An Unforgettable Saturday

            Secretly planning a birthday party has never been so much fun until the Reid Group gathered together to plan Aliesha Hull’s 21^st .  For several weeks,  Aliesha has been constantly reminding us to mark our calendars on July 7^th, hinting  that we needed to know that was her birthday.  Despite how much hard work we’ve accomplished this week, Jacque Reid and I still managed to arrange a special unexpected party for Aleisha. Observing what Aliesha likes and dislikes were pretty easy, I knew she wasn’t a fan a birthday cake and constantly talked about how much she liked strawberry cheesecake.  A couple weeks after we arrived to New York, Aliesha took a trip to Junior’s and fell in love with their strawberry cheesecake, so getting a cake from their was the only way to go.

            On the week of her birthday,  I was communicating, discreetly, back and forth with the Reid Group and Ms. Reid about preparing for her surprise party on Saturday.  The goal was to act “nonchalant” the entire week about her birthday  to give the impression that we wouldn’t have time to celebrate.  Only if she knew,  that we had a big bug up our sleeve and she was going to get the best surprise of her life. Ms. Reid picked a very nice Moroccan lounge, called Katra for the venue.  Going to a Moroccan place would be a new experience for the entire Reid Group, so we were definitely excited to try something new.

            Early Saturday morning, the Reid Group and I met at 30 Rockefeller center, as usual, to get ready for our live shots.  Everyone except Aliesha, knew the big plans for tonight and our mission was to continue to keep it a secret. We headed to Union Square to find a story and use that location for our live shot practice. This was my first time there, and I instantly fell in love with all the shops, eateries and different vendors.  I volunteered to go second to do my live shot, and for some reason I wasn’t as nervous. I finally gained control of my nerves, I was comfortable with the information I was reporting, and applied the being “conversational” technique. The look on Ms. Reid face as I finished my shot was astonishing. Knowing that she was pleased at my performance showed how much growth and improvement I’ve gain so far. I felt accomplished and sense of pride,  because my Saturday kicked off on the right foot.  After everyone completed the live shots, Ms. Martin distracted Aliesha while Ms. Reid confirmed the birthday plans for tonight, we all agreed to dress cute and meet at 8:30 p.m.  As Aliesha made her way towards the group, Ms. Reid cleverly announced that we had a deadline tonight for the broadcast stories she assigned early this week. The feeling to know that Aliesha had no idea of what was going on was priceless.  We all departed from Union Square to get ready for tonight; I paired up with my buddy, Sequoyah Armour to get a card and gift.

            Meanwhile, Aliesha was back at the dorms with the rest of the Reid Group as Briana Scott and Chivone Smith convinced her that they were goin to sneak out for her 21^st. With a lot of persuading, Aliesha gave in and the plan finally kicked into action. The rest of the Reid Group decided to leave a hour early to be at the lounge first, so that we can officially surprise her.  With stalling from the masterminds, Scott and Smith, we were able to arrive at the lounge at a decent time to make sure everything was in order for tonight.  20 minutes later, Ms. Reid and Ms. Martin arrived and I receive a text that Aliesha was around the  corner.  We all hid in one spot and as soon as Aliesha step foot into the door, we all screamed “Surprise!!!!”  The look on her face was that of amazement. As she held back her tears, she thanked everyone for making her birthday something  unforgettable.

✌ ❤☺-Demeshia Jackson