Otterbein Students Reflect on Trip to the Inauguration

Zack Housler '11 wasn't the only Otterbein student who attended President Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20; however, he was the only student with a personal invitation to the University Presidential Inaugural Conference (UPIC) Black Tie Gala at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Zack had received his invitation in February 2008 from the group Congressional Youth Leadership Conference, whose conference he attended as a sophomore in high school. "I got to do a lot of things that other people that attended did not get a chance to do and see," Housler said.

Q. Where were you sitting during the inauguration?
A. For the inauguration, I left my hotel at 5 a.m. to get a good place to view it from. When I got to my spot, I was as close to the inauguration as possible without having a ticket to sit on the Capitol. I was about 70 yards away in front of a JumboTron.

Q. Which keynote speaker at the UPIC Black Tie Gala was most inspiring to you?
A. I would have to say that Colin Powell made an impression on me. He talked a lot about how it's not always the government that needs to change during hard times, but that sometimes it's the people that must change. It really made me look in the mirror and see that it's easy to point a finger at the government for anything that goes wrong, but if this country is going to get back on track, like the President said, the citizens are going to have to take responsibility for their actions and be held accountable.

Q. What was the best part about being at the inauguration?
A. Two things: First, the witnessing of history and witnessing aspects of our democratic government. Second, was hearing General Colin Powell speak. Sitting in the front row was extremely exciting to me.

Q. What did you take away from this experience?
A. I took many things away from this experience. I took that no matter if you're a democrat, republican, independent, etc. we the people of this nation must come together in order to fix the economy especially. It isn't going to happen overnight, but with hard work in community service and working together to fix the economy, there is nothing that this nation can't achieve. I took away the [historic prominence] of this occasion it shows a huge step for this country.

Q. How would you describe your experience to your friends?
A. From hearing the speakers, seeing the monuments, watching the inaugural concert at Lincoln Memorial, and witnessing the actual inauguration and the inaugural address given by our new president, the experience was one that opened my eyes to the hope and inspiration that people are filled with. It was exciting being in an atmosphere where the citizens of this nation were all together.

Q. Will your experience change your views on American democracy?
A. My views about the democracy of America have not changed, but they are more insightful after hearing Al Gore and Colin Powell speak, as well as just being in the atmosphere of such a historic event.

What Other Students Are Saying

A group of 75 Otterbein students and six faculty and staff members braved the chilly temperatures to witness the swearing in of President Barack Obama. "I got to be a part of something major in our country's history," said freshman Catherine Kerber. "Not only was it amazing to witness the inauguration, it was even more amazing that I witnessed President Barack Obama become the first African-American president." Photo album.

Many of the students said they went to the inauguration to witness history, but junior Chelsie Lakeman is hoping to reflect on the experience during her career. "Being a future teacher, I thought this would be a wonderful memory to share with students one day," she said.

These Otterbein students, faculty, and staff will have fond memories from this inauguration that they will be able to share for many years. "The best part of the inauguration was when Obama was sworn into office," Kerber said. "I have never seen so many people in my life become so incredibly happy about a new president."

Senior Bryan Curtiss said President Barack Obama's inaugural speech was the best part of the experience for him. "It was a speech that was uplifting and inspiring," he said.

Although the students' said this historic event did not sway their political views, it has certainly drawn their attention to the American democracy. "In the past I was interested in it, but not as much as I am now," Kerber said.