A never-ending flow of rushing people dressed in black peacoats storms through the Grand Central Station turnstiles, each one bee lining towards a different track. Navigating the subway station during rush hour becomes zigzagging through the crowds of people rather than reading the signs, and aggressively pushing past people becomes the only way to get anywhere fast.

After successfully making our way to 116th Street, the swarms of people heading to work quickly became groups of high school students wearing blue lanyards and carrying reporters notebooks.

I didn’t have very many expectations when I signed up for the annual Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) conference, but the three days packed with journalism lectures and workshops shattered all of them.

The renowned professional speakers shared their insights with rooms full of engrossed students. The multitude of sessions reflected the realm of possibilities within journalism that is limited only by the expanse of our own creativity. The interaction with other editors reminded me how lucky we are to have a dedicated staff, supportive administration, and incredible resources.

The biggest impact, however, came from being surrounded by students from all over the country who all share the same passion. They all understand the stress that often accompanies student publications – the late production nights, the responsibility, and the time commitment – but they love it anyway.

When I run off to the journalism room during lunch or to interviews after school, a lot of people don’t understand why I willingly put so much time into a non academic class – everyone at the conference did.

With all the craziness of junior year, I often found myself dreading doing work that I used to enjoy, simply because it was another task to add to my to-do list. Being surrounded by fellow student journalists, in a city brimming with the-sky’s-the-limit, won’t-take-no-for-an-answer dreamers, renewed the spark that I found in the journalism room my freshman year.

This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on April 4, 2014.