The Lamp was crucial in helping me formulate why and how I wanted to tell stories. I learned, sure, reporting skills, but, most importantly, I learned how to listen, research and communicate. These skills propelled me into creating my own radio program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and now to founding my own business, Team Trust Productions.

Interestingly, I did not like to read or write when I started at Lincoln Land. I preferred, instead, to watch or play sports. They were fun; reading and writing were not. Once I built lasting, transformative relationships with the journalism professors at Lincoln Land, my interests changed. I started to find meaning in reading and joy in writing. It was a strange, but welcome turn of events.

Even though I still had a basic understanding of journalism, the advisor of The Lamp believed in me enough to name me Editor in Chief. It created a much-needed demand to accelerate my writing, researching and reading skills. I found myself taking every journalism class Lincoln Land offered, and exploring in depth the reservoirs of experience the professors had. I also intentionally took classes outside of the journalism department to expand my own knowledge and understanding of the human condition.