This past June, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to attend the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference. The Freedom Forum Institute sponsored the event, which invited one rising high school senior from each state and the District of Columbia to an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the week-long conference held at the Newseum.

I first heard about the conference through a friend who had attended two years before me. I applied thinking that this conference would be good for me to learn more about the field of journalism and to meet new people. However, I was in no way prepared for the impact that the week would have on me both personally and professionally.

I left Honolulu feeling unsure of myself.

This year at my high school, I was able to serve as the editor- in-chief of the school yearbook publication. Each year, my school’s yearbook competes in a statewide competition sponsored by Herff Jones, and for the past three years , my school’s yearbook had won first place in the overall competition. This year, however, we placed second. After that happened, I began to question whether or not I was actually good at what I wanted to do with my life. I wondered if journalism was the right thing for me and if I could realistically be successful in this field. I went through phases of wondering how passionate I really was about journalism. My mind was flooded with doubt up until I landed at Washington-Dulles International Airport and the conference officially began.

At the conference, I met 50 other high school seniors from across the country who were all in the same boat as me: working for their high school publications and hoping to pursue a career in journalism in the future. I entered an exclusive group of the best high school journalists in the nation, who I now know that I can turn to whenever I need help with my own publication back home. In addition to my peers, I was also able to expand my professional network as I spoke to working journalists at the conference.

I listened to panels with CNN’s Sara Ganim and The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold, talked to Doug Mills about his photography and work with The New York Times, and was privileged to speak to Joan Trumpauer Mulholland and Ernest “Rip” Patton, two civil rights activists who took part in the Freedom Rides and tell them how much their sacrifice meant to me. I took a tour of the USA Today newsroom, watched a taping of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” and embarked on nightly tours of the monuments throughout the D.C. area.

In addition to these professional benefits, I gained so much more personally. In less than a week, I forged bonds with strangers who I now call some of my closest friends through our shared fascination with the fancy food we were served, a very active GroupMe chat, and most of all, a love for journalism. I learned how to be more open and to talk to anyone. I learned to step out of my comfort zone and do things I normally wouldn’t do. Most of all though, I left with my passion for journalism reaffirmed.

I left Washington, D.C., a week later feeling confident in myself. After this week, I know without a doubt that journalism is what I’m supposed to do in my future. I was able to see the tremendous impact that journalism has on society. We live in a time where the media is antagonized, yet society can’t function if its people are not informed. Journalists are crucial in helping to share the news necessary for us to live our daily lives. Founder of the Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, Al Neuharth, gifted us with this motto: “Dream. Dare. Do.” After this life-changing week, my dreams have only gotten bigger, my sense of daring only stronger, and now, I’m ready to do momentous things.

Kacie Yamamoto is a senior at Moanalua High School.