Anna Scalamogna lingered at a table during her lunch break at the Poynter Institute, chatting with fellow employee Jeremy Gilbert. 

She discovered Gilbert had been a journalism cherub at the National High School Institute -- the very program she would enter in two weeks.

“He told me what a great time he had,” Scalamogna said. “You could tell he was genuinely enthusiastic about his experience.”

Cherubs like Scalamogna, of Clearwater, Fla., can find a wealth of information about the cherub program from cherub alumni.

Andra Lim, of Orinda, Calif., met a former cherub while she was covering a story in Evanston. A source for a story on the Fourth of July parade, she met a woman who had been a cherub.

Meeting her boosted Lim's confidence covering the story.

“I knew that someone else had gone through the embarrassment of talking to people on the street and they came out all right,” Lim said.

Marcus Schwarz, of New Rochelle, N.Y., had a teacher who attended NHSI.  His journalism advisor had written for Rolling Stone and published books about southern hip-hop and rock ’n’ roll before teaching journalism. He persuaded Schwarz to attend the program.

“He gave me the sense that it was a worthwhile program,” Schwarz said.  “And it was.”

For Schwarz, knowing a successful journalist who attended the cherub program made it more credible.  No student at his school had ever been a cherub, so his advisor was his only first-hand source of information about what the lectures, trips and assignments would be like.

Jennifer Pritchard, of Cooper City, Fla., just talked to her high school newspaper’s editor, David Tintner. He recommended the program to Pritchard. 

Lucy Jackson, of Los Angeles, learned about the program from her brother and four of her high school newspaper’s editors.  But they didn’t divulge everything they learned.

“It’s like an unwritten cherub rule,” Jackson said.  “I was kind of mad they didn’t tell me, but I am also glad I didn’t know about it. I’m going to do the same and not tell anyone going to the program next year about the activities.”

Erica Petri, of Tenafly, N.J., said she was confident she knew what to expect during the program. But she still had to learn some lessons on her own.