The week prior to the High School Journalism Institute, a worried feeling gnawed at me. The weeklong journalism camp at Oregon State University was going to be the longest time spent away from my family.
I had been so excited during the application process and, my heart leaped with joy when I found out I had been accepted into the program. But as the week was rapidly approaching, it was starting to feel more and more real.
In the car on the way to the camp, my nerves flared and my thudding heartbeat could probably be detected from a mile away. Once I stepped out of the car with my luggage, my feelings mixed together: worry, excitement, fear, anticipation. It finally sunk in that this would be my home for the next week…