Column: D.C. trip provides much needed stress relief and inspiration
Recently I attended the National College Media Convention student media conference with Pacer Times. My experience was nothing short of impactful.
Disregarding the massive shock of being in a big city free to wander, the conference within the hotel was truly interesting and furthered my growing passion for journalism.
While in the hotel, we met students who all had the same passion for their content, the same desires and a willingness to meet others that could provide insight on problem-solving and leadership.
One instance that stood out to me was when I attended a meeting where the speaker ended up not showing up due to a baseball team for D.C. winning the National Championships for the first time.
The meeting was supposed to address issues with a small staff, so imagine a room filled with editors stressed to the brim at the absence of the speaker.
Instead of falling to pieces we ended up forming a large circle, and as diligent reporters we turned on our voice recorders and then one by one introduced ourselves and our problems. The next forty minutes involved the trading of strategies and support, as well as contact information.
All of us left the room feeling like we had a stronger grip on our jobs which, at this point in the semester, was empowering.
The conference itself was profound and provided story ideas upon story ideas. Coming from a small university, it can be difficult to try and provide meaningful and relevant stories. D.C. gave me relief, both physically and mentally by providing distance from Aiken and inspiration and confidence in my writing and editing abilities.
This column is written with the opinions of one editor and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Pacer Times.
