Follow Us

Reader Videos


Full-sized »
Click here to submit your video.

Center sophomore earns way to historic inauguration

 PDF Print E-mail
News
Wednesday, 14 January 2009 01:00
From the soccer fields of Center High School, 15-year-old Autumn Swinson will be in the historic parts of Washington, D.C., this week.
Swinson, a sophomore, will attend Tuesday’s Presidential Inauguration ceremony of President-elect Barack Obama and take part in five days of activities through the 2009 Presidential Classroom Inaugural. Now, if she can just fight a cold, Swinson will be over the moon.
“I’m very excited,” Swinson said. “I’m kind of mad I’m getting sick, so I’ve got to get better.”
Swinson found out about the Presidential Classroom Inaugural through a magazine and applied for the program. However, Swinson has had to do plenty of work to raise the more than $3,000 it takes to go on the trip. She said she has received donations from the Center Education Foundation, as well as from family and friends.
“I got discouraged a couple times, because $3,000 was way far fetched,” Swinson said. “And to not have the airfare included, it was even more expensive. But a lot of people came through.”
Presidential Classroom is a nonprofit civic education group that offers students the opportunity to witness the inauguration, but also provides tours of historical sites, academic seminars, caucus meetings, debates and an inaugural ball.
“The thing I’m most looking forward to is the ball and graduation,” Swinson, a member of Center’s soccer team and band, said. “I have picked out the perfect dress and shoes.”
At the inauguration, Swinson said she thinks the group will have good seats and she already is anticipating the red tape everyone attending will have to go through at the ceremony site.
“I really don’t like big crowds at all,” Swinson said. “For this, I’m willing to work my way around the crowd to sit as close as possible. We have to get our badges checked, so I think we will be awfully close.”
During her trip, Swinson said she will be taking pictures for her friends, family and co-workers who will be eager to hear back from her. Swinson will have two chances to show off some of the photos, videos and souvenirs she collects during the trip. One will come during the Center Education Foundation Gala and the other will be a reception for the family and friends who helped pay her way to Washington.
Swinson said she expects to recount her trip many times.
“It’s been all over the place,” Swinson said of the news of her trip. “I think a lot of people know. When I get back I’m sure they will ask, ‘What did you do?’ and ‘How was it?’”
Swinson said many of family members are Obama supporters and she wanted Obama to win the election. She said the 2008 election got her more interested in politics, and she hopes the trip and the experience of visiting and debating with other students will help.
“It’s becoming more of an interest,” Swinson said. “I want to major in computer engineering, but I want to see if there is a way I can do both. I am really starting to get into politics.”

Trackback(0)

Comments (0)Add Comment


Write comment

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.

busy
< Prev   Next >
 

Other NPG Publishers