Lancer Diaries: Oh The Places You'll Go. (By: Courtney Weatherly)

I never imagined I would make it out of Visalia (my hometown). When I was growing up I figured I would go to college in Fresno, move home, and live the rest of my life in Central California. So when I chose to move to Riverside and attend CBU, I was beginning to change all of those plans. However, I never would have guessed where I would go during my 4 years at CBU.

Sophomore year I accepted an internship for a program the FOCUS class at CBU uses called inFOCUS, or UPEERS. The site is used for networking as students are beginning to enroll at CBU. I accepted the internship not because I was interested in networking but because I needed money. Over the course of the semester, I worked with Tracy Ward in developing the new program at school. Every week we contacted the main office for the program in New York City. I was told at the beginning of the internship that at the end of the semester I would have to give a presentation to the CEO of the company. In turn they would pick ten of those who presented to live in New York for the summer to intern for the company. Of course I figured I would never get the internship in New York but decided to give it a try. A day after my presentation our contact from the main office called to let me know that I was one of the ten chosen to live and work in New York. Before I knew it I was packing my bags for a summer in the city. I was nervous because it was my first long term commitment away from my family and friends. I was moving to a city where I knew no one.

As soon as I arrived I was whisked away to our apartment which was in SoHo (south of Houston st.). I knew nothing about New York but heard it was a great neighborhood (I would later find out that David Bowie lived across the street and Heath Ledger lived around the corner). We lived on the top floor (no elevator) and had roof access which was very convenient for the 4th of July. My nine roommates moved in soon after. Most of them were from the South and spoke with awesome accents. I was quickly learning the tricks of the city. During the day I would go to work and during the night I would enjoy the city lights reading books on our rooftop. I began to attend a church and hung out with the people there who really made me feel at home. The more I lived in the city, the more I became independent. I had the chance to see three Broadway shows and see a number of famous people.

In the end, my trip to New York was awesome and I am so grateful I got to have such a great experience. Without being a student at Cal Baptist I doubt that I would have ever had this amazing experience.