“On behalf of Southwest Airlines and especially this L.A.-based cabin crew, we’d like to thank you for flying with us and welcome you to LaGuardia Airport.”

I looked out the window as the plane landed, greeting the rather unimpressive site of an empty plane runway with some signs and buildings nearby.

But compared to the drab space outside, I was about to experience the first thrill of New York after stepping outside the airport: the nonstop hustle and traffic. 

As someone who rarely travels and likes to enjoy my time quietly at home, heading to another state for journalism, to Columbia University no less, was a definite first. 

Columbia University houses one of the world’s oldest journalism schools and the only one in the Ivy League. As a result, it offers high schoolers who are either sophomores, juniors or seniors a chance to attend a pre-college program through the Columbia Scholastic Press Association [CSPA] to attend an annual summer workshop with virtual and in-person options.

I realized I needed to take this opportunity to commit to being a News editor this year because I wanted to gain more experience outside of The Accolade to bring back for the fall semester. 

I learned about the CSPA Summer Journalism Workshop when my adviser mentioned it in class last year, and after speaking with him, I learned that two members of The Accolade had gone and enjoyed their experiences at the camp.

Without any more doubts, I signed up for the program through an online form and picked Design Concepts, which luckily still had some spots open when I was registering. The program offered five other courses available for students: News Reporting & Writing, Photojournalism, Digital Media, Yearbook and Editorial Leadership. I chose the design class after my adviser recommended it.

I then filled out some general information and safety forms, all while feeling grateful for my dad, who was willing to support me in attending the program despite the registration fees being in the thousands.

The confirmation email for my registration arrived a few days later, and all I had to do now was mentally prepare for my trip in a couple of months.

But before I knew it, it was June 23 and my dad and I were on campus, looking at Alma Mater in front of Low Library.

The program coordinators randomly assigned all in-person CSPA camp attendees their room and floor in the Wallach Hall, along with a resident adviser, to stay for the week.

My dad and I set up my room together and explored the city, visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Top of the Rock observatory deck on June 22, the day before the camp began. Because my dad was flying back to L.A. after this, I knew I would miss the comforting feeling of having him by my side.

Fortunately enough, I didn’t feel too homesick because I knew the camp would only last a week, from June 23-28. 

Starting from the first day, I received my program lanyard, ID card and identification bracelet before heading on campus for what felt like just a regular school week. At night, the bustling campus, rattling air conditioner and slightly stiff bed felt like home, though calls with my family remained a definite must.

The daily schedule consisted of classes with a lot of time in between for us to go out for lunch or explore the city within the boundaries, which offered me a refreshing sense of independence that I had never experienced back in California. Just looking around and seeing the hustle and bustle outside of the school felt like I stepped into a new world.

• 9:30 a.m.: Morning lecture 
• 12:30 p.m.: Lunchtime
• 2 p.m.: Afternoon Lecture
• 4:30 p.m.: Dinnertime
• 10 p.m.: Dorm curfew
• 11 p.m.: In-room curfew

The Design Concepts course under the guidance of Jenny Dial Creech, the adviser of The ReMarker from St. Mark’s School of Texas, focused on layouts rather than hands-on news reporting. Because of this, most days were filled with lectures and feedback sessions from the workshop adviser.

Each day, I would walk into the glass-paned Lerner Hall and use my ID pass to get through the gates before taking the elevator and walking down the hallway to my class.

I’d listen to a roughly hour-long lecture before experimenting with designs for the Accolade magazine. Then I’d ask my class instructor to review my designs and adjust accordingly. Some days, we would analyze past magazine entries and winners for the CSPA Crown Awards and discuss what helped specific designs stand out positively.

Throughout the camp, I coordinated with Accolade editor-in-chief Alexxa Berumen to check if she liked some of the designs I worked on during the camp, which later went on to help inspire the look of our revamped magazine masthead.

The daily hours I spent in class taught me to think outside the box as a designer rather than just a reporter. I now apply the lessons I learned to my layouts, considering more creative ideas. 

I also experienced more diversity, meeting many students from other schools and states. I made two friends in that class and a couple of others throughout the week because we lived on the same dorm floor.

We spent our breaks exploring the city together. In the morning, we would often all plan to wake up to drop by the John Jay Dining Hall to self-serve ourselves a classic English-style breakfast. But my friends and I got tired of the food early on and ended up going outside the gates for the rest of the week to drop by a nearby cafe or to get some original tart frozen yogurt at Pinkberry.

One of my favorite moments was when we went out for dinner at the H-Mart nearby, where we got fried chicken and sphere-iced Korean drinks. The meal ended up being simple, but our mini-dorm party afterward was the highlight of the night. We all sat around the room and shared our camp experience, some of our favorite memories and the biggest thing we learned from our classes and one another. It was a moment I wished would last forever.

While some were from California, many came from other parts of the world. I was fascinated to hear each person’s journalistic experiences and goals, and I loved hearing about their daily lives back home, whether in Philadelphia, Lebanon or South Korea.

The week went by so fast that I wouldn’t have believed it without the photos and the lengthy pages of lecture notes I had. I felt really sad as I packed up my bags on the last night.

I was the last of my friends to leave the campus, but we all had an eventful morning filled with goodbyes and hugs as we all promised to keep in touch and sent one another an endless barrage of “I miss you guys” through text.

As I walked out of the gates for the last time, I took a final look back at Alma Mater, a key in all of my memories at the camp, the statue I passed by every day on my way to class.

I left campus with an armful of Columbia merch, including two hoodies and a mug for my journalism adviser. I also had a small box full of beautiful hydrangeas, my favorite because of their unique shape and color, that I spotted blooming beautifully on campus at the time. 

In the end, I left feeling like I had dipped my hands further into the world of journalism. 

Rather than all the story writing and editing I was used to in The Accolade, I explored the design field, something I was originally more uncertain about. 

Now, while I still question how to make the most optimal designs that will fit in the magazine, I’ve gained a strong base and understanding of how to create my layouts.

The preserved hydrangeas now sit in a clear box on my bedroom desk, a reminder that while the camp didn’t last forever, my experiences and lessons will.