“It was amazing to be in D.C. during the inauguration and see so many diverse Americans come together to witness such a historic event,” says Kaitlin Sidorsky ’11 (Rocky Point, NY), a politics and law major.
“There are no words to describe the experience that I had in Washington, DC,” adds Pratik Parikh ’10 (Garfield, NJ). “Being there is something that I will never forget.”
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Holtzman concedes that it might be cliché to say attending the inauguration was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – but it’s true.
“It is difficult to put into words what it felt like to be there on Inauguration Day with millions of others, shivering in front of the Capitol building and sharing the historic and emotional experience of Barack Obama being sworn in as the President of the United States,” he says. “I know that these memories will have a lasting impact on all of us.”
The students arrived in the nation’s capitol on January 10 and took part in a special 10-day program sponsored by the Washington Center, an educational nonprofit organization that selects interns to work for thousands of government agencies, businesses, and nonprofits throughout Washington, D.C.
The course offered an examination of the 2008 presidential election and the leadership challenges facing the new administration. Students interacted with journalists, former members of Congress, and foreign ambassadors; went on site visits to embassies, executive branch offices, and think-tanks; and were part of the crowd on the National Mall for the inauguration. (Learn more about The Washington Center.)
The students had to apply for Bryant’s three-credit course “2009 Presidential Inauguration.” Before leaving, they read Memo to aNew President by historian Michael Genovese and took part in classroom work. As a final project, each student is writing a memo to President Obama.
“Greatest government structure”
Brandon Dobro ’10 (Northbridge, MA) says his casual interest in politics quickly became a passion once he started following this presidential election, the first one he could vote in. One of his fondest memories of the trip was the tour of the Capitol Building given by Bryant President Ronald K. Machtley, a three-term congressman in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
During the tour, President Machtley took the group into the House Chambers, which can only be accessed by former or current congressmen, and he introduced the group to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and his former roommate, Florida Congressman Cliff Stearns.
“The whole tour was a reminder of the blood, sweat, and tears of the geniuses before us who created the greatest government structure the world has seen,” says Dobro, a marketing concentrator.
“Part of history”
Back at Bryant, the Center for Student Involvement organized an inauguration viewing party in the Koffler Rotunda and Janikies Theatre.
Mike Algiere ’11 (Westerly, RI) proudly wore a shirt depicting Obama. He says he was drawn to the candidate by his plans to strengthen the economy, improve healthcare, and the energy of change that enveloped the nation.
“When I look back, I will always remember watching this unforgettable experience with my classmates and how positively the country reacted to our new president,” he says.
Clad in his “Change we can believe in” T-shirt, Nick Mancuso ’12 (Madison, CT) says it was memorable casting his first ballot in a presidential election.
“It was incredible to vote for Obama,” says Mancuso, a politics and law major. “I felt like I was a part of history.”
During the campaign, he helped organize people in his hometown to volunteer for Obama and says this election inspired him to run for – and be elected to – a seat in Bryant’s Student Senate. Mancuso caught the political bug from his parents and one day hopes to run for office on the state level.
The students arrived in the nation’s capitol on January 10 and took part in a special 10-day program sponsored by the Washington Center, an educational nonprofit organization that selects interns to work for thousands of government agencies, businesses, and nonprofits throughout Washington, D.C.
During the tour, President Machtley took the group into the House Chambers, which can only be accessed by former or current congressmen, and he introduced the group to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and his former roommate, Florida Congressman Cliff Stearns.
