My Free Spirit in Journalism Conference with USA TODAY and the Freedom Forum

All 102 of us arrived at the Watergate Hotel, lugging our overstuffed suitcases, poised with our cell phones in one hand in case we could not find Lee-Ann. Then we shuffled downstairs to lunch, where trays of hot pasta awaited us.

After we finished lunch, we scrambled upstairs to catch a bus to the national mall. We had the option of visiting the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Gallery of Art, or the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Once we returned to the Watergate, Close Up rounded us up to board the bus for L'Enfant Hotel, where they fed us bread, salad, pasta, and cookies. Dinner concluded with a toast. We headed back to the Watergate for a Newseum video presentation, which was followed by an Ice-breaker activity.

The next morning, we woke up at 5:30 a.m. to eat breakfast at ESPN Zone. Then we departed ESPN Zone for NBC Studios to watch the taping of Meet the Press with Tim Russert. After the taping, we had a press conference with Tim Russert.

Following our discussion with Tim Russert, we went to visit the exterior of the White House. About twenty minutes later, the bus took us to the Dupont Circle neighborhood, where we had the opportunity to eat at any restaurant of our choice. Russert stated that he is "a great believer in sunshine" and that we as young journalists should be skeptical rather than cynical. This was advice repeated throughout the conference.

We met up at the bus after an hour and a half to take a tour of Washington, visiting the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Wall, and the Korean Memorial.

Two hours later, we arrived at the hotel to rest for an hour, and then boarded the bus once again to go to the Rosslyn Spectrum in Arlington, VA for our group video taping and photo session.