've marveled at your sense of adventure and the way you quickly bonded with one another and with the group as a whole. Your social media photos made me smile. Your enthusiasm for New York and your interest in its history warmed my heart.
As you leave, here's what I hope you are taking with you:
An appreciation for racial, religious, and other forms of diversity that you experienced during your time here. Of course, we were privileged to be surrounded by Jewish culture at 92Y and throughout the upper east side. But, we also learned at Ellis Island and from walking the streets that New Yorkers come from everywhere. A couple hundred languages are spoken here! The city is truly a massive melting pot of people who have figured out how to work and live together, harmoniously for the most part. I hope you discovered that most New Yorkers do not fit the stereotype of being cold and impersonal—there are many, many beautiful and friendly people here, just as there are in your own hometowns.
An appreciation for the history of the city and its media. Their stories are such an important part of our country's social fabric. Knowing the city's history helps you love it, appreciate it, and understand it in a way not otherwise possible. Studying media history is not only interesting, but for future communications practitioners, indispensible. I hope the historical aspect of this experience not only fed your intellect, but also touched your heart.
An ability to learn independently, outside the confines of a classroom. I hope you watched the videos and read the articles I curated for you, and took self-directed walking tours. My audacious goal was to make the information intrinsically enticing to you in the context of living in this spectacular city. Of course we had fun on our group explorations and in pursuing other experiences on our own—be they on Broadway or at the beach. But the opportunity to independently study and explore was priceless. This is the essence of a study abroad and helps lead us to one of the Aims of a BYU Education, that of life-long learning.
I hope that taking photos and videos in this big city imbued you with enthusiasm for telling visual stories. I hope you now feel comfortable and confident with blogging. Platforms and technologies will change, but I hope you will build on these basic skills because I believe they will continue to be valuable, whether or not you become a communications practitioner.
I hope you got a taste of what it means to be a City Saint—a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in such a large and diverse city. I hope your interactions with your ward were positive, memorable, and inspiring.
Finally, I hope you all stay in touch. I believe you've made life-long friends during this experience. Perhaps for many years we will remember and celebrate this unique, shared experience.
Not to diminish David's important role, but I must tell you it was a wonderful and unique thing for me to have so many daughters in my care. Thank you for that opportunity. I wish you all the very best in your BYU education and your personal and professional lives. For those of you who are Communications majors, I encourage you to return to the city as an intern, if that is possible.
May God bless you all. Let's stay in touch.
--Dale Cressman
