After two grueling weeks of finals, 16 USC Annenberg students set off in the first ever New York City Maymester career trek. During the two weeks, we were able to meet and talk with amazing media figures, such as Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and anchors from ABC’s Good Morning America. Though these conversations, we were able to get an inside look on how some of the biggest media companies in the nation function.

We heard the stories of the day MSNBC anchor Alex Witt had to cover 9/11, how media is an integral part of tech company Bloomberg and the unique strategies Black Entertainment Television uses to attract audiences abroad.

Without the leadership and guidance from Journalism and Communication school directors Willow Bay and Sarah Banet-Weiser, none of us would ever have the privilege to experience these life changing moments.

For many of us, it was our first time in New York. And in our downtime, we set out to explore the city, walking through neighborhoods like Chelsea, finding the best pizza places in town and paying our respects at the 9/11 memorial.

Yes, we even decided to try out Shake Shack, the so called “In-n-Out of the East Coast.” We still like In-n-Out better.

While the constant shadows of skyscrapers fell wherever we walked, we quickly became accustomed to the city, even though there was always the threat of getting hit by a crazy taxi driver. After two weeks, it was simply hard for us to leave. But as we finish up our undergraduate education, some of us will be headed back to the Big Apple.

As an avid photographer, I attempted to capture every moment of the trip so I could share the memories with others.