I’m double majoring in Journalism and Theatre and I go to school in Washington, DC. Since November, my life has not been boring, to say the least. Before I left for Spring break, I visited the Newseum, expecting to like it and get pumped to continue my studies. I was not expecting to be inspired out of my mind.

There’s a quote on the wall right outside the main exhibit that said, “People have a need to know. Journalists have a right to tell. Finding the facts can be difficult. Reporting the story can be dangerous. Freedom includes the right to be outrageous. Responsibility includes the duty to be fair. News is history in the making. Journalists provide the first draft of history.” That quote struck me. I knew journalists had a difficult job, particularly right now, but I had never factored in the danger and consequences that come with telling the truth.

Right now, the truth is so important, and we rely on journalists and media outlets to deliver it to us. In 2017, journalists are our most valuable assets because democracy needs journalists. A governmental system based on checks and balances, journalists turn a mirror to society and ensure that officials make decisions that benefit the people, not just those in power.

Whenever I tell people that I’m majoring in both Journalism and Theatre, they’re alway shocked. They always ask the same question: “How can you combine those two things into a career?” It always make me laugh because Journalism and Theatre combine flawlessly. At the end of the day, journalists and actors do the same thing: they tell stories. Journalists dig up stories and report them on the news. Actors portray stories, sometimes the very ones on the news, on the big screen. Both outlets reach millions.

I don’t know where I’ll end up after I graduate, but I know that I’ll be telling stories. The world doesn’t need another actor, but it does need another storyteller to convey messages that need to spread, regardless of how painful they all. Simply put, the truth is hard to hear. But just because the truth is ugly doesn’t mean it’s fake. This is a lesson our new presidential regime could stand to learn.