An orientation 'high'

I have a feeling that when I get back to Arizona, I will still be on an orientation “high.”

The only problem with these past four days is that they flew by too fast. The second you start to get to know someone, understand a topic or appreciate an aspect of journalism you didn’t notice before, the rug is pulled out from under you.

When I got here, I did not know what to expect. I was shocked by the attentiveness of the Freedom Forum employees and the quality of every session and speaker. From each person, I learned at least one valuable lesson that I will take with me into the newsroom.

What I value most is that I now have a strong support system that I will not be shy to turn to. The genuine compassion that everyone in this program has for each of us truly amazes me. I couldn’t think of anything better than knowing that I am not alone.

And that support does not stop at just the Freedom Forum. My fellow class Scholars and I are in the same boat. I don’t think any of them will hesitate to come to my aid when I have a problem, drop by to visit me when they are near, or just call out of the blue to say hello. There are not many people in my life I can say that about.

I can only say that I hope this high never ends

-- Kellie Hwang, Spring Scholar, The Arizona Republic, University of Washington