Experience: life’s best lesson

Blog by: Grace Ramey

Tuesday night after we arrived at our trip’s third hotel, I called my mom to give her an update on what we’ve done, where we’ve gone and where we’re headed next.  One question she asked me was what I have learned so far this trip.

I pondered for a while on this question, wondering what Spring Training has taught me. I came to a conclusion: learning by experience is life’s best lesson.

Our professors can tell us what to expect, how to write and photograph stories, what to look for and how to interview subjects all they want, but until we experience it for ourselves, we cannot truly learn what it is like to report on Spring Training — or anything for that matter.

The access, enthusiasm and respect we have received from fans, players and team managers has been more than I would have ever expected. Like I’ve said before, I expected people to treat us as students, giving us limited information and access, questioning everything we do, not really caring to view what we produce. But I was very wrong.

Learning this has given me even more hope for my future as a photojournalist. If I am receiving this kind of access and respect as a student, what will it be like when I’m working for an actual publication? And if I’m getting these kinds of opportunities this early in life, I cannot even imagine where life will take me.