You'll have to come to cherubs to find out how this is relevant to journalism.

“It taught me how to think on my feet and work under deadlines,” Rolfe said.

The pressure of the first day can also test a cherub’s love for journalism. Bret Begun, a former cherub and instructor, said he thinks the first day of classes is the ultimate test.

“The first day can be the toughest -- new place, new people, new skills to develop,” said Begun, national affairs editor of Newsweek. “If you can survive it, you can survive anything.”

Cherubs may arrive at the program believing that their journalism skills are above average. Instructor John Kupetz said the first day helps top high school editors and reporters realize they still have a lot to learn.

“I was intimidated because everyone here is a good writer and all were writing the same story,” Stankus said.

Roger Boye, the director of the cherub program, tells cherubs to check their egos at the door when they arrive. If students fail to do this, the first day will do it for them.

Cherubs quickly learn that the real life of a journalist can be stressful. Ana Cosma, a cherub from Riverside, Calif., said after the first day she realized just what she was getting into.

“This wasn’t kiddy camp,” Cosma said. “There is no mercy in journalism.”

And for some cherubs, if the first day didn’t break them, it certainly made them stronger. Erin Jentz, a cherub from Spring, Texas, said that the first day’s glimpse into the life of a professional journalist was a good experience.

 “Looking back, it was fun,” Jentz said.

Molly Davis, a cherub from Woodland Hills, Calif., said the first day actually helped her with later assignments.

“It helped boost my confidence because any other task we have to do, even if challenging, is nothing compared to the first day,” Davis said.