Tracy Morgan, Allan Houston give New York City students career advice at MSG Classroom in partnership with Garden of Dreams Foundation
NEW YORK - It's not every day you get to sit in the same room as a former Knicks player and a famous comedian to talk career advice, but that's how a handful of students spent their afternoon.
The MSG Classroom offers New York City high schools hands-on experience in the media industry.
CBS2's Zinnia Maldonado brings us the lessons they took away.
Students from across the city got to sit down with former Knicks player Allan Houston and comedian Tracy Morgan to talk life lessons and career advice Tuesday.
"You know what stops us? The 'if,'" Morgan said.
"It's really different to be in the room with these people and hear what they have to say," said Myles Dawson of Harlem.
"Tracy, you shared a lot of important insight, but it you could pick one thing you really hope these kids take away from today, what would it be?" Maldonado asked Morgan.
"Gratitude. Be thankful," Morgan said.
The group of high schoolers and college graduates are all alumni of the MSG Classroom, a partnership between MSG networks and the Garden of Dreams Foundation that gives them hands-on experience in the broadcast industry.
"And they come out of it with a really nice tape of their work where they interview celebrities, write the script, do the camera work, they do the editing," said Garden of Dreams Foundation Executive Director Maggie Jacobs.
Students who have graduated from the program have gone on to achieve lifelong dreams, such as attending college, or even starting their own business.
"Because of this program I was able to open up my own company, Reel Gems Entertainment, and actually hired some interns from the MSG Classroom," said Christine Davis of Harlem.
"This program makes you sit down and think - where do you want to go? What do you want to achieve? How are you going to get there?" Bronx resident Kira Myers said.
Those are questions Morgan and Houston agree are important these young adults ask themselves as they begin to navigate the real world.
"This is a very important age," Houston said. "What the Garden of Dreams does is a really good job of giving them something tangible to focus on and give them the tools and equipment to understand themselves."