Going to parliament to interview the Isle of Wight's MPs was a big moment for me, and it hit home the importance of local news.
Since my teens, I've been a political obsessive, and I studied politics at the University of Manchester.
Before I was a journalist, I was a poll clerk at the most recent election.
On any given day, I read about what's happening in Whitehall, as the government's agenda and stories often have an impact regionally.
When I found out my County Press colleague Oliver Dyer and I were invited to Westminster, I knew it would be a monumental occasion in my career so far, and it didn't disappoint.
I've picked up quite a lot of parliament insight - but as I was taken around, I got to know more, and best of all, see it for myself.
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We passed the rigorous security checks and were greeted by Richard Quigley, MP for Isle of Wight West, on the other side of the glass.
Richard showed us around his office, the galleries of the House of Commons and House of Lords and the corridor of cabinet members' offices - a remarkable amount of access.
Despite being in the heart of government, we also bumped into Aubrey Allegretti, outside the tearooms, chief political correspondent at The Times, who showed us around the press corps area.
Aubrey is a champion for student media, and I worked with him as part of the Student Publication Association - it was a full-circle moment to see him again.
Parliament is so entwined with the drumbeat of day-to-day life in the UK, and being there in the flesh was incredibly familiar but also strangely elusive.
Richard stressed to us that it's a workplace, but agreed the feeling of awe doesn't go away, likening it to Hogwarts, and telling us about some of the more antiquated places on the estate!
Afterwards, we were joined by Isle of Wight East MP Joe Robertson on the terrace outside Stranger's Bar, where we covered a wide breadth of topics that matter to Islanders, against the backdrop of the Thames.
I'm still very new to journalism, and it was a privilege to be in 'the room where it happens'- or in this case, the terrace where it happens.
All my lectures and classes taught me that democracy works for those who show up and participate.
Now I work for a trusted news source, I am actively part of the democratic process, communicating and distilling information to keep our readers informed.
It's something that a classroom can't teach you, and at 21, it's an honour to be given this level of access.
Ensuring that elected representatives and journalists have an open dialogue is so important - thank you to both our MPs, and their staff, for welcoming us.
