The perfect conclusion of our first TAVEC cooperation and the perfect start for many more projects!
The four students Divya, Chris, Robin and Thaarun of the Master’s program Digital Management were allowed to participate in the trip to Adelphi University in New York due to their outstanding study achievements.
Our International Business Management (B.A.) student Lea Marie Kur from Fresenius University reports on her experience on the TAVEC project trip to New York in December 2021:
On December 6, our trip to New York was scheduled to begin. Until then, the intensification of the Covid 19 crisis had cost us a lot of nerves and daily changing regulations made us fear for our ability to fly. We were all the happier when we finally landed at JFK airport, where we were warmly greeted by two Adelphi students who guided us to our first hotel in Garden City, near Adelphi University.
The week was filled with an exciting program and great activities that started already on Monday evening. A dinner together allowed all faculty and students from Adelphi University and Fresenius University of Applied Sciences to meet again before attending a spectacular Christmas light show in Jones Beach, Long Island.
Sunny Tuesday was an inviting day to visit the Adelphi University campus. The Fresenius University students were fascinated not only by the size of the campus, but also by the various courses and activities offered in addition to the usual study program: Sports courses, theater classes or even swimming in the campus’s own pool. Outstanding for us was the nursing station integrated into the campus! A great end to the day was the Adelphi Men’s Basketball Game, which made us feel like we were in an American movie.
On Wednesday, it was time to move further into the city – namely Manhattan. The city was overwhelming. “You know New York from many movies, but being here feels unreal. You can’t grasp the size, the noise and the entire atmosphere of this great city, I suffer from sensory overload,” was the tenor of the German students, most of whom were in New York for the first time. The program was also conscientiously developed with this in mind, as it integrated free time to explore the city. The most difficult decision was which places to prioritize, so we prioritized seeing as many as possible. A long walk started at the ferry to the Statue of Liberty to Battery Park, took us to Wall Street and Broadway and the Brooklyn Bridge. We had coffee in Little Italy, walked through China Town and ended the perfect day in Time Square at night. I agree: you can’t capture New York in pictures, you have to experience it for yourself.
Time flew by until Thursday when we visited Adelphi University’s Manhattan Center and learned about the financial industry from a former Wall Street professional. Central Park was the right choice to spend the cold but sunny afternoon before it was already time for a closing event at the Manhattan Center of Fresenius University – a good opportunity for brainstorming about the TAVEC project itself, but also for some personal conversations. Meanwhile, it was the right time to thank our organizers Lena Mewes and Priya Nayar, but also the lecturers who made it possible for us to work on this project and who supported us with words and deeds. Afterwards, the American students invited us to a final city tour to their favorite places, including Grand Central Station. After a night of good conversation and laughter, we said goodbye to the Adelphi students and to New York with the addition of “see you soon.”
The trip to New York was one of my personal highlights in 2021 and I’m very happy to have experienced such a great project already at the beginning of my bachelor studies, especially in times of a global pandemic.