IN THE CAPITAL

The selection was made based on information garnered from Lelan’s College Board questionnaire, which included his grade point average and career aspirations.

The selection letter states Lelan “joins a select group of students from all over the country for an intensive study of journalism and media” and that the selection is “based on academic accomplishments and a demonstrated interest and excellence in journalism and media studies.”

According to Lelan, there were 300 attendees at the conference from July 15 to 20 which were divided into color groups. He was in the purple group with faculty advisor Jessica Young, a teacher from San Diego, Calif., and Junior Faculty Advisor Camden Layton, a George Mason University junior.

Lelan related his advisors were “professional, passionate and very helpful” and he plans to keep in touch with these new role models.

The week was a mix of presentations and sightseeing.

Presenters include prominent journalists, CEOs of major media outlets, researchers and recent college graduates successfully entering the field.

“For speakers, we were honored to be listening to a variety of successful journalists, including podcaster Lauren Ober, C-SPAN founder Brian Lamb, the investigative journalist who broke the very first case of sexual assault against Larry Nassar, Steve Berta — my personal favorite — and four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, Carol Guzy,” Lelan said.

Lelan said the speakers discussed the importance of journalism and “the respect each and every American should have for it.”

“The largest takeaway I believe, is to never ever let anyone tell us that there is no future for journalism and that it is a dying career,” said Lelan. “Print journalism may be declining, but with broadcast, online and social media, journalism is having more outlets than ever before.”

To really illustrate the difficulty behind journalism jobs, the students participated in a three-hour simulation. Those acting as reporters were assigned a story to present to the editors and executive editor — the role Lelan played. The editors had to decide on which stories to place on the front page.

“Being able to learn about the difficulties of journalism and really experience the newsroom process was exhilarating,” said Lelan.

While not listening to speakers on the main campus or at the university’s satellite campus in Arlington, Md., the students spent their days sightseeing in Washington, D.C.

Lelan said his group spent a whole day at the Newseum, “which is completely dedicated to the world of journalism and freedom of the press.”

“I encourage every aspiring journalist to go, if not every American,” he said.

The group also posed for photos outside the White House and went on a Moonlit Monument tour of the World War II memorial, the Washington Monument and Lincoln Monument and visited the Martin Luther King Memorial and National Press Club. In addition, the students had “an entire day to ourselves on the National Mall,” said Lelan.

The highlight of the week for Lelan was meeting with U.S. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-Willsboro.

During his half-hour visit, Lelan asked about the congresswoman’s professional and personal development, which he said, “allowed me to gain some really great advice.”

In addition, they spoke about Common Core and the future of public education.

“I was able to share my personal experiences with Common Core and she listened very attentively,” he said, noting the congresswoman commented on his knowledge of current events and news along with his extensive knowledge of Common Core.

“She added that she believed that I have more of a public policy mind and she would rather see me work for her than become a journalist,” said Lelan.

Unsure of his career choice, Lelan said during his senior year, he will be vetting colleges in the northeast that have great political science, journalism and public policy programs.