I keep going about my day and catching myself at random times thinking, “Damn, I’m in New York meeting amazing people WITH amazing people.” A wonderful reminder to be grateful for all opportunity I have been given, but right now, I feel most grateful for the realizations this experience has brought forth. I came ready to judge New York as a prospective new city to live in. Which, I suppose I’m still doing. But, more than that, I’ve started to understand that it’s not New York I need to be judging, it’s myself. New York has a multitude of amazing things to offer anyone searching for them. Which leads me to the question I keep asking myself: Do I feel like I could be as open and vulnerable as I need to be so that I am able to go out and seek what I need to feel fulfilled in New York? Does this city make me feel like I can be myself? As someone who has visited in a multitude of different countries, it’s easy for me to go in and make decisions on whether I like a city or not, but I’m finding it hard to be as real as I need to be about how a city makes me feel. I keep neglecting to recognize that my environment is a key factor in my energy, my work and most importantly, my growth. This trip is keeping me grounded and I am actively trying to be aware of how I feel in every moment, “We can’t grow if we’re not dialed in, we can’t grow if we don’t know.”

- Hannah Diamond