Reflections & Advice from my CJCxNYC Fall Semester
Tiffany Fang, ADV ‘26, participated in CJCxNYC Immersive Fall 2025. She returned to New York City in the spring to pursue freelance opportunities while completing her undergraduate degree online.
As a Senior Advertising student at the University of Florida, I am incredibly nostalgic and grateful for the CJCxNYC program, as it played a major role in my professional development starting my freshman year. I have been able to witness the program grow throughout my time in college, and it has truly been an honor and a privilege to be a part of its journey. From participating in the One Week PR & Ad program to being a program coordinator to now finishing off the 10-week program, it’s been an amazing full-circle journey.
For context, I am an out-of-state student from Northern Virginia but I focus a lot of graphic design and photography within the music, fashion and entertainment/film industries. I’ve visited NYC a few times throughout my life prior to this program; once as a child, once during the CJC x NYC One-Week program, and twice this year prior to doing the program. So, when I set foot in NYC for the fall program, I was already a bit familiar with the city, having gone through the confusion of the subway, getting acclimated to the weather, etc. The only season I hadn’t experienced was fall (and I was so excited to experience NYC in the fall).
Although I was a bit more familiar, I was still excited to start a new, brief chapter of my life in the city. What I didn’t realize was exactly how much I would be impacted when I left.
I fell back in love with learning.
Of course, New York City is the big shiny appeal of the program, but I truly didn’t realize how much value I would find in the courses of the program itself. I have always been one who has had trouble fully paying attention to or finding a strong interest in my courses, as I’ve always been eager to jump into the real world, start right away and get my hands dirty with the work itself. I know many people within the CJC feel this way as well; real-world experiences feel incredibly valuable to our growth and development as professionals. However, the courses in this program genuinely taught me so much about myself and others, both personally and professionally.
Our night class, Professional Leadership Preparation, taught by Dan Yesenosky, was incredibly fun, well thought-out and insightful. It quickly became one of my favorite classes I’ve ever taken. I looked forward to every single week and never wanted to miss a single class; that’s how crucial the class felt to my education and development (plus, I just enjoyed it). The class was formatted more as a discussion rather than a lecture, which I really loved as it fostered lively conversation and allowed both Dan and us as students to express our feelings and experiences with one another.
Dan did an amazing job at creating a safe space where everyone’s opinions were welcomed and acknowledged. The small class size made it easy for us to all connect and focus on our experiences. I can confidently say that every class, module and reading was valuable and useful, and I learned from every single one of them. Every class, we would come back to inform Dan and our classmates that we used what we learned in class that week. From the beginning, it was clear that this class was different in the best way possible.
“My bags are packed.”
Beyond the classroom, I cannot emphasize the mentorship that both Dan and Natalie, the CJCxNYC program director, provided.
Natalie is one of the most hardworking, caring supportive professors I have ever had. The amount of thought, hard work and care she put into this program, but more importantly, us as students, isn’t something you will find very often. She was incredibly caring, supportive, and always open to feedback. She set an amazing example for all of us on how to navigate the city and show up as our best selves. Being in a new city comes with all different types of struggles, but she was always checking in and being there for all of us.
Knowing that I had that type of support and a professor that I could speak to about things beyond the classroom was comforting and made the program feel safe for me. Natalie also went out of her way to connect us with professionals, send us events and opportunities that would interest us, and be honest and open with us at all times. At all times, she was thinking about how she could support us and do what was best for us.
Dan always checked in on us every week during class, remembering all of our goals and pursuits clearly. He paid close attention to us and constantly had his door open for us to come to him with any questions. I had recurring one-on-one chats with Dan every week, and it was a great way to check in and gather his insight or ask questions. I always left with my wheels turning.
Both Dan and Natalie believed in us so much that even if we had moments where we had trouble believing in ourselves, we knew their bags were packed in support. Having professors who truly cared about all of us individually this much was incredible, and I am so grateful to know that I will have these relationships for the rest of my life.
Manhattan: The Fifth Character
As stated in the iconic show Sex and the City, Manhattan truly is its own character. It’s fun, exciting, lovable, but like any real character, it also has its flaws. Being in the city pushed me in ways I sometimes find difficult to do on my own. I felt challenged in a good way; the fast pace of the city made me feel like I wanted to wake up and make the most of every single day. I was excited to do and try so many new things and have my own schedule. But there was a period about halfway through where I was struggling to keep up with the pace, and with doing so, I was starting to feel mentally exhausted. I went into a slump for a few weeks because of this exhaustion, but I picked myself up after. One of the biggest lessons I learned from this experience is that it’s okay. Not every day was the shiny, romanticized version of NYC you see everywhere. But that’s the thing — nothing in life is, and it’s okay.
New York City has many incredible communities. I never felt alone when I was there. There are so many third spaces and social clubs and meetups, and there are truly endless ways to meet people. It’s what makes NYC… NYC. Walking also changed my life. Although tiring, it was so nice to move my body every single day and have autonomy over myself without worrying about traffic, parking, etc.
Some fun things I did were attend CultureCon with my classmates, be on some cool sets for my internship, shoot one day of the All Things Go Festival, attend social club events, join a run club, watch and cheer on runners at the NYC Marathon, try lots of new food, go to Beacon with some classmates, go ice skating, and watch a few Broadway shows.
Some of the special moments in New York City.
AOTW: Adult on Training Wheels
I was an AOTW when I was in NYC. I was working, but I didn’t have a full-time job. I was paying my rent and living on my own, but I was still taking classes and visiting companies. But I genuinely feel like this experience allowed me to be responsible for myself, learn how to manage and navigate new challenges while also trying new things. With that, here are a few pieces of advice I’d give both to myself and to anyone who may participate in this program:
- Put yourself out there. Seriously. Go to events where you don’t know anyone and just introduce yourself to people. What’s the worst that could happen? If you leave without any new connections (you will make connections), it would’ve been the same result if you didn’t end up going. So, why not try? Join a social club, a run club, and attend one or two events. There are so many young people in NYC, and one of my favorite parts of living in the city is how easy it is to meet people and feel like you’re part of a community.
- Live in the moment. I found myself teetering between living in the moment and thinking about the future. But although this might not be the only time you’ll spend in NYC, it is a special period of your life that you will never live again, so enjoy it.
- Budget (but also have fun). Treat this like the real world. I learned so much by being more conscious of my own money, paying for rent, food, etc.
- Be intentional. You don’t have to do anything and everything with all the time you have. Although your time may feel limited, it’s more important that you feel like you gained what you wanted from the experience. There is always something going on in the city, and sometimes it can feel difficult to choose what to do. You will always have to sacrifice something to do something else. But if you are intentional with what you choose to do, you will feel more fulfilled. Do things because you want to, not just because you feel like you have to.
- It’s okay to slow down. It’s hard when you’re in the city that never sleeps, but please… prioritize your rest and wellbeing. Recharging is essential to making your experience the best it can be. It can be hard to let yourself rest because you have 10 weeks to “make the most” of everything, but it’s more important to prevent burnout than reach it by doing too much all the time.
I am a bit of a nostalgic and sentimental person, so I was quite sad on the last day of class. I was mourning this specific period of my life; as a senior in college, a lot of endings were coming, and this was one of them. As I looked outside the high-rise window facing the Hudson River with all the emotions hitting me, Natalie said:
“Don’t worry, this is just the start of something great.”
And she was right.
Category: CJCxNYC Student Blogs, Student Author
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