Until 2024

By: Ashlyn DeLoughy

And so it ends.

Here I am finishing up our last story on the third floor of the downtown Des Moines Marriott. I take a moment to think of the intimidated girl who sat in this exact seat 10 days ago. I was nervous. There are so many talented journalists on this trip who will be so successful someday. I was excited. I couldn’t wait to see so many Presidential candidates speak at just an arm’s length away and get the true Iowan experience. I was curious. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect at all. I’ve never been to Des Moines before, I’ve never been given the chance to interview/cover important and well known figures before and I’ve never been surrounded by so many major networks reporting right alongside me. There were so many opportunities ahead of me. I just didn’t know it yet. 

Our last event was a Common Good forum, with a total of six different candidates speaking. There was one right after another right after another right after another. It was a journalist’s field day, a journalist’s marathon. I was furiously taking notes on the various candidates while simultaneously transcribing their speeches. Then, I would run to the back of the room to help write and edit the article as well as oversee the multimedia content that was going online to make sure it made sense with the narrative that was being written. It was a perfect way to end the trip because it allowed me to explicitly see the growth in myself as both a journalist and a person. 

I pack my bags, print my boarding pass and hop on the plane, leaving Des Moines as a more educated journalist. There were so many things that were so foreign to me prior to this trip. Even though, I’ve been practicing journalism basically since the third grade, there was still so much to learn. In case you didn’t know, journalists have their own language. From the technical aspects to the interviews to the editing process, everything is so specific. However, now I’m more confident in my ability to engage in all of those phases of the storytelling process as a strong, confident and informed journalist. I cannot wait to go back to Elon and get more involved in the newsroom (provided I’m not in rehearsals). 

I also leave this trip as a more knowledgeable human. Whether we were sitting on the ground on the third floor of the hotel or pitching some of the more evergreen stories on a snowy day, this trip encouraged me to engage in deep conversations about real issues that affect people all over the globe. I found myself putting into question my own values at times. I found myself putting into question society’s values at times. Not only was I discussing these issues with my classmates and professors, but I was also interviewing Iowans and engaging in these in depth conversations on the ground where the heart of politics lies. Furthermore, I was given the opportunity to raise questions about these issues directly to those who are at the forefront of modern day politics: the presidential candidates who might just be in office/working in the White House come November. 

Sometimes Elon can be a bubble, but this once in a lifetime experience made me see the world that exists outside. Above all, this trip provided me with new perspective and shed some light on topics that I’ve never even thought of before regarding everything from journalism to politics to foreign affairs. 

I’m incredibly grateful for this experience and am currently keeping a list of notes on my phone, so I can share every minute of my time in Des Moines with my family back home. The memories are endless and not to be cheesy, but the friendships made on this trip are honestly unlike anything else.

Des Moines, I could go on forever, but for now I just want to say thank you. I’ll see ya in 2024.