As part of Roll Call’s 70th anniversary, we’ve asked several notable alumni to reflect on their time working for the paper. We’ll run these columns throughout the summer.

My first job as a reporter was at Roll Call when I was 25 years old.

It’s honestly one of the best jobs I have ever had.

I loved roaming the halls of Congress with a notepad, a recorder in hand, and walking up to lawmakers and asking them just about anything.

Remember, this was 1998. We didn’t have cellphones, we had pagers!

When I think back to my time working at Capitol Hill’s newspaper of record, I am reminded of the importance of good ol’ shoe-leather reporting that I’ve used in every job since Roll Call.

People underestimate the power of conversation — we picked up the phone, we walked to people’s offices, we just started talking to people. Great sources lead to great reporting.

With technology, we sometimes forget the potency of face-to-face interaction. Nothing can replace speaking directly with someone, whether that’s on a phone call or in person.

The other major lesson I learned helped inspire one of my life mottos: The quality of your life is built on the quality of your relationships.

Even though the average age of lawmakers in Congress is nearly 59 years old, Washington is run by young people. That’s how we were able to break major stories. We built relationships with young staffers who were our age and held positions of power. To this day, the trust created with many of those public servants has helped in my reporting at CBS News — and led to meaningful friendships.

I was fortunate enough to watch history unfold while working at the paper 25 years ago, including covering President Bill Clinton’s impeachment.

I still have the bound copy of the articles of impeachment sent to me by one of the House managers with a note.

That congressman is now Sen. Lindsey Graham. It’s just one more reminder that Washington is a small town.

Roll Call was a vital training ground for me; it planted a seed of ambition to continue covering the issues that matter to fellow Americans.

(Norah O’Donnell is a CBS News senior correspondent and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent who worked at Roll Call between 1998 and 1999.)