POLITICO!
What an incredible place it is. The building it's located in, first of all, is absolutely gigantic. Also the home of ABC-7, Politico's office is very wide open, and surprisingly quiet for a hot topic newspaper. We situated ourselves in a conference room over looking one of the many [blank]95 Routes in DC. We met with the gorgeous Beth Frerking and Kendra
Kendra began at Politico a few years ago, while Beth has been around since the start-up. Their stories were absolutely incredible - and it was very encouraging to see a young reporter with great success in the industry. It made me want to graduate TODAY!

Beth is not only an assistant managing editor, but is also in charge of hiring new employees. The information on what she looks for in potential candidates is absolutely invaluable! She was tough, and stern - and everything an incredible boss should be!

We also met with Marty Kady. He was extremely intelligent and kind, and very straight forward about how tough it is to balance work and family in this industry.

It was really great to hear from EVERY angle of Politico - not only in their positions but the stages of life they are in, as well!

On a sad note - only about 8 more classes until the semester is completely over - I can't believe it! This has been the greatest three months of my life, so far. The relationships and connections have been bigger and greater than anything I could have ever imagined.

And the city humbles me - again! I don't believe I'll ever take this gorgeous place, with such incredible people, for granted. Yesterday, after speaking with the NRA in the morning - our class went to the Rayburn Building on Capitol Hill to speak with Representative Carolyn McCarthy.

I admit - she's an incredible woman - although we share very different views. She is the first speaker we've had this ENTIRE semester who not only intrigued me with her story - but made the wheels in my head spin about beliefs I thought I was steadfast about.

After losing her husband, and nearly her son, in a shooting incident on a train in Long Island - Carolyn McCarthy came to Congress to speak up about issues, such as gun control, that are plaguing our country at this time.

Her son, a former Wall Street employ, is still recovering from the incident - but is doing very well and is now happily married with children!

While Carolyn McCarthy and I may stand on opposite ends of the spectrum, this class has taught me that, as a journalist, my mind must remain open and uncritical of others.

Such an invaluable lesson once again taught by one of the greatest programs in the country!

Today was so gorgeous outside! Me and my friend AR showed up to class WAY too early - but it was too nice to waste the time inside the NPB. So, we decided to head towards the monument to see the Cherry Blossoms!

Everything is so pretty and there are people EVERYWHERE. I cannot wait to spend the entire Summer here and explore everything else this city has to offer. After our excursion into the pretty city, we had to go back to class - which wasn't bad because we met RON BONJEAN!

He's a really intelligent man, and he gave some of the best advice of any speaker we've had so far. I couldn't even put a price on the amount of incredible things he spoke about.

He's definitely an inspiration to all journalists, young and old. He owns his own PR firm, now and as the owner of a company, he offered a wealth of knowledge on the subject of what he looks for in his applicants. There are a lot of different things that employers look for, so it was nice to actually speak to someone in our field about what HE looks for.

He also gave a lot of great advice about what to do after college. He made sure we understood how important it is to NETWORK. "This town is built on relationships," he explained. And a relationship with Ron Bonjean is one I definitely want to develop!

He also gave us great insight as to how to grab the attention of employers since they are receiving thousands of applications monthly. The experiences and information I am receiving here are truly priceless. I don't believe that I could have ever wished for a better semester! THANK YOU AMERICAN UNIVERSITY <3