From Expectation to Experience: Reflecting on New York with DEN

Before this trip, I had imagined New York as a place where everything felt bigger, bolder, more alive, a
cinematic city of endless opportunities. Having lived in London for three years, I was curious to see how the two would compare. And while New York did feel overwhelmingly vast, I also found something
unexpectedly familiar in it: the people. On the subway, in cafes, walking through Central Park, I kept feeling as though the faces around me weren’t strangers, but echoes of those I’d seen in London. It made me feel strangely at home, not because I knew the place, but because I recognised our shared humanity.

One of the most meaningful moments was visiting the United Nations headquarters. It helped me dismantle a long-held belief of the UN as a sort of untouchable institution, a place for people much more accomplished, intelligent, or worldly than I. But being there changed something. I saw the human side of it all. The people inside those walls aren’t superheroes; they’re individuals doing their best to serve others. That value is at the very core of DEN, too. This experience showed me that action begins with voice. And that voice doesn’t need to be perfect to matter.

Strangely enough, another moment of reflection came at the MET Museum. What struck me most wasn’t just the art itself, but how it was displayed, how the rooms were arranged, how the people moved through them, and how space was experienced. Observing that allowed me to see something deep: how a museum, in its layout and flow, reflects the culture of the city it’s in. I also loved watching how people engaged with the pieces, how children paused in front of ancient sculptures, how visitors sat quietly in certain corners. The museum became another way to understand the people in New York, just like on the subway or in the parks.

You start to see the similarities between cities, between lives. We think we’re different, but we’re not that far apart. Beyond the institutions and the art, perhaps what surprised me the most was how much I learned about myself through others. Many of the people on this trip were acquaintances before we left. But sharing moments of wonder, reflection, and even exhaustion transformed those relationships. As I got to know them more deeply—their thoughts, their values, their ways of seeing the world- I ended up discovering new parts of myself. It reminded me how important it is to be surrounded by people who make you feel seen, and with whom you can share honest, unfiltered thoughts.

Perhaps this trip didn’t give me all the answers, but it brought me closer to what I want. New York reminded me how vast the world is, but also how connected we are. I return with a clearer sense of purpose and a stronger belief that my voice, no matter how small, can help build something meaningful one conversation at a time.

Lucrezia Zito