Feeling Power of Change in Washington

When I was standing in a crowd of more then a million people yesterday at the inauguration concert on the National mall it then hit me that this is an experience that I will never forget. I have gotten the privilege to meet many very prominent political figures through The Washington Center Inauguration Seminar Series. This is an extremely powerful experience for me seeing that I am an African American and being able to whiteness our first African American President get sworn into the highest office of the land. I could not even imagine some of the racial issues that Obama has had to put up with during his campaign. When I ran for Student Body President this past year, I had to deal with my campaign signs being vandalized and defaced with racial slurs such as the "N" word. I believe that Obama's smooth reactions to these types of situations during his campaign have sent a strong message to the nation. For example, when Obama called today for a day of service, one day before his inauguration, showed me that this is not about him being President, but rather about us, the people, and our country as a whole. A policy that I am most excited about is his "new new deal." A program of this magnitude dealing with restoring the economy through making large advancements towards the environment, infrastructure, health care, and education will bring a new perspective and is something that our country needs despite the price tag. I believe that this is the way to secure jobs here in America.

Ultimately people see a special quality in Obama, which has created an unprecedented amount passion for people to become involved in what is going on in our country as well as the future of our nation. The passion and energy here in Washington DC is outrageous with thousands of people roaming the streets at all hours of the day and night talking about this great time. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of the atmosphere here in DC.