Nonconformist: a person who does not conform to a generally accepted pattern of thought or action.

    The loose, or lack of a, definition provided by Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Al Neuharth Founder of USA Today, The Freedom Forum, and the Newseum Defines it in three short words. Dream. Dare. Do. Such words were the premise of his Free Spirit Scholarship and Journalism Conference Program. Which chooses one senior girl and one senior boy from each state that participates in High School journalism and show Free Spirit.
    Yours Truly was one of the lucky few to be chosen for this conference to represent the beloved state of Missouri. M-I-Z! (insert Z-O-U! reply) At the same time of the conference Seattle’s own Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper ran its very last print edition. This put the survival of newspapers on the forefront of everyone’s mind. Can they survive? Will there be a paper for me after college? Is the Internet the solution? all 102 scholars, myself included, thought of answers to these important questions as we titans of High School journalism were introduced to the kings of the professional paper industry.     
    During the five day trip to Washington D.C. for this conference, March 14-19, the scholars enjoyed all that D.C. had to offer from monuments to Neuharth’s own Newseum. We visited NBC to discuss with Meet the Press host David Gregory the present and future of in-depth broadcast journalism. We were attentive as Editorial Writer Betty Baye listed the traits of a good journalist.
    •    curious i.e. ‘nosy as hell’
    •    compassion ‘never forget the bridges that carry you across’
    •    empathy ‘it’s hard to cover a community if you don’t know it’
    •    passion ‘what kind of world do you want to live in’
    •    fearless ‘it’s not what you would kill for, it’s what you would die for’
    2006 Free Spirit Honoree Sean Tuohey riveted all 102 seniors with his story of traveling to the AFC Championship game, without a ticket, and how the story affected him and his audience.
‘You can use a story to stop wars. . . and you can get into sporting events without a ticket.’
    The conference laid the groundwork for good journalism, but the 101 other scholars, journalists, and dear friends of mine will build their own unique road created by their own definitions of free spirit, and I will be right beside them as we shape the future of journalism.