A celebrity sighting at the Newseum

Today we toured the Newseum, the museum of news at its brand new location. After seeing a 4-D movie with a few sprays of water and lots of "oh’s and ah's" about how news has changed in America, a few of my new Chips Quinn friends and I headed for the glass elevators. We were enjoying the view of the museum's atrium on the ride up when I noticed that Mike Rowe from The Discovery Channel’s "Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe" was standing next to me with his beautiful spouse. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at the host known for his wit and wisdom as he discovers and works at America's dirtiest jobs. I whispered my sighting to fellow Scholars Brenda Vallejo and Rick Rojas, but none of us were sure it was really Rowe.

We were in the biggest elevator I've seen, surrounded by at least 20 eighth-graders in matching T-shirts. I've read enough books to know that the quickest way to anger celebrities is to draw attention to them in a crowded place. In true journalistic spirit, I quietly said, "Excuse me, sir, are you Mr. Rowe?" He smiled and said, "Hi, nice to meet you." We saw him again later and our brave photographer Brenda asked for a photo. He was gracious, and his mom even took a picture with Brenda's camera so we could all get in the shot.

Getting it right

If I had to pick one speaker who really stood out, it would be Sue Stock, retail reporter at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. She spoke about something I've become increasingly worried about these past few months: mistakes, big ones. Simply misspelling a name or changing an "avenue" to a "boulevard" could have a serious impact on the lives of countless citizens in my internship city, Salt Lake City. I've made a few mistakes in my years of news writing at my college paper and I never want to have that feeling again, especially at The Salt Lake Tribune. By "pencil checking" my stories, printing out the final draft, circling every fact and checking each one, I can avoid making simple mistakes that could end up being very costly. So thank you, Sue, for your great advice.

Forming relationships under Capitol lights

Newseum at night. (Photo by Sam Kittner)

A tingling in my toes. That's what I want to get out of my internship. Not just from the thrill of meeting a writing assignment deadline, or from a great speaker who reminds me yet again of my passion for news, or from anticipation of my summer adventures, but also from the fun I'll have with new friends under the lights of the Capitol.