'American Idol' winner Trent Harmon, runner-up La’Porsha Renae, talk to Long Island kids

Recently, “American Idol” winner Trent Harmon and runner-up La’Porsha Renae came to the Fox offices in Manhattan, and we were able to spend some time with them.

Getting to go and interview the winner and runner-up of “American Idol” was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. One of our favorite memories of the day was getting the chance to sit down with Trent and La’Porsha and see what they were really like, not just how they were in front of the cameras. It was great to joke around with them, to hear about their amazing journeys, their advice, and even to eat lunch with them. All of these things were so exciting but what made it so memorable was seeing the role models just be real and themselves.

When we first got to spend time with Trent, he gave great advice about staying true to yourself and also helped us to feel so comfortable when we were nervous. It felt like he was an old friend. At first, we were all very nervous and worried about what he would think of us. Then as we progressed through the interview we realized that he wasn’t the type of person to judge us. He joked around with us, told stories, and he even took off his hat and put it on fellow interviewer, Sofia. This was Sofia’s favorite part of the day. Throughout the interview, Trent showed us that you can learn and have fun at the same time.

After we finished our interview with Trent, we ate lunch with him. He continued to tell stories, give advice, tell corny jokes and introduced us to the runner-up, La’Porsha. It was great to just relax and enjoy the real friendship of Trent and La’Porsha. Eating lunch with these two contestants was very interesting and hilarious at the same time. Samantha said her favorite memory was La’Porsha’s laugh. We thought she had the best laugh we have ever heard. You could tell she was a singer by the way she held her laugh out.

When we finished eating, we then interviewed La’Porsha who told us that she loves waffles and eats them all the time. She is such a character, tells things exactly how she means them. She also gave great advice about managing stress and being thankful for all you have. La’Porscha also talked about what it was like during and after the competition, and even gave tips on how she does her hair. Throughout this experience we made so many memories and had such an amazing time. We all hope to get a chance to be a part of something like this again in the future because it was truly life-changing.