Journalist: Shelby Tannehill (OSU)
- Confidence is Key.
As a member of the press corps, I heard and wrote about many bills this week that left me
scratching my head. Despite this, every piece of legislation brought to session was crafted with
care by a representative or senator who truly believes it could serve an important purpose. If you
believe in something, stand up tall and say it with your whole chest. When you believe in
yourself and your abilities, you have every opportunity to become a voice for the voiceless. - Be Timely.
I learned this week that if you’re not 10 minutes early, you’re late. Oklahoma City traffic waits
for no one, not even twenty late delegates rushing to make the morning roll call. 6 p.m. city
traffic certainly doesn’t wait for members of the press booking it across town to the Governor’s Gala. Being mindful of your time ensures comfort and increases confidence. In this life, very rarely are there do-overs, so spend the fleeting time you have very wisely. - Look Your Best, Feel Your Best.
Sure, no one likes wearing slacks and pinchy dress shoes for a week straight, but I honestly think
this is the spiffiest crowd I’ve been around in weeks. As young professionals, it can feel
empowering to dress up and get to work, and the delegates this week have been nothing if not
both outspoken and stylish. When you feel like you look presentable, there’s a direct correlation
to your confidence, and as I said a few points ago, confidence is worth its weight in gold at
session. - Get Comfortable Outside of your Comfort Zone.
Often these days, it is easier to withdraw to our echo chambers. In fact, it’s encouraged to snub
those who aren’t in lock-step with us on different issues out of a place of moral superiority.
O.I.L. throws all of that out the window. You must interview people you don’t know. You must
caucus with other delegations. You MUST present your bills to both chambers before it can be
seen by the governor. Nothing good in life comes easy. You have to get very comfortable very
quickly with being in the deep end, and you’ll learn that in the end, that’s the only way to grow. - You Might Not Understand, And That’s OK.
As in the real world, we all come from very different places, and that is vital to our
organization’s mission. Legislation that is important to me might not be important to my peers
and vice versa. Politics is complicated, and it requires active participation from each and every
one of us–every senator, representative, lobbyist, and journalist has a say, and that’s how it
should be. Just because you or I don’t understand the proposed necessity of a bill does not mean
it is in any way unimportant, but rather that it is another invaluable opportunity to learn.