Personal Essay: An unpaid NYC internship taught me about my city
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This summer, my alarm rings at 1:30 a.m.
By 3:30 a.m., I’m loading Amazon packages while most of the city is asleep.
By noon, I’m finished delivering packages.
A few hours later, I’m in Midtown interning at a boutique music studio, interacting with founders, audio engineers, beat makers, artists, rappers and high-profile celebrities.
I never envisioned navigating between blue-collar and white-collar work, but this city forced me to. My internship isn’t paid, so delivering packages pays the bills.
The same city that fuels my ambition demands more from me than I ever could’ve imagined. Every early alarm, every commute and every shift is driven by the hope that one day I’ll finally make it.
For many Syracuse University students, that’s part of New York City’s appeal. The city represents ambition, opportunity and the belief that if you work hard enough, you can shape your future.
SU encourages students to engage with New York through internships, networking opportunities and professional development experiences. It’s easy to fall in love with a city that seemingly revolves around office buildings, coffee meetings and endless opportunities.
For SU students interning and networking in Manhattan’s business districts, it’s easy to mistake that version of New York for the entire city.
An internship lets you experience New York as a visitor. Living here after graduation means experiencing New York as a resident.
Those are two very different ideas.
I understand that difference because for all 21 years of my life, New York has been home.
I was born in Flatbush, Brooklyn, a working-class neighborhood called “Little Haiti,” where many Haitian families settled in search of better opportunities. I’m a proud second-generation Haitian American and a first-generation TRIO Student Support Services scholar who was able to attend and stay in college because of financial aid.
New York never becomes less inspiring but often more demanding.Trayson Blain, Personal Essayist
Before leaving for SU, I told my friends I couldn’t wait to come back to the city with money.
Even today, I still find myself chasing that dream.
Many interns finish the workday knowing they’ll eventually return to campus. Graduates don’t have that luxury — the city doesn’t end when the workday does.
It’s one thing to leave an internship and catch a train back to your college campus. It’s another to leave work, spend an hour commuting home, set your alarm and do it all again the next morning.
New York never becomes less inspiring but often more demanding. I watch my parents work 10 hours a day to make ends meet.
Returning for the summer made me realize firsthand how quickly small expenses accumulate. Every subway swipe, every meal and every unexpected purchase forces you to think differently about money when you’re responsible for yourself.
One afternoon, after finishing my internship, I opened my banking app before buying dinner. The meal wasn’t expensive, but I still hesitated. I found myself calculating whether that $18 would matter more now or at the end of the month.
Internships expose students to experiences like grocery shopping and budgeting, but when living in New York, these skills become far more important — you either sink or swim.
This summer taught me that while internships prepare you for work, they don’t necessarily prepare you for the unpredictability of everyday life in New York.
After graduation, the safety net of campus life disappears. The city doesn’t lower its expectations — you become responsible for meeting them.
Despite its flaws, I love New York. While sitting in Penn Station exhausted from my 3:30 a.m. shift, I’m left in awe by the stream of residents rushing to work.
On a single subway car, you might find an artist, an immigrant, a musician, an entrepreneur and a street hustler heading in different directions, each chasing a different version of success.
Waking up at 1:30 a.m., delivering packages before sunrise and heading to Midtown afterward has shown me that consistency matters more than comfort.
When I think back to the idea of making it, I don’t believe it can be evaluated only based on monetary goals. Making it in New York means being able to afford rent without fear, save for an eventual home, protect your relationships and stay creative while building long-term ownership.
Tomorrow, my alarm will ring at 1:30 a.m. again. For now, that’s what making it looks like.
Trayson Blain is a senior majoring in psychology. He can be reached at tblain@syr.edu.
