Hi everyone! My name is Kellie. I’m a current student at TC in the Elementary Inclusive Education M.A. program, and I wanted to share what I’ve been up to this summer here in New York City! There is so much to do here, and I’m excited to tell you about all the amazing opportunities I have taken advantage of this summer.

Summer Classes

This summer, I have had the chance to take classes both in-person and online, which has given me a lot of flexibility to build my own schedule. During Summer A, I took a class called Science in Childhood Education, which was fun and exciting as an in-person class. We did lots of science experiments and “labs” to get ideas for what we could implement in our future science classrooms and see what it would be like to be in our students’ shoes. Now that it’s Summer B, I am getting started on another class called Psychology of Children’s Television, which is entirely asynchronous. I’m learning all about child psychology, the impact and design of children’s TV programs, and making connections to how I may use this knowledge as an educator. We also watch clips from various kids’ shows, which have been very silly and fun!

Working in Admission

One of my favorite parts of my TC experience has been my work-study job as a student ambassador in the Office of Admission! I get to give tours of our campus, chat with prospective students, and help out with events that we host throughout the year. Working in the Office of Admission has taught me so much about all of the resources available to us here at TC, which has helped me take full advantage of everything this school offers. I highly recommend applying for a job on campus because it allows you to grow your community and spend more time here at TC!

Dance Classes & Rehearsals

I have been a dancer my whole life, and New York City is one of the best cities in the world for dance, which is one of many reasons why I love it here! There are so many studios where you can take dance classes, as well as informal spaces to dance, such as socials at bars, clubs, and outdoor spaces. I started taking salsa and bachata classes this summer, which has brought me immense joy! Now, I am rehearsing with a small dance troupe to prepare for an upcoming salsa performance. If you are interested in taking salsa classes or attending socials, I recommend checking out Salsa New York for upcoming events!

Run Club

I have always liked running, but I didn’t really get into it until this year. Now that it’s summer, I have more free time to run! When I go by myself, I like to run in Riverside Park along the West Side Highway, which is beautiful because there is the river on one side and the park on the other. It has been super hot this summer, so I tend to run either early in the morning or later in the evening. I also joined a running club a few months ago called Upper West Side Runners. This is an awesome community that holds group runs three times a week in Central Park, plus lots of social events. After our morning runs, we usually grab coffee at a local coffee shop, and in the evenings, we tend to hang out at a bar. This has been a great experience that has pushed me out of my comfort zone physically and grown my NYC community. If you are interested in learning more about the group, check out their Instagram @uwsrunners!

Beaches & Parks

Even though I live in the city, I can still easily spend a day at the beach. So far, I have been to Coney Island and Rockaway Beach this summer. I hope to try out Brighton Beach at some point before the summer ends, too. Rockaway offered plenty of space, and Coney Island was really fun because we got to ride rollercoasters!

When I don’t have an entire day to go to the beach, I love to spend time in some of NYC’s beautiful parks. I highly recommend visiting the uppermost part of Central Park, as it is much quieter than the lower areas and has walking trails that feel more like being in the woods. I love coming to this part of the park because I can easily walk there from my apartment in Morningside Heights! This summer, my park trips have involved walks, picnics, and lots of people-watching. I even attended a free concert at SummerStage, which is also located in Central Park.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you all have an amazing summer!

By: Kellie Allen