#wjmc2013

Many of you may know the song “This” by Darius Rucker. The night the conference ended, I heard this song while I was getting ready for bed. It made me cry. I started thinking about all the amazing people and experiences that had changed me during the week of the Washington Journalism and Media Conference. They had all made me this. This new person with new dreams and new fears and new connections.  So I want to dedicate this post to listing out the biggest moments and experiences that changed me during the conference and that y’all have yet to hear about.

·         When I first got to the conference, my roommate got there at the same time, so we ended up riding the elevator together. She had ridden the plane with some of the other correspondents, and she invited me to hang out with them. We sat in a huge circle in the lobby of one of the dorms just telling stories about our lives left behind and introducing ourselves to the newbies who strolled in. During the course of only a couple hours, I had met people from all over the country (mostly Michigan and Ohio).

·         During our first team meeting, we had to participate in team-building activities. Good thing my dad was a football player and passed on those genes because we had to throw a football around and say something about ourselves. Not only did I learn about my other group members, but I learned that our leader, Raz, doesn’t own a pair of socks that don’t have holes in them.

·         After the speeches by Candy Crowley and Neil Leifer, we, as groups, had to present on a specific section of the Newseum. Our group had the exhibit, G-men in Journalism.  But the presentations by other groups were much more important. Some of them were hilarious and others were really moving. The funniest presentation was the one about the First Amendment exhibit. The group that did it led everyone in a chant that said “What do we want? Starbucks! When do we want it? Now!” This demonstrated the right to petition the government because our leaders didn’t let us get Starbucks during the conference.  The moving presentation was about 9/11. Two correspondents told stories of what their 9/11 was like. One girl was born on 9/11, so the atmosphere of her birthday party was very somber. The kids didn’t know what was going on, but the adults were all sad and worried. Another girl talked about how her uncle would’ve died in the attacks if his alarm had gone off like it was supposed to. This sent chills through my whole body.

·         Hoda Kotb!!! I can’t even find words to tell you how amazing this woman is. I mean she played the explicit version of “Get Low” by Lil’ John for us! Her facial expressions are probably the things I will most remember from her speech. When she was telling her stories, I can’t even describe what was going on with her face. It would contort into smiles and frowns and laughter. Just search “Hoda Kotb facial expressions” and I bet you’ll find some pretty good ones. Hoda also talked to every student who asked her a question with such genuine concern and interest. She was less like a celebrity and more like a regular person you just met at a diner. Not only was her personality relatable, but her life was. Did you know that she was rejected 26 times for a broadcasting job before she finally found one? And that one she found was a complete accident? She was lost and ended up walking into a TV station to ask for directions, when the manager, Stan, liked her tape and offered her a job. Lesson of the story: find your Stan; that one person who believes in you. That’s all you need. But never forget that the person you see in the mirror every day is your truly biggest believer.

·         We ate dinner after Hoda’s speech at Buca Di Beppo, a family-style Italian restaurant. I sat by Megan and Raz, and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard. Megan couldn’t get the right words out when she talked, and so Raz kept making fun of her for it. Also, for dessert, we got chocolate chip cookies. But they had nuts in it, so Samm couldn’t eat them. Instead they brought her an apple for dessert. She literally thought it was a joke and ate the cookie anyways. When we were leaving, there was a People to People group coming in. This reminded me of the time I spent in Australia with them. I was also reminded of all the people who went on that trip whom I’d since lost contact with. In my mind, and in my heart, I vowed to not let the same thing happen with my group at the conference.

·          The National Mall is so much pretty in the dark. With the scaffolding on the Washington Monument, it looked kind of like the Eiffel Tower. And Lincoln looked like a god sitting on his highlighted throne. While walking between monuments, we tried to catch fireflies, and we had light saber fights with the long glow sticks Raz had been given. We also went by the White House. Raz dared me to try and hop the fence or try to use my press pass to get inside. I was contemplating those ideas because I really had to pee, and I thought that maybe President Obama would be kind and let me use his bathroom.

·         The simulation was one of the big highlights of the conference. We did the simulation in our groups. We all picked a part to play. Some were reporters, some were from the university, someone was the football player caught smoking weed, and some were his parents. I was so impressed by my group members during the press conference part of the simulation, especially those being hammered with questions. They didn’t really know what university presidents or parents of drug addicts do, but they made me believe they did. Meagan and Luke were the perfect Christian couple, Danielle was very knowledgeable about drugs in athletics, and Aaron was great at getting his clients out the room once the questions were over. The most memorable part of the conference was when Danielle was asked, “How do you know when players are abusing prescription pills?” She answered, “They act funny.”

·         Kevin McCarthy is a movie critic and entertainment reporter. He was also one of the best speakers of the conference. Not only was he super cute, but he had a lot of really great stories about everything from nerd tears (when the special effects are so good that you cry) to making a movie for Steven Spielberg to watch. He stressed the idea of being “annoying” and asking for opportunities that you want many times, even when the answer is sure to be no.

Today was the last day of the conference. I felt a lot more emotional than I thought I would. I won't lie; I was counting down the hours until everything was over. But then people really did start leaving, and I wished we had just a few more of those hours I'd let go. 

The thing that really got me emotional was hearing Elena Johnson, the director of the problem, give her goodbye speech. She said she wanted to leave us with three words: congratulations and thank you. Congratulations for making it through the week and becoming an alum of the program. Thank you for not causing any problems throughout the week and for coming in the first place. Elena also said that we would hold a special place in her heart because we were the first group she directed at WJMC. At this part, she started getting choked up and had to sit down. After her speech, I went to go give her a hug and take a picture with her. As I was talking and trying to say thank you, I got choked up myself. I knew that if one of us totally broke down, we wouldn't pull it together for a while. 

I also got really emotional during Julie Simmon's speech today. She finished it by playing "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. Everyone stood up and starting clapping and singing along. I will never forget that moment. There I was with these people who, five days ago, I didn't even know. And there I was. Sad, happy, excited, relieved, but above all, inspired. We were saluting the future together, pledging to do great things for our fellow people and for ourselves. 

I met some of the most incredible people on this journey. They taught me to never stop believing because we all have something that makes us stand out. Something that will help us change the world.

I've decided that here I'm going to write down what everyone taught me and showed me about humanity and the future and myself. 

Megan (Wanza) was one of the people I really connected with during the group chats in the days before the conference, and she became my best friend during the conference. Megan taught me that there's truly someone for everyone in every situation. And she also exposed me to one of the funniest horse stories I will ever hear. 

Hannah taught me that you don't need to be in high heels to look fabulous and professional. She also taught me that being a smart ass doesn't have to make you rude also.

Allyson was my room mate. She taught me to never walk the National Mall in high heels because your feet will then swell up so bad that your gala shoes won't fit. 

Maegan taught me the true meaning of kindness. At the gala when we were dancing, she pulled in outsiders into our circle and cheered them on as they danced. Those kids had such huge smiles because Maegan had given them some positive attention. She was also the most worried when our leader, Raz, got a phone call that pulled him out of dinner. 

Caitlin taught me the importance of listening to people who have experienced things we can only just imagine about. Because of her persistence, I now know what it was really like during the Holocaust for a man named Leon.

Emily taught me how to be outgoing when you're a shy person.

Tanyin taught me that arriving last just means that you needed to give the others time to prepare for your awesomeness.

Luke taught me that you should never be embarrassed or scared to challenge what someone has said, even if that someone is the president of C-SPAN.

Samm taught me what being gorgeous truly looks like.

Abi taught me that the best way to get the most out of an experience is to get the most pictures with the speakers. She also taught me that I really want naturally curly and thick hair.

Brandee taught me that it's not good to do things with your tongue in public, no matter how cool it feels on the roof of your mouth. People will judge you.

Aaron and Ian taught me that the best dancers are hidden in the most unexpected people. 

Anisha taught me that you can find someone to dance with you in every crowd. 

Curtis taught me that a good way to get people to learn your name is by being late to everything from the beginning. 

Danielle taught me that there's nothing wrong with choosing observation over participation. 

Danielle (D-Dubz) taught me that if someone is abusing prescription pills, "they act funny".

Erica taught me that I need to reply to everyone's message and thoughts that they put out into the world via group chat and text message. People need to feel like someone is really listening and responding. 

Katie taught me that a long Prom dress is the perfect attire for any formal event because it will make you feel confident and on top of the world.

Madeline taught me that I want to have long hair again because it's a hell of a lot more fun to fling around on the dance floor. 

Rachel taught me that I'm not the only one who's sneezes are very quiet and high-pitched. 

Samuel taught me that it's really important to sit down and have a real conversation with someone you just met. I ate dinner with him the first night, and he was one of the few people throughout the conference who really cared about my life back home. It's a good feeling to feel cared about. 

Hailey taught me that everyone should go to the Holocaust Museum at some point in their life. 

And finally Matt or Raz as we called him. He taught me that you don't have to have a serious personality to be a great example and a great teacher. It's okay to be sarcastic and ridiculous and embarrassing some times because that's how people connect. Raz also taught me that those people who come across as not really caring are the one's who care the most.