xoxo, usc’s gossip girl
“Gossip Girl here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite.”
Well, that’s almost true. You will, in fact, be hearing from some of Manhattan’s most elite - University of South Carolina alumni that have made the move to The Big Apple. However, rather than scandal, you will be reading about their successes, hardships, and life advice to fellow University of South Carolina students who have dreams about becoming some of Manhattan’s finest.
In the wise words of Blair Waldorf, “If you really want something, you don’t stop for anyone or anything until you get it.”
When it comes to making a life in New York City, this is a perfect quote to live by. The city is full of fresh and young minds all trying to make a name for themselves.
There are all types of stereotypes floating around. You may hear that it is dirty, the people are mean or that it is too expensive. But, leave it to Anna Holman and Kat Kotesha to completely change your opinion on NYC. While they didn’t deny the city has its flaws, neither Holman nor Kotesha would change their decision to move to New York. Because of their courage, they have both had unbelievable opportunities to make a name for themselves and are living their best lives.
Anna Holman, a Web Content Strategist at IBM in New York, is a University of South Carolina alum originally from Southern California. While UofSC was extremely far from where she grew up, Holman took a leap of faith and left home to pursue volleyball and an education in Marketing. Holman had many internships throughout her time at UofSC, her most recent being at IBM as a Marketing Content and Strategy Intern and where she ultimately ended up getting her first post-grad position.
“I didn’t have my heart set on New York, I wanted to experience anywhere and everywhere.”
She had internships in California, Greenville and Atlanta, and had the opportunity to move to Austin, Raleigh or New York post-grad. Despite all of these different locations and opportunities, Anna took yet another leap of faith and landed in New York.
“I heard from many people that New York City is a great place to be when you are young and in your twenties,” Holman said. “You have no kids or financial responsibilities for anyone else but yourself.”
This couldn’t be more true. Being in your twenties is a period of immense personal growth and opportunity, and where better to be in a city that is home to about eight million people and endless possibilities.
There are many things that Holman enjoys doing in her free time. She lives and works in East Village, so she spends a lot of time here. The vibe is young and lively and you can always find something to do if you just take a step outside and wander around.
One thing she looks forward to every week is going to Poetica Coffee, a coffee shop in East Village with half off drinks on Wednesdays.
“I also really love finding good happy hour spots, like 345 Cantina. It reminds me of Cantina in Columbia, and they have the best tacos for cheap,” said Holman, reminiscing about her time at University of South Carolina.
When asked about my personal favorite pastime, shopping, Holman said fashion is not one of her greatest passions. But, she still enjoys going to Soho and going into Zara, Aritzia, Pacsun, and more stores like this. While shopping and finding new coffee shops are both fun things to do, Holman has one passion that she truly loves: Anna Holman Photos. This is Holman’s freelance photography business that she started well before she started college at UofSC.
Her business has now grown to having over 300 clients
“I am really trying to tap into the clients in the city,” Holman said “It is so much fun to experience because I get to meet complete strangers and network with them while also seeing new places..”
New York is truly a city of limitless opportunities.
Kat Kotesha, another University of South Carolina alum and NYC success, is originally from Spartanburg, SC. At UofSC, Kotesha studied Fashion Merchandising and minored in Public Relations. She first got her foot in the door with a buying internship at Macy’s the summer going into her senior year, and because of her successful completion of this internship, she got a return offer for full time after graduation on her first day of senior year. She is now Assistant Buyer in Private Brand Handbags - how amazing?
Since Kat went to school only an hour and a half away from her childhood home, moving to New York City definitely had its challenges.
“The moving experience was so chaotic, but it was so worth it,” Kotesha said.
Despite the original challenges that were thrown at her, from finding an apartment, getting used to her job and having a mouse in her apartment (in typical New York fashion), New York is somewhere Kotesha truly loves with all her heart.
“I always told my mom, I never want to have a what if moment,” Kotesha explained.
There are so many college students that grow up in their hometown and go to college not too far away, and when graduation comes around, they may find it hard to make that first jump to moving away from home. But it is always better to take a risk and know that you tried your hardest at something new, rather than staying somewhere you are super comfortable with and regretting it years down the line, like Kotesha said.
Both Holman and Kotesha agreed that New York City was a culture shock, but the experiences the city has provided for both of them outweighs any cons.
Two of Kotesha’s favorite experiences so far have been going to Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. I mean, how cool would that be to see in person and not just on your TV screen?
Kotesha also loves all the different activities that are right outside her doorstep. She lives in the Upper East Side area, and if you recall, this is where Gossip Girl is focused around. In true Upper East Side fashion, Kotesha loves the rooftop bars, going to museums like The Met, and of course grabbing brunch with her friends on the weekends.
Kotesha said the vintage scene in New York is also amazing.
“I love vintage shopping in Brooklyn,” Kotesha said.
While you may have never caught Blair Waldorf in Brooklyn, I am sure Kotesha could find her some amazing vintage designer clothes that would change her mind.
Holman and Kotesha are only two of so many success stories about moving to New York City. Of course, New York is a glamorous place to be, but it doesn’t come without hardships.
“My biggest thing from transitioning to South Carolina to New York City was the loss of community,” Holman described.
You are no longer living in the same apartment as your best friends of the last four years.Despite anything that may have been hard to get used to, Holman wants students to know that her biggest advice is to stay open minded when thinking about post-grad life.
“You have to remember that everyone is on their own timeline, some friends will be doing crazy things, but don’t feel like you are behind,” she said.
I believe this is a very important take away for fellow UofSC students.
Kotesha wants her fellow UofSC students to know that you are going to have to make sacrifices to make living in any city attainable.
“Learning to budget was tough.” she said. “And New York City is not always glamorous, but it is so, so, so worth it. Even if it's only for a year or two.”
Making a life for yourself in a foreign city teaches you so much, and one of the most important takeaways for Kat is that it taught her a lot about independence, along with being okay with going outside of your comfort zone,
“Move into a big city and move out of your comfort zone, especially when you are in your twenties,” Kotesha said. “You can’t grow in your comfort zone, so do something that is a little scary because you will never regret it.”
Holman and Kotesha both have such amazing stories about growing into the strong and independent women they are. There is no doubt that taking a chance, one that may seem uncomfortable and scary at first, will turn into something amazing. Moving to a big city, such as New York, is an opportunity to grasp when you are young and trying to make a place for yourself in the world.
If nothing else, take Serena van der Woodson’s advice, “Don’t let people tell you who you are, you tell them,” and go show the world what amazing things you have to offer.
XOXO,
Noemi Cannella