Day 2: Inspiration is Free

“Hey, I got nominated to go to this Inauguration Seminar in January!” Crystal told me one day last semester. That was the first time I had heard about this program and immediately I knew I wanted to be apart of it. I enjoy discussing politics and philosophy and I was going to force my way there if I had too. Luckily, I found out later that I was nominated too, pending an interview/presentation for a spot to go.

In our interview we were asked to answer why it was that we wanted to go and why specifically, should we get to go, as opposed to someone else. So I really questioned what I could offer that was unique and why I was so interested in this campaign. To be honest, although quite unoriginal, I believe that it boils down to a very simple and primitive desire to want to make a positive difference in the lives of others. I already knew that I simply had a desire to do something that matters, so what better place to learn from and be inspired by than Washington D.C! This was the mindset I had going into our first day of Seminars.

We left our apartment at 7am and headed towards the University of District of Columbia along with a sea of other students like ourselves. There are about 800 students here from all over the country and internationally as well. After a quick ice-breaker and introduction to the faculty and the rules we had our first speaker, Dana Bash, a CNN correspondent whom works right inside Capital Hill. She had followed John McCain throughout his whole campaign. She was very insightful and told us of many stories of her coming up through the ranks of political journalism. Her talk was followed by a series of questions from hopeful journalists.

The next speaker was Michael Genovese, the author of our textbook for the week Memo to a New President. He told us that service to others is a great source of happiness, which I really connected with, realizing that making a difference is not just naïve idealism, but still very much exists.

After our talks and a short meeting and lunch with our small group, we were off on our buses for a city tour. Our tour stopped at lots of different sites briefly, including, the Iwo Jima Memorial, Korean and Vietnam War Memorials, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln Memorials and others as well. I found inspiration everywhere, from Lincoln’s inaugural address where he said among many other things “malice toward none, with charity toward all” (I don’t think I have that quote down exactly the way it is) to the New Deal of FDR. It was unbelievably awe-inspiring to stand where Martin Luther King stood to deliver his “I Have a Dream” speech and to get an idea of how he must have felt. It was amazing.

Sorry I have to cut this short, I have to read again. I'll post pictures and video tonight.