Yesterday was a very very busy day. We were constantly running somewhere; constantly doing something, which resulted in a very grumpy Savannah. I didn’t want to subject you guys to my rage, which is why I didn’t blog. I thought getting out of my heels and curling up in my bed would be a better way to cure my case of the grumps.

Anyway, we started yesterday off with an early morning; I woke up at 5:30. Which was pretty difficult. We then left to be the live studio audience for C-SPAN. Once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s insane that we got the chance to be there. We taped a live show with Steve Scully and two other guests. We got to ask questions and really be a part of the show, and my mom even said she saw me on TV! Ah how crazy. So we were there for 2 hours or so, and then we headed to the National Mall to eat and explore the Smithsonian. It was fun – except for the pouring down rain that interrupted our long walk back to the bus. Luckily I had my handy-dandy George Mason pancho, but it was still pretty miserable. We finally got a break after that, but then we had two more speaking sessions after dinner. By this point, I was completely shutting down. Almost falling asleep, snapping at whoever talked to me – I just needed my bed. The best past of my day was probably lying down and getting some rest.

Today I woke up bright and shiney, determined to make this day a good day regardless of what happened. And it was. (: In the morning, we listened to two speeches; one on the rights and responsibilities of student journalists and one on internships. They were both pretty interesting and had lots of useful information, but my eyes just could not stay open. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, maybe chronic exhaustion? Anyways, we then travelled to Capital Hill, where we ate lunch at Union Station, took a tour of the Capital, and took tons of photos. But after, the real fun was coming – the gala.

I didn’t really have high expectations for the gala. I mean, how fun could it really be? Would they restrict our dancing, our music? But it turned out to be the best part of the week. It felt so good to have some fun and let loose after a long week of being professional and strictly business. I danced with all of the friends I’ve made here, and it was cool seeing a different, fun side to everyone. The gala was a huge hit, and I thank everyone who helped make it happen.

I’m so sad to go tomorrow! I really hope that I’ll be able to keep in touch with everyone, and that I’ll be able to apply the things that I’ve learned to my life and hopefully, my journalism career.

After, came the highlight of my day. Today Show and Dateline Host Hoda Kotb. This woman has more personality and humor than anyone I’ve ever met. She has faced struggle, war, and rejection, and has risen against it. Her speech was hilarious and inspirational, and I couldn’t help hoping that one day I could be just like her. After her speech, I fought the crowds in order to get through to her, hoping I could spare just a second to speak with her. She was totally gracious and so down-to-earth; it was refreshing to meet such a successful person who was like that. I even managed to get a picture with her, and when I get home, I’m going to buy her book right away. She is really an amazing person and such a talented journalist, and I want to model myself after her.

Once we had returned to the campus, had a color group meeting, and eaten dinner, we listened to yet another panel of speakers. They were all alumni from Mason and had all been successful in their journalism careers. We then left for our moonlit tour of the monuments, which was really beautiful, but I was a little too tired to appreciate it.

I think I’ve said all that I need to say, and seeing that I have to wake up at 5:30 tomorrow, I should probably get some rest. Though this conference has been just an eye-opening experience, these blisters from my heels and this overpacked schedule is starting to become a little much for me. Hopefully the next few days are a little more relaxed (:

   My name is Savannah and this is my second night at the Washington Journalism and Media Conference hosted by George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. I wasn’t able to blog last night because of the pure exhaustion that befell upon me once my long, though exciting, first day came to an end. I arrived at this conference with some inhibitions and worries – basically, about everything. I was afraid to meet new people, that I wouldn’t fit in with the type of people here, that I’d have a bad roommate, that this conference would make me realize I hated journalism and didn’t want to go into it as a career at all, or that I’d give into my fears and be that unwilling, uninspired girl whom I was afraid that I was becoming.

I used to be so sure in my career aspirations; I knew I wanted to major in Communications and become a journalist. But recently I’ve been second-guessing myself continuously about who I am and what I can do. Am I a brave enough person to be a journalist? Am I creative enough? Professional enough? Commited enough? I’ve been told numerous times that journalists make no money, that the field is dying out, blah blah…but for some reason I can’t shake my dream of writing for a newspaper or a magazine. Seeing my name in print. Covering that huge story. Interviewing interesting people. Traveling the world, possibly. I love the idea of it – but can I do it?

Just over the past few days my dreams have been revamped and reaffirmed, and I’ve remembered why I want to break into this business. I’ve been reminded that I’ve been chosen for this conference, which must mean something, and just coming here has defeated a mass of my fears. I was chosen as Editor-In-Chief for my school paper, which means other people think I can do it. I just have a little problem with over-thinking and over-analyzing which feeds into my anxiety and makes me feel like a little nothing. Though not all my hesitancies and questions are gone, I’m making an effort to defeat them as soon as possible in order to get as much out of this conference as I can. I CAN DO IT. Thank you so much, WJMC, for helping me remember that. I won’t ever forget it again (:

Anyway, here’s a little play-by-play about what’s been going on so far. Yesterday, I drove the 45 minutes it takes to get to GMU and arrived with my laptop and notebook, ready to go. I found out that I have an adorable roommate from Oklahoma, who I enjoy talking to and spending time with. We had an amazing dinner and listened to an amazing speaker, Chris Cillizza, and I met the rest of the members from the blue group.  After some cake, we rejoined with our group and discussed the speech. Finally, we headed back to our dorms and went to sleep for the night.

Now today, I had breakfast with a friend that goes to my school who is also a part of this conference, and then settled in on the bus to the Newseum. I’d been there before, as I’m from the area, but it’s so cool seeing the other kids react to seeing DC. Most of them have never been here before, and it’s really made me appreciate how beautiful it is. The Newseum was awesome, as usual, and had some amazing photo galleries such as the Pulitzer Prize Gallery and the Top Photos of the Year Gallery. I had mac and cheese for lunch (my favorite) and after some more museum exploration, we went to see the 4-D movie, which was pretty fun. We finally headed back to campus to have our color meetings and then go to our break-out sessions. I heard two speeches; one on intercultural communications and one on disaster reporting. Both were super interesting and really opened up my eyes to sides of journalism that I didn’t see were there before.

And now I’m here; back in my dorm room, blogging to you all. I have some research to be done on Brian Lamb, the CEO of C-SPAN, due tomorrow, but I think I’m going to just wake up early and do it. I’m too tired to focus anymore. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!