NYC Views: Top of the Freedom Tower

Twin Tower Memorial Pools

As you all know, 14 years and a month ago the Twin Towers were suddenly struck as a part of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America.  The tragic event affected many people throughout the country and world.  As an honor to all those who lost their lives, the 9/11 museum was set up on the grounds of the original Twin Towers, and One World Trade Center (more commonly known as the Freedom Tower) was constructed as a symbol for looking to the future and not letting an attack keep our morale low; we rise with the challenges put upon us. 

Being in New York City, Fordham loves when students venture into other parts of the city to learn about our history and culture.  This past weekend I was able to do just that.  With a club I am apart of, ACT, we all went to the observatory level of the Freedom Tower. One of ACT’s missions is to organize programs and trips that add to student life on and around campus during their tenure at Fordham. 

Sunset looking west onto New Jersey

We had an appointment to take the elevators up to the 102 floor at 6:15pm – in other words, the critical sunset opportunity.  The view from the top was breathtaking, especially when the sky turned the picture perfect orange-red we all love.  One aspect of the Freedom Tower that I found interesting was they didn’t mention the 9/11 attacks.  The idea behind One World Trade Center was a way for New Yorkers, Americans, and visitors to look to the future and rise from the low points in our history.  Even the architecture embodies this mantra.  The façade is made up of large interconnecting triangles that stretch from the base to the top.  When looking at the top from the street level, the triangles give the perception that the Freedom Tower continues to an infinite height. 

Looking north onto the rest of Manhattan

On our way down from the Freedom Tower experience, we were all in awe of the view and history.  Memorials did not line the top level, but we saw the same view that many of those who lost their lives gazed upon everyday. Excursions like this are one of the many reasons I love Fordham’s philosophy for student life; they want us to experience the entire city, which includes the history, arts, and culture.

Studying Abroad With Fordham London (Is The Best)

Kensington Palace- A 5-minute walk from Fordham's campus!

The best experience I have had at Fordham University was my semester abroad in London through Fordham’s London Centre. For four full months, I spent my weekends traveling around Europe and my days exploring the ins and outs of London- and of course, going to class. As a marketing student, Fordham offered all the business classes and marketing electives that I need, which allowed me to continue my studies and while expanding my horizons, growing as a person, and mastering all forms of European public transportation. I also made so many new Fordham classmates through the program, many of which I am still very close with now that we are all back in the Bronx.

Gabelli School Trip to Rome

While I technically speaking had a “semester abroad in London”, I prefer to think of my experience as a semester abroad in Europe with London as my home base. London is where lived, studied and explored Monday through Thursday and anywhere else in Europe is where you could find me on the weekends. During that time I travelled to 10 different countries including France, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Italy, and the Czech Republic. I ate traditional Czech goulash, clinked beer steins at the largest German festival in Munich, and climbed the rural mountains of Scotland. I ate potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Ireland and dined in the mountains of Gruyere, Switzerland with, of course, gruyere cheese fondue. I learned how to navigate almost any public form of transportation and have mastering the art of being comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Our Flat

And while traveling on the weekends was always exciting, returning to London, to Fordham’s campus was always something to look forward to. My flat (British for apartments) was my home and my classmates were both my best friends and family. Classes were hands-on and field trips exploring the city and its treasures were common. Our professors were both encouraging and understanding about traveling, but still expected us to work hard and really learn in our classes.

London Centre Fall 2014 Farewell Tea Party

I cannot stress how great my experience in London was and I encourage every Fordham student to study abroad in order to discover it for themself.

Check out the the Fordham London's Facebook page and website for more information. Happy travels! 

Intercampus Transportation Shuttle

Since the second semester of my freshman year, I have had a job at Fordham's Ram Van. Fordham has two campuses in New York City: The Rose Hill campus, or Bronx Campus, and the Lincoln Center campus. The Ram Van is the most direct mode of transportation between the two campuses (although you can also get there by taking the subway or a bus!). Many people on campus use the Ram Van to get to their classes at the opposite campus, or to simply go and explore the city on a weekend! It is a cheap and quick way to get from one campus to another, which many Fordham students and faculty take regularly.

A view from the van over the Hudson

The intercampus shuttle provides a great student employment opportunity. It is the highest paying student job on campus, and it does not require you to be eligible for work study. There is a work study opportunity available, however, as clericals are always needed in the office to complete various office tasks for the administrators. There is a 10-12 hour a week requirement for drivers, and when scheduling, administrators are really helpful and understanding when it comes to working around your schedule. A job at the Ram Van is not only an awesome way to make sure you have a little extra spending money in your pocket, but also an awesome way to meet other students on campus and to get involved in the Fordham community.

The vans drop you right outside of the Lincoln Center campus

I absolutely love working at the Ram Van! I started as a driver, simply driving the shifts that went to Lincoln Center and returned to Rose Hill. I then became a fueler, which consists of longer shifts that run multiple vans to get fuel and then back to the Rose Hill campus. Fuelers also take care of minor van maintenance, including taking vans to the car wash, filling wiper fluid, and vacuuming out the vans. As time went by, I became a Dispatcher. Dispatchers are primarily in charge of handling the front of the Ram Van office. They sell tickets, watch traffic and tell drivers which route to take, make sure vans board and leave on time, handle any customer needs, and basically ensure that everything runs smoothly in the office.

One of the vans in the car wash!

I have met so many wonderful people with this job. Not only do I absolutely love my administrators and fellow drivers, but there have been so many passengers that I have also been able to chat with. I have also, by picking up special runs (for clubs and organizations that use the ram van to go to different destinations) learned my way around the city really well. Ram Van is a fantastic opportunity for students to have a job and get involved on campus, and definitely something I encourage incoming students to look into!

Student Theatre Groups at Rose Hill

I'm more comfortable on stage than I am in most social situations. But going into senior year of high school, I knew I didn't want to be in an undergraduate acting program. Instead, I chose to attend Fordham College at Rose Hill, even though I knew the school's official theatre program (with its highly selective, audition-based admissions process) was housed at Lincoln Center. At the same time, I knew I absolutely wanted to continue performing in shows. As I prepared to attend Fordham in the fall of 2012, I prayed that I wouldn't be let down by the quality of Rose Hill's theatre community.

Thankfully, our campus is brimming with great theatrical opportunities, especially for a campus of its size. Maybe it's because we're so close to New York City, but for a campus that doesn't host Fordham's performing arts departments, Rose Hill has an abundance of talented and creative students who—despite majoring in unrelated fields—pursue their artistic passions through the student groups on campus, or at professional venues in Manhattan. We even have students from Lincoln Center who come over regularly to audition for our shows.

For those of you who want to continue acting, but don't want to major in it, rest assured that you can do just that here at Fordham Rose Hill. To help you out, here's the run-down on Rose Hill's three student theatre groups!

The Mimes and Mummers
Website: http://www.themimesandmummers.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMimesAndMummers

The Mimes are Fordham's mainstage student theatre group based in Collins Auditorium in Collins Hall. They put on two shows each semester, usually one play and one musical each semester. The students on the Mimes' executive board hire professionals from the NYC area to direct each production. Students manage all technical aspects of the production (lights, costumes, props, set), and cast members are required to complete a certain amount of "tech hours" as well.

So far I've been in four shows with the Mimes: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The 39 Steps, Legally Blonde, and currently RENT. It's been one of my favorite parts of my Fordham career to work with such talented people and act under the direction of professional freelance directors. My director for The 39 Steps is also a teacher at NYU, and we're still friends on Facebook!

If you're visiting Fordham anytime soon, try and catch our production of RENT which opens on February 26 and closes March 1.

Fordham Experimental Theatre (FET)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FordhamExperimentalTheatre

FET is an exclusively student-run theatre group that performs in the well-loved Blackbox located on the first floor of Collins Hall. Like the Mimes, they put on four show a year, two each semester. Many are student-written, and all are student-directed. FET is known for unique show concepts and sometimes wild directing choices. Since I've been at Fordham, several student-written shows that debuted in the Blackbox have been accepted into various theatre festivals in New York. Two of them—Cowboys Don't Sing and My Personal Hell—have even played at the New York International Fringe Festival.

My Personal Hell by Jonathan O'Neill at the NY Int'l Fringe Festival, August 2014.

Me and Mike Dahlgren in The Pillowman, April 2012.

FET also has a number of umbrella groups who regularly perform in the Blackbox, including Stranded in Pittsburgh (improv), Free Pizza Sketch Comedy, Fordham Standup (who occasionally perform at Gotham Comedy Club in Manhattan), and Verbal Essences (spoken word poetry). On top of that, they put on a Playwrights Festival every semester, which features student-written one-act plays. Needless to say, FET offers students a ton of opportunities to perform, and it's a great way to get started in the Rose Hill theatre scene.

Currently FET is working on Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Jonathan O'Neill and Chris Pedro. The show opens during the third weekend of February.

Theatrical Outreach Program (TOP)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/topfordham

TOP is dedicated to abridging important plays, often from the classical tradition, and staging them in a more accessible way for today's audiences. Last semester they put on Our Town and Twelfth Night, or What You Will. After their performances at Fordham, for instance, they bring their productions to under-supported high schools in the Bronx area. They put on two shows each semester, and like FET, all productions are put together solely by students. Currently TOP is working on The Laramie Project, directed by FCRH junior David Schillinger.

Production still from Twelfth Night, fall 2014.

There are so many ways to get involved with student theatre at Fordham. You don't need to be a major to be involved in rewarding, high quality productions. For that, I'm extremely grateful. If you have any questions about the arts scene at Fordham Rose Hill, feel free to email me at vagovida@fordham.edu. Hope to see you at auditions this fall!