Katie's Graduation from NYFA

I had no intention of actually going to up to New York to help Katie pack out of her dorm room. I didn't realize they were having an "official" graduation. I knew they were having something to commemorate the end of the year at the New York Film Academy, but I didn't realize it was an actual graduation. As the time rolled closer, I spoke on the phone with one of Katie's friends who lives in the dorm with her. He was telling me that his parents were there and they were sightseeing and suddenly it dawned on me...this IS a big deal. Turns out, Katie had downplayed it a bit - I think she was all too aware that her year in Manhattan was a pretty pricey deal. So she didn't want to ask me to fly up and stay in New York again. As I poked around at the details of the weekend though, it was clear (to me, at least) that this was something I didn't want to miss.

So, there I was on Friday afternoon, needing a flight the next day, the earlier the better. And I found it!  I don't know what I was thinking, but I didn't even get a hotel room until we were driving to the airport on Saturday morning - at 5:30 a.m.!

Anyway, when I landed at Charlotte for the connecting flight, I decided I needed to clue Katie in. She was making plans for her day and I didn't want to somehow get squeezed out! She was so surprised - and so happy I was coming!

After some confusion at the hotel (never try to get a reservation while you're driving to the airport that same day!), I met Katie at her dorm and we walked to The Barking Dog. Katie and I had eaten there when I first left her at the dorm last fall, so this seemed apropos!

After dinner, we took a cab down to Union Square, where the graduation would be held. But we arrived a little early, so we walked across the street and wandered around the Farmer's Market You can see one of the NYFA campus buildings in the larger picture here. The weather was lovely, so in spite of the Saturday afternoon crowds, this was great!


Then... on to the Graduation!

NYFA had a lovely reception set up, prior to the festivities. We were still full from our dinner, so we skipped the food. Katie introduced me to all of her friends - Section G. At NYFA, they are grouped into a section and then they stay together for the semester for all of their classes. I had heard about most of them through phone calls from Katie throughout the year, so it was nice to actually meet them!

After the reception, we went to the auditorium where we watched 15 minute short reenactments from films we all knew. Usually, the actors were paired up and Katie was in 2 of the final film performances, The Great White Hope, and The Fighter.

Accepting her diploma!

She warned me that the language was pretty bad - but I was pretty surprised to hear how BAAAAAD it really was!!! Add to it that she had had the flu during the shooting, so her voice was a little raspy. It added to the effect, I think!

Her Shakespeare teacher told me that he thought Katie was good enough to stay in New York and find work. But she really wants to head over to Los Angeles to take the 2nd year of Film Acting. NYFA has a campus at Universal Studios, so that sounds pretty exciting. Plus, she'll end up with an Associate's Degree and Katie's excited about that!

Katie's fellow students also gushed over her acting abilities, how they loved working with her in various scenes, and just how incredibly talented they think she is.  This was really one of the reasons to step out and see how she'd do in New York. We knew she did well as a Big Fish in a Little Pond....but how would she do as a Little Fish in A The Big Pond? I think it was clear - she did just great!

I'm so proud of Katie! She did a great job fending for herself in New York City and had a wonderful learning experience at NYFA.

 Katie wrote a blogpost about her last semester: Birthday, Sick, Final Performances, and Home for the Time Being. She has a lot of pictures up there, so that's fun to check out.

On stage with her section

 THE GRADUATE!