Today was exciting yet also extremely long and tiring! The WJMC began the day by listening to the wise words of Chuck Todd and Dean Flagel. Todd gave valuable advice about “showing up” and demonstrating dedication and persistence in the field of journalism while Dean Flagel put all of us college-bound seniors at ease by telling us that standardized test scores don’t matter all that much! Then, we traveled to the Pentagon City Fashion Center where we ate lunch (SUBWAY and STARBUCKS!!!!). For an hour and 15 minutes, it felt like we were back in the real world instead of at an academic conference! The real test of the day, however, came when we arrived at the United States Capitol. We had to face the imposing guards as we passed through security, and then we had to wait for an intensely long time until we could see the movie and go on the tour. We didn’t even get to sit in on the House or Senate! Afterwards, we posed for a group picture in the sweltering heat, got back on the buses, and finally traveled back to the air-conditioned campus!!!! Later, we discovered that we had actually been really lucky! There was a shooting at Capitol Hill shortly after we left. I haven’t heard much information about the unfortunate incident, but I have to admit that it’s really scary!!!