Reflection-Kathryn Carlisle

We were asked to do a blog on some aspect of our experience here at Georgetown. Honestly, I don't know what to write about...the classes have been wonderful, different than I expected, but great. And the field trips, they've been so informative. I've learned so much about journalism and how it works, especially here in DC. I'm so thankful to our professors, Erin, Jen, Shawn and SCS for putting on this program for us.

The thing I have to say is: the people here have been the best part of this experience.

You know, most workshops or camps are a week long, two if you're lucky. We have been here, living together, learning together, for three weeks. I know it doesn't sound like a long time, but when you spend every waking moment with people from your class you really begin to understand them. These are friendships that I hope will last a very long time. I've been amazed at how twenty kids from all over the country became such great friends in a matter of days. I've learned things about places all over the world. From Korea to Texas, China to Oregon...and lots about DC, we've experienced the world through each other.

Within the next day, as we each depart, I hope that we each realize how lucky we've been to have had the opportunity to come to Georgetown. I hope that we all keep in touch. Most of all I hope we never forget the experiences and the time we've spent together.

It's the end of the world as we know it

On this, our final field trip, I learned the most about myself. I learned that, deep down I am still a little kid who idolizes the 'big people' on T.V. I learned that being a journalist is the coolest job that anyone could ever have the opportunity to do. And finally, that learning is the one constant in life we can always depend on.

When I first arrived at Georgetown, and sat listening to Dr. DiConti and Ridgeway speak about cura personalis, I thought it was an interesting point, but not much more. However, the more I walked around campus, and got a feel for life as a Hoya I realized that life is worth everything that it throws at us. For all the hard times, and tragedies in life there is always someone who inspires you to forget them all, and live to your greatest potential. In my case, that person was Anne Shroeder, gossip blogger at The Politico. Ms. Shroeder’s love for her job, and courage of conviction truly inspires me to chase my dreams of being a journalist.
Walking through the news studio at WJLA was, for me, like walking on cloud nine. Watching the meteorologist report the weather, and the anchor women report the news, both as if it were just another day on the job, was really magical.

So now that our time is drawing to a close, and people are packing up to head back to their corners of the country, I’m sad because I’ve learned a lot from these people. The only thing I can hope for is that I always remember them, and what I learned here in this, our own little world, because it’s the end of our world as we know it.

Final Wrap-Up Thing

We were advised to do a "final wrap-up thing," so here goes:
This has been a truly unique experience with all of you here, and I'd like to thank my teachers and fellow students for their kindness and the effort they have put into this workshop. You will all stay in my thoughts throughout the year, and if you ever want to contact me, my email address is suzannah_weiss@fa.org. Good luck to everybody with applying to colleges, and have a fantastic school year.
--Suzy

Nearing the End

On the last day of my journalism workshop, I sit in class watching the end of my memories at Georgetown slip by with the time. Its sad, but I look back on these three weeks with a funny sort of triumph. I met amazing new friends, became accustomed to Georgetown University, and learned about a possible career path. I realized that I can go to a college outside of Texas. Stepping outside of my comfort zone is not as hard as I initially thought. I would love to be able to return to Georgetown University next year. I love having friends all around the country and hope that I will be able to keep contact with them in the years to come. We have all already decided that a reunion next summer is absolutely necessary. I realized that journalism is possibly one of the most enthralling and exciting jobs that you could have and one day I would enjoy being a stringer. Even if I don't end up a journalist, I am glad I participated in this program and learned what it would be like. The experience is one that I hope I will never forget.

Politico/ WJLA-Kathryn Carlisle

Everyone idolizes the faces we see on TV right? Somehow, because they are inside that black box, we assume they are some sort of celebrity or something.

Well, yesterday we saw where the magic happens. We were fortunate enough to see the control room and set of ABC affiliate WJLA channel 7 along with the location of Politico, an upcoming political newspaper here in DC.

We spoke with a lot of young reporters from Politico, along with the veterans who are running the company. It's so interesting to see them working together to create a new, innovative product with the integrity of the experienced papers.

WJLA/Politico trip!-Kelly B

Yesterday we got the opportunity to visit a new magazine called Politico. We spoke with various reporters and met some great people. All of their jobs sounded really intriguing. I especially enjoyed hearing Shananagin's gossip columnist. My absolute favorite part of the trip though was watching WJLA news live. I thought it was really exciting being behind the scenes of a real live news station. It was amazing getting to see the anchors live infront of the cameras because it was a great opportunity to see professionals doing what I am aspiring to do in the future. It was one of my favorite trips throughout this program! I also enjoyed hearing Kelly and the man, Michael, who just got back from Bush's speech, speak about their jobs at Politico. It really fascinated me and made me realize how much I would love to work/get an internship for ABC news.

Politico and WJLA trip

Today is our last day at Georgetown, and it's safe to say that the past three weeks in D.C. went by too fast. This program has been a truly unique experience and a lot different from my expectations. First of all, I didn't think that there would be only 20 kids in the program. It was weird at first, but having such a small group turned out to be a positive thing. We all got to know each other, which would not have happened if there were 100 students here. Also, I didn't think we would be learning about journalism in such a hands-on way. In past journalism workshops I've attended, the classes were mostly lecture-based. In this workshop, I got to do some amazing things that I might not ever be able to do again, like sit in on a Pentagon press briefing, or speak to the First Lady's press secretary.

Yesterday we visited the Politico newsroom and the WJLA studio. This was an exciting field trip because we got to see a typical newsroom in action. Several editors and writers took the time out of their day to talk to us and give us the inside information on life as a journalist. One thing that surprised me was how young some of the journalists were. Several of them had recently graduated from college. Going to the WJLA studio was also a fascinating experience. It made me appreciate news anchors a lot more because I can only imagine how difficult it is to read of a teleprompter so quickly and still sound natural. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice people were in the newsrooms, and how they were willing to talk to us high school students.