At the Inauguration

As President Bush stepped out of his big black limousine, I stood on my toes with a camera in one hand and a camcorder in the other, trying my hardest to see what was happening. I was on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 15th Street, the exact location where Bush left his motorcade and walked to the White House. I was, interestingly, excited in spite of myself ....

I had spent the last four days participating in the Presidential Youth Leadership Conference, a program that gave young people from across the country the chance to come to Washington D.C. and learn about politics. There were two main activities at the PYLC: site visits and simulations. The simulation was constructed to show the inner workings of a presidential election. Conference participants were divided into two equal groups - representing two major political parties. Each party held a caucus to choose a candidate to run for president. The candidates then ran an election campaign, and the winner took power in a mock inauguration.

The PYLC also gave me an opportunity to visit many of the historic sites in our nation's capital. I was able to see the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, as well as the Vietnam, Korean, and World War II memorials. I strode through Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of thousands of our nation's heroes. Towering over the city, the Washington Monument was an ever-present part of my trip.

Simulations and site visits aside, the main purpose of the conference was to allow young people a chance to experience a presidential inauguration. The inaugural activities kicked off on Tues., January 18, and what better way to capture the attention of several hundred teenagers than a concert? The inaugural concert started at 5 p.m. and featured such artists as Fuel, 3 Doors Down and Hillary Duff.

The real festivities began on Thursday morning, when I stood on the Washington Mall waiting for the swearing in ceremony to start. As I watched, a pageant of famous politicians took their seats on the Capitol rotunda: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, Colin Powell, George H.W. Bush, John McCain ... All of the big names of politics were there! After Bush was sworn in, I moved to my prime parade-watching spot and got my first up-close glimpse of a United States president. It was an experience which I will never forget.