MORGAN HUELSMAN

Today was a big day. Inauguration 2017 of our 45th President of the United States.

Now I only come to write on this blog when something hits hard for me and I feel the need to get some things off my chest. Today, I decided to write down what a perfect world looks like to me. Social media was flooded (and still is) with posts of peoples’ disapproval or approval of our new president. So instead of adding to the chaos and political debates about our new president, I watched one of the greatest moments in TV history (Will McAvoy on HBO’s The Newsroom Opening Scene) again and it led me here. To tell all of you the way that I, someday, hope the world looks like.

I wish for all human rights for each and every individual human on this earth despite ethnicity, gender or age. I wish for abusers of people and animals to be punished accordingly. I wish for a variety of options for mothers-to-be while not damaging the potential future of both the mother and baby. I wish for health care to be affordable for anyone who may find themselves in need of a doctor or hospital. I wish for mental health to be taken more seriously. I wish for better education for our youth and better resources for our individuals shaping those young minds. I wish for employment to not be a burden but a passion lived out not only to make a living, but to make a life. I wish for the housing market to become affordable for all classes of people. I wish for resources for those humans who end up on the streets because of the difficulties our world has given them to face. I wish for little babies to come into a world of positivity and love, not hate and wars. I wish for the cruelty of all animals for the sake of an industry to become non-existent. I wish for more funding to ACTUAL research of our deadliest diseases to find the best cures. I wish for all humans to have challenging conversations with their peers, children, spouses and other citizens about their thoughts and opinions to continue evolving our world. I wish for travel to become a requirement in schools to teach people about other cultures. I wish for special needs individuals to live in a world of acceptance and light. I wish for fathers to teach their sons how to properly treat women and understand femininity. I wish for mothers to teach their daughters to respect men and understand masculinity. I wish for women to have equal opportunities as men. I wish for the better protection of our citizens from harmful weapons and individuals with hate in their hearts. I wish for people to stop identifying with a political party but with their thoughts on what they want out of this world. I wish for individuals to become more self-aware and independent, ready to chase their dreams.

But most importantly…

I wish for a world of love and knowledge of the human race so that we no longer have racism, sexism, ageism and any other -isms, but a world of peace and truly… actually… make America the greatest country in the world.

Everyone has their own opinions and is free to express them however they please. Those are our rights as United States citizens. However, I do not know how any individual could look at the news today and believe that our nation is still, in the words of Will from the Newsroom put it, “star spangled banner perfect.”

Our country has grown exponentially in so many aspects, yes. But is racism still alive? Absolutely. And if you have yet to see that or choose to ignore it, then I feel terribly sorry for you. In this day and age, ignorance is no longer bliss. 

Open up your news apps, turn on the 6 o’clock news or look at news outlets on Twitter, but no matter what you do continue to stay informed. It is your duty as a citizen to be informed and be knowledgeable. 

It is those who are not knowledgeable that write rants on Facebook and tweet pictures creating controversy. It is those who are not informed that do nothing to stimulate change or say words worthy of starting ethical discussions. 

Now, I was one of the lucky ones. I took leadership classes that completely opened up my eyes to see that our world is no longer the world we knew as children. I learned that cultures are different, people are different, opinions are different… But I also learned that we are all human. We are all created for a purpose and all have goals, dreams and hopes. And we all are taught to love. Love continuously, completely and whole heartedly despite the struggles and challenges. 

Some don’t get this opportunity to learn and open up their eyes and hearts to others and their cultures. But that doesn’t mean we are incapable of doing so. 

We are all raised and taught differently. But if there is one emotion and one word we all know it’s love. Whether that’s love within family, within significant others, within friends, within animals, within careers… Love is the one universal language we all know. 

So what happened? Where along the lines of growing up did individuals across our nation and our world stop recognizing and living with love in their hearts? I don’t know the answer and I know no one else does or our world would not be falling apart the way it is now. 

But… I do know that if you, whoever you are that’s reading this, love more deeply and strongly to those around you then you alone will stimulate change. All it takes is one person’s love to impact another. 

We are still human beings, we still know how to love all. Everyone is capable of this. So no matter what you do, make sure that every day you show love to some thing in one way or another so you’re contributing to the hope of our future. 

Now go out and change the world, we sure need it right now. 

Today was a big day for me. Not because graduation is slowly creeping up in 4 days or because I finally got a great nap in. Today was a big day because I finally understand what this semester, this past year, these last three years…. what college has taught me.

It wasn’t about learning to memorize the 80 questions of multiple choice or calculating the percentage I needed to get on my final to pass. It wasn’t about learning to do a keg stand at a fraternity party or figuring out just how many sorority girls can fit into the back of a DD’s car. And, it wasn’t about the life lessons of choosing to go to taco bell at 12 am with your best friends because “WOO! You’re living life to the fullest!” (Even though taco bell with my best friends is some of the greatest memories I have).

College is about finding yourself, truly and authentically, becoming the absolute best version of yourself.

Maybe most college kids knew this, maybe everyone knew this and I am just now getting clued in. But for me, I thought college was to live up the best 4 years of your life because you’re never getting them back and to work your ass off to get the grades so you can get the job. I thought college was about finding your lifelong friends, making memories that you will always remember (or maybe not remember), and falling in love with someone to get married and spend the rest of your life with them.

See my perception of college was a stereotypical one. I believed that I would come to college, find GREAT friends, work hard enough to leave with a great job, fall in love and soon after get married and then have a family. Sounds so picture perfect, right? Just like every other freshman girl coming into college. 

Boy, I was so wrong. 

This semester, in my senior seminar leadership class, I was pushed to find out what specifically was my leadership style. In order to find this, I had to know myself and my leadership, so easy right? Wrong. 

For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what my leadership style included and this left me so confused because for the last 5 years of my life, I thought I knew exactly who I was. 

But today, as I walked around city park, listening to my music… I found myself wander to the playground – swinging on the swings, sliding down the slides, playing on the monkey bars and it was like an entire new light came on inside me.

Because for my entire life, I thought college to be this time where we get to grow up and be who we have always wanted to be, but that’s not the case.

I am growing up and I am graduating college, but my life, the spark inside me, isn’t gone now. The little girl who loves to play on the playground, dance when she hears music or sing to Shania Twain karaoke doesn’t have to end.

Today, I learned that I have fantasized my entire life about this pivotal moment, where I would grow up and be the best version of myself… but I already am. While I was up late studying, cramming to edit the final pieces of my big projects, or getting taco bell with my best friends, I was growing up… I was becoming who I was always suppose to be.

College taught me that growing up doesn’t happen when you cross the stage and receive your diploma, but growing up happens when you least expect it to, in those tiny, little, significant moments. 

As of this moment, our capstone convergence project is officially finished and published!

I couldn’t be more proud of this project that my group did. We were able to tell the inspiring story of a woman who overcame several challenges and even more so faced a difficult, pivotal moment in her life with strength and courage.

This story will always have a special place in my heart and I can’t wait to share this with everyone who has been anxious to hear Kelly Welch’s story.

Please find our story here: “Kelly Welch: The Untold Story”

I hope you like it as much as we do!

WE HAVE THREE DAYS UNTIL OUR FINAL PRESENTATION. 3 DAYS!!!!

As stated before, things are coming along smoothly and the project is turning out to be even greater than we could have hoped for. We have each wrote an individual print article with graphic elements, links, videos, and audio pieces.

We hope that in separating our project into three different, specific areas that we can allow our audience to dive deeper into the story and see Kelly’s entire story instead of just little pieces.

In my classes, all over my social media and in just about every conversation about Baltimore, I’m constantly hearing “The media is publishing the worst sides” and “The media needs to start telling the truth about these riots.” 

I wish these people would wake up. 

Stop blaming the media because it isn’t their fault. 

Blame our society and culture for being so enticed by riots and shootings that journalists have to cover those stories to make the world watch their station.

Blame those in authority positions who are telling the journalists only half of the story, giving the reporters only so little to report on. 

Blame the rankings system, for without covering the news everyone is watching, media stations would no longer exist.

Media is just like any other business, it takes money to thrive. Without high rankings, advertisers won’t advertise on their station. Without advertisements, stations wouldn’t make any money. Without money, the station would be non existent. 

Those in media don’t want to cover the breaking news of bombings, shootings or riots just as much as viewers don’t want to see these such events occurring. But it comes with the job, and like any individual with a job – they’re going to do what it takes to keep it. 

So, next time, before you decide to say that the media is only focusing on the negatives…

Realize that it is not the reporter or the station nor the company that is making these decisions, but it is all apart of the bigger picture. Because I promise, media is not the enemy in our society.

Life is funny in the way that you will never be able to fully understand it. I don’t get why we had to feel his absence in order to really value his presence in our lives. I don’t get how in a minute, I can go from the happiest I’ve ever been to the saddest I might ever be.

“Of all the classes that I’ve taught about life and death, nothing would have prepared me for losing Dave.” Kelly told us during our interview Sunday afternoon.

As of yesterday, I know exactly what Kelly means.

There is no class, no book, no blog, no song that will ever help you prepare to lose a loved one. And there is no right word or saying that can help you cope with the loss. There will never be a right anything to help you get through death.

After constant texts of “how are you doing,” “are you okay,” “I am so sorry,” things start to get blurry. You become numb to those texts, to your friends, to your family. There suddenly is nothing in the world that can make you feel better, not even a little, no matter how much you say “I’m fine” and “thank you for asking.”

I never expected to be losing friends at my age. Much like Kelly, nothing would prepare me for losing a good friend.

I have read all of the quotes on Pinterest, l have listened to every sad song, cried at every picture, but nothing can help me understand why myself and my friends are going through this loss of someone that was so special. Why we had to lose him, why he couldn’t grace us with his big smile or big hugs just a few more times.

Life is constantly throwing curveballs at us and most of them we are able to take and move forward, but loss of a loved one is a curveball that no one should ever have to endure.

But, life is funny in that way that you will never be able to fully understand it. 

As I am looking back on our videos and pictures of our interview with Kelly, I am still in awe about how inspirational of a person Kelly has become after big obstacles and challenges that she has had to face in the past few years.

I am so happy that Kelly let us into her life and showed her vulnerability about whats happened because I really feel like this project we’re working on can have an impact on not only her healing process but also other individuals who may be facing similar situations.

To show everyone a sneak peak of yesterday’s interview, here are some pictures.

After 6 hours of storytelling, pictures, and tears, we have finished our interview with Kelly.

Today’s interview not only impacted me on a journalistic level but also on a personal level. As journalists, we are taught to keep our bias and opinions out of every story that we pursue and work on. However, in the situation that Maile, Courtney and I placed ourselves in, it was almost to difficult to keep our emotions out of play during the interview.

Kelly’s story about her life and the journey that her faith has taken her on is a story that I feel like everyone would be impacted by and to not feel that emotion with her during the interview would have felt terribly wrong.

As a journalist, I am strong enough to never put my bias in stories but sometimes we have to let the stories that we are working on impact our emotions in order to really push the threshold between yourself as a journalist and your subject.

Today, I felt like I grew as a journalist, individual and human being. Working on Kelly’s story has allowed me to pursue an inspiring and emotional story that I have never had the chance to work on in my academic and journalistic career. Her story also pushed me to reflect on my own life, my actions and decisions to see things from a different point of view because of the things that she sad in the interview.

After today’s interview, I am so excited to start working on our piece and see how much of an impact Kelly’s story can have on others.

Today, our group is in preparation to get things ready for our interview on Sunday with Kelly Welch.

We wrote over 20 questions to bring to the interview in the case that we need them. We charged up batteries, rented equipment and tied all of our loose ends to make sure that there will be no technological difficulties during the interview. Doing this is allowing us to be more emotionally connected to Kelly during the interview without having to put out fires with the cameras, audio or lighting.

We also discussed the different approaches we are going to take during this interview so we are prepared for whatever she decides to talk about or however she decides to move forward with telling her story.