Good Morning America!

On October 21st I had the amazing opportunity of going behind the scenes of Good Morning America at the ABC studios in Times Square, New York City. I guess I should start with explaining how I actually got this great opportunity. One evening last summer I was hanging out at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Lancaster. We were outside and their new neighbors pulled into their driveway. They started walking over to say hello, so I introduced myself. The couple appeared to be young, and there was an older couple with them, along with a golden retriever. I soon found out the older couple is the girl, Kristin's, parents. Also, the dog is a service dog for her mom who is blind. Then, the older gentleman introduces himself as Gary. My Aunt then proceeded to tell them that I work for WGAL, because my family is always embarrassingly bragging to people. Then Gary casually says he runs audio for GOOD MORNING AMERICA in NYC. I was so flabbergasted but before I could say anything he immediately offered an invite to his work. I could not believe it. It was the most unexpected thing that has ever happened to me! So, between the time of last summer and October 21st, I was trying to plan a visit with my Aunt and Uncle. Finally, we could all decide on a date. It just so happened to fall a few weeks before my 21st birthday. What a birthday present, right? A few days before we left I realized I had to watch a few episodes of GMA, because I was not familiar with the anchors. It's a very early show, so I am rarely awake for it! The more episodes I watched the more excited I was to visit Times Square. Our departure time was 2:00 a.m. (SO early!) I did not get to sleep that night because I was so excited. We had to be at the studio by 5:00 a.m. and actually we were really early. Now from the time we got there until the time we left, I swear it is all a blur. I will try my best to recap! We arrive at the special secret side door, and give our names to security. They gave us wristbands, and Gary met us in the security office. For that particular day, they had a musical performance by seventeen year old Jacob Whitesides. I have never heard of him but I saw him multiple times walking around the studio! Everyone there seemed so important it was crazy that I was actually there. Gary let us sit in on the directors meeting where they went over everything for the show. I got a copy of the run down, and boy did it look intimidating and very detailed. Nothing like the run downs for News 8! After the directors meeting Gary gave us the grand tour, and also went into detail about what he actually does. I thought he was the person who ran audio during the show like checking levels and everything, but actually he is responsible for putting the mic's on the anchors and giving them their ear piece so they can hear the producer. Since he does all that in a room upstairs he told my Aunt, Uncle, and I to head down to the studio so we can watch the show from in there. That was a very cool experience, seeing the group of fans outside the studio through the glass, and being right there watching the action. One thing I noticed about the studio set was there were so many people on set at any given point. That was fascinating to me because everyone seemed to stay very quiet as well. Towards the end of the show comes my "big break." I was on live TV for about seven seconds! It was for the introduction to the performer Jacob Whitesides, and I was among a group of teenage girls who got backstage passes for this performance. After the show I was able to take several pictures in the studio, and most importantly, I met with a woman who gave me an email address in regards to internship opportunities. It would be amazing to have an internship at Good Morning America. I am not sure how realistic it would be but I am definitely going to try! This experience really reminded me why I want to continue to pursue a career in television production. Below are two photos of me on the set.

This room is called Social Square. Many celebrities come here.

This is the main anchor desk!

My First and Last Post About the Amish

Let's start this blog off with some background information about me that will help you see where I came from. I was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. I lived in New Jersey for a short time (I don't remember much about that), but in the time that we did live there, I was given a baby sister, just eighteen months younger than me. We got out of New Jersey pretty fast, heading to Pennsylvania. My whole family is basically from PA so naturally it made more sense. Why my parents chose the town that is at least a fifteen minute drive away from EVERYTHING, I will never know. The town of Denver...Pennsylvania. Almost everyone I say "I grew up in Denver" to, they think it's Colorado. I wish it was Colorado. Denver, Pennsylvania is imaginably way different than Denver, Colorado. I need to go one day just to say I've been there. Let me just explain a few things about Lancaster County. Ever hear of the Amish? Ya know, the people who do not use cars, electricity, or technology. Well, Lancaster County is just filled with them, so much that it is referred to as Amish County, Pennsylvania. We have a very active Amish community throughout Pennsylvania in general, but in Lancaster it is the largest population. On my way to the local Walmart, I have to dodge nearly six horse and buggy's, and of course the road they all travel on frequently is very windy with sharp corners. As one can imagine, this poses a huge danger to anyone on the road. There are always crashes involving a horse and buggy, which is particularly sad because usually the horse gets injured, as well as the Amish folk inside the buggy because it offers little to no protection (it is on wooden wheels, after all). Don't get me wrong, I can see the value in the Mennonite religion and the Amish way of life, but, it's really not something I want to live around. Up until I was sixteen and able to drive, I didn't realize how far away we were from basic human rights like Walmart, Target, a mall, or any kind of "city." When I got my license, driving my little 2000 tan Nissan car (named Nora) around I became broke because of how many times I needed to get gas and concluded that I do not want to live a life of constant fueling-up. Now that I am almost 21 and in college, I definitely still feel that way. The few times I've been to big cities like Philadelphia, NYC, or Pittsburgh, I was so enthralled by this different way of living that I would be mad at myself if I didn't venture out at some point in my young life. I would say the biggest regret I have to this day is choosing a college so close to home. Millersville University is just outside of Lancaster City, which is the closest city to my hometown. I guess that's what young love does to a person. It will sway an important decision to go with the safe side, because you are so invested in a person, that the thought of actually going far away for school seems terrifying. At the time my boyfriend already decided he was not going to go to college, he was going to stay at home. Even though he never really told me to specifically go to a school close to home, I didn't need the reassurance. I was so in love with the kid that I acted like I had no problem attending Millersville, only forty-five minutes away from him. Reading those last few sentences again I actually sound crazy. But, really, I thought we had a future together. Little did I know, any kind of distance would completely shatter our relationship simply because we were not meant for each other. Plus, we went from spending every waking moment together to maybe seeing each other once a week. Being a freshman in college I still wanted to make friends and have my own social life there, and I think he had a hard time dealing with that. We broke up countless times, lasting until...let's just say an embarrassingly long amount of time. Anyways, back to my one big regret of not relocating to a cooler place. My interests in what I want to pursue a career in all thrive and exist in cities. I am a communications major with an option in broadcasting. I love television, social media, technology, and writing. I could argue and say I didn't know what I wanted to do when I graduated High School, but I declared my major in the second semester of my first year. I woke up one day and thought "why not major in something I truly like?"--easy enough. I'm sure if I was in Philadelphia or New York I only would have gotten to that decision faster. But hey, I can't change what's in the past, and I gotta work with my decision to be at Millersville. Life goes on!