Wow!

Wow! The 2009 Inauguration Trip was amazing. It was just about a month ago, during Christmas break, that I realized that I was selected to go on the trip. I was excited and energized about going on the trip, but never did I think that I would see or experience as much as I did. From witnessing a defining moment in history and seeing Barack Obama, to enjoying a few laughs with my fellow 268ers this trip was truly the highlight of my senior year and definitely something that I will never forget.

As a seventeen-year-old student, I never thought that I would have the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. and actually experience a swearing in ceremony. It is such a rare privilege to watch an inauguration ceremony first hand and at the young age of seventeen I felt even more fortunate considering that members of my family and even some of my teachers, who are three times my age or more, have never had this opportunity in their lives.

Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the trip was just waiting for the swearing in ceremony to begin. Although it was cold, it was refreshing to see all the hundreds of thousands of people of all races and nationalities, from Germans to Australians, who came out to witness history. It was even more refreshing to see how calm everybody was and despite the large crowd there were no confrontations. I remember talking with a woman in line and she spoke so proudly about how the American citizens carried themselves that day. I remember her saying, "the world was watching and waiting for us to mess up but we didn't." This moment truly impacted my feelings on my country and intensified that pride that Americans are known for.

The Inauguration Trip has truly made a large impact on my life. As an aspiring political journalist, I had the chance to walk the capital building and sit in on a Senate session; these are things that I might do in the future. Not to mention, I met a Senator and representatives and shared a room with the President which will be parts of my job in the future. These experiences are the ones that I will remember and take with me to college, and it is only right that I and my fellow students thank Mr. Horwits, Mr. Graham, and Mr. Levy for planning a memorable and amazing trip to Washington, D.C.!

-Taja Jones (268)