The Verizon Center and the Washington Wizards!

Yesterday was super cool. We got a tour of the Verizon Center from the CFO of the Washington Wizards. We were taken into the most prestigious areas, such as the Player's Club, the Owner's Club, the Locker Room and even their practice arena!

We accidentally even ran into the GM of the Wizards! The center was so much fun to walk around in, but the overwhelming smell of popcorn was SO taunting. I was ravenous by the time I left.

The Player's Club is on the third floor of the Verizon Center, and the view is incredible! There's an elite group that pays a LOT of money to enjoy the area whenever they'd like for meetings, food, and of course to watch the game!

The Owner's Club is spaced over two different floors. The bottom floor is a living room/dining room area where the owners and their families and friends meet for a meal during the game. The upstairs floor is right above the first rows of seating. There is a kitchen and bar on this floor, and it's stocked with Ted Leonsis' favorite things.

The Locker Room...stinks! :) It was really fun, but it was pretty apparent that a bunch of sweaty athletes have been spending a lot of time in there recently. I put my foot against one of their shoes, and it was so much smaller!

We also saw their Practice Arena, for nights when hockey is taking place, and they can't use the floor. This definitely ranks as one of my favorite trips so far! I absolutely loved the laid back, yet conservatively organized, atmosphere that the Verizon Center has.

Today, we went to Sirius XM Satellite Radio HQ here in D.C.!

Our tour guide was none other than Bob Edwards. He has his own show called the Bob Edwards show!

He's really down to earth and gave a lot of great advice about how to get into the industry. He spoke a lot about the history of Sirius and XM satellite radio stations. They were once separate companies and actually complete rivals in the business. Sirius and XM were the only two companies that had the government's approval to begin satellite radio. After much battling and millions of dollars spent trying to bring each other down, they decided to merge.

The merge cost many people, hundreds in fact, their jobs due to too many alike stations (i.e two reggae stations, two alternative rock stations etc.) Also, due to the merger between the two companies, there are two offices: one is in New York, and the other in D.C.

We visited multiple studios and even got to enter the 60's studio. I even had the opportunity to speak on-air! I requested "All You Need is Love" by The Beatles and we discussed my hometown on air! It was so cool.

We also had the opportunity to step inside the performance room at the station, which has been seen by some of the most incredible performers in history. I sat in the same chair as Paul McCartney! :)

Today was by far one of the most fun trips we've taken in the city, I absolutely love the studio, and I've added yet another potential summer internship opportunity!

J.J. Green

The National Security Correspondent for WTOP radio among many other broadcast positions. This was thankfully not the first time that I spent an hour and a half learning entirely new information about the world that we live in. He impacted me not only with a healthy fear of the people around me, but a great understanding of the values and morals of the United States.

J.J. Green spends his days focusing on the safety of the United States. He studies it, he's mastered it, he knows all about it. He is a wealth of knowledge, like I've never seen before. He has so many interesting stories and accomplishments under his belt!

He has completely scared me out of my mind about the idea of terrorists, their capabilities, and how the cyber world has made it easier than ever to attack other countries.

J.J. spoke a lot about the issues he covered in the past, but he also shed some light on a couple very real situations that are threatening our very existence. There were four Americans killed near Somalia, the Gulf of Aden is now a pirate hot spot. There are also reports of multiple hostage and terrorist situations in the Middle East. But...Pirates? Really? Even more disturbing is the idea that the mentor to some of the most disturbed terrorists of our time is not only alive, but is still practicing his beliefs in Yemen.

The world has become an extremely scary place, and J.J. Green will be the type of man that saves us from it!

I finally found an internship! I started at Stars and Stripes newspaper on Friday! (Please visit www.stripes.com!)

It was so cool. I even had the opportunity to meet Howard Witt, the managing editor of the paper.

His website can be found here: http://howardwitt.com/index.html

He has done a lot of amazing work and research.

Sharon Moores, a former editor, said "The Stars and Stripes newspaper is published overseas, therefore most of the reporters are overseas as well -- Europe, Japan, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq. There are a couple of Pentagon reporters in the D.C. office, but most of the journalists there are editors. They edit the stories and design and lay out the pages. Editing gives you a great idea of story construction and what makes a good piece; layout and design are all about presentation of the paper, how to sell it, how to make it look interesting to a passerby. There are several editions of the paper -- Europe, Mideast, and a couple of Pacific editions -- so there are several deadlines from 2:45 to 8 p.m."

It is such an incredible newsroom. I attended the "Page 1" meeting - which is where the cover page for every edition is discussed. I was able to see a lot of their personalities shine through, and most of them were REALLY funny! I couldn't help but be a little weery of the puffy eyes, overwhelming smell of coffee, and the amount of fully caffeinated sodas in the conference room. It was a very...strange...flashforward to my future - I still don't know how I feel about that!

This is going to be one of the greatest experiences of my life - the man who is setting my entire internship up (Sean Moores) is literally making sure I will see EVERY aspect of the newspaper business. I will be editing, shadowing, and even writing!

Tip 1) Never give up - especially in the city. It's taken me 3 weeks to find another internship (my first one didn't work out), but I found an INCREDIBLE internship. Just...make sure you keep looking.

Tip 2) Use every available resource! I received this internship from a NEIGHBOR.

Tip 3) Keep business cards FOREVER. I've received over 20 business cards, and I've made sure to keep every last one! I've even e-mailed a few of our speakers to keep in contact.

I woke up this morning at 5:30, just like I have done all week. Expecting a great experience for the day, a potentially life changing moment, or even better - a job opportunity ;). I did not, however, expect anything that unfolded this morning. I knew I was going to meet Bob Schieffer, long time news anchor and reporter for CBS. I knew I may have the opportunity to speak with him, get an autograph, maybe ask a question, or even get a picture with him- I did not know that I'd have the chance to do all THREE!

His speech was absolutely INCREDIBLE! He spoke about a time when Lyndon B. Johnson was campaigning for Senator, and he remembers seeing him come down in a helicopter. It was the first time he had ever seen a helicopter, and LBJ was using a megaphone to announce himself - and it scared 11 yr. old Schieffer to death! He said "I didn't know if it was God, or a Monster, or what it was!"

He moved on to politics for a little while and spoke about the cost of politics, elected officials not knowing each other like they did back in the day (when they'd actually meet after hours TOGETHER), and redistricting - which he believes completely erases the chance for compromise. He said that we really should be watching politics in May when the debt ceiling will be discussed.

He then moved onto life in general, and the idea of following a passion. Here's a few of his quotes:

"All I've ever wanted to be is what I am today."

"You have one trip to planet Earth, and iti s your
life...Whatever it is you decide to be - it's YOUR decision."

"Don't be afraid to stretch. Don't be afraid to reach."

"Pick something you enjoy, get good at it, and the success
will come by itself!"

"I'm a reporter, my first question is always, "Why?"

Then he took questions from the crowd, and introduced his assistant. She was extremely young, and very accomplished for her age. She gave a few great tips, such as:

• Use Alumni
  
• Meet everyone you can at your internships, and stay in contact with them.


• Take what you can, even if it's not exactly what you want.


• Offer yourself, even if it's a long shot.

Overall, I'd have to say I learned more this week than I have all semester! Tomorrow I begin my internship at Stars and Stripes! Wish me luck! <3

I didn't think it was possible for this experience to get any better than it already was, but it HAS!

This week alone, I met Dave Martin from CBS, Donna Leinwand from USA Today, and Thomas Clare from Kirkland and Ellis law firm! The contacts that Iris Krasnow has are just incredible!

David Martin is a journalist from CBS on security and national defense matters. His average day usually includes a three mile walk around the Pentagon! He is also on the evening news, sometimes. He spoke with us about the everchanging world of journalism, and how the platforms of many of today's television shows will have to change in the near future. He is a firm believer that the youth of America is taking over! I'll gladly partake in this takeover! :)

Donna Leinwand, a reporter for USA Today, was another guest speaker this week. She was especially exciting because her "beat" for the past few years has been crime and disaster. She went to Haiti during their disaster, and showed us pictures and told stories of the things she had to see. I saw pictures of dead men lying in the road, a hole in a cemetary full of dead and only half-dead bodies. It was absolutely disgusting, but she was there the entire time reporting the things she was seeing. Without her there, we never would have seen these things. Her gag reflex, and reporting skills, are absolutely phenomenal. It truly made me want to explore this aspect of journalism a LOT more.

Last,but not least, we saw Thomas Clare. He's a lawyer at the Kirkland and Ellis lawfirm and he gave a big speech on defamation and libel laws. As an aspiring journalist, it was really great to learn the lines that cannot be crossed. Many reporters seem to believe that due to the nature of their work, they're allowed to break laws to get information - but this is very untrue. There are very particular laws and cases that determine how far a journalist can go, and exactly where they cannot.

I learned a lot of extremely valuable information this week. I cannot wait to see what is yet to come. My next post is about Bob Schieffer!

This week has been amazing! On Tuesday, my class went to National Geographic in the city! We had a round table sort of conference with the Senior Film Editor at Nat Geo! Above, he is holding a fake seal used in the 1999 Great White movie that National Geographic released on the Jaws anniversary. Those of us who were outgoing actually had the opportunity to hold it, so tip 1 for the day is - get yourself out there! Don't be shy!


The seal was made out of three boogie boards in South Africa and then a camera was placed inside the hole on the head. This seal was made so that a photographer could get a shot of the Great White hopping out of the water after a seal.




We saw the video that was inside the seal's head, and the shark approached with such speed! He was up, out, and gone!




This man literally has the job of a LIFETIME. He is incredible. I immediately wanted his job, but so did everyone else in the class. Which brings up tip 2 about world at this time - in most cases there is just ONE job, and 500 people who want it. A program like the Washington Semester Program at American University is the type of program that could put you at the top of that list!




The program has provided me with such incredible experiences. I'm currently having trouble finding (another) internship. My professor, Gil Klein, is literally working around the clock for ME. He's using every contact he has, and on the phone yesterday he said "I have people ALL over the city keeping their eye out for you!"

The other day, I was wondering through the city, searching for Washingtonian Magazine. I must have looked completely LOST because a man approached me and said "Honey, what are you looking for?" - - Everyone is willing to help, so tip 3 for today is to ACCEPT it. Some people are complete weirdos, but you can usually tell before they approach you. :)

Have a great weekend!