It was a cold fall evening; life ensued, being chaotic and exciting at all times. Though on that night, my mother had come rushing through our doorway as she arrived home from work. She exclaimed how I received a letter in the mail and how it looked as if it was very important. This royal blue envelope, embroidered with golden paper was addressed to me. Dead center lived a large seal of the President of the United States, and under it read, “Envision the Presidential Inauguration Leadership Summit.” I could not recall the organization and became immediately curious of how the “Envision Experience” discovered me and thrilled that I was gifted the opportunity to witness history, no matter who won the election. I remembered while reading the letter of my invitation to attend the summit that a week prior I had stumbled upon an advertisement while browsing through my scholarships opportunities on a website.

 

Out of curiosity, I clicked on the link, discovered the authenticity of the website, and gained approval from my parents to begin the application process. I ran into road bumps from here on out, from seeking if they can cover people with disabilities to meeting the high-end expenses of traveling to and attending the event. Though, with extensive fundraising, writing scholarship essays, and with all the help from my family, I was thankful to be gifted the opportunity to go.

 

It was a jam packed next couple of weeks preparing to depart for the nation’s capital to witness history. Not only did we receive the privilege to attend the Inauguration of the 45^th President of the United States, but we got to listen to a whole lineup of speakers. They were Abby Wambach, Colin Powell, Carly Fiorina, and Malala Youzhafsi to name a few.

 

We also had to work in groups with other people my age to pinpoint a problem and solution to an issue group of our choosing. I chose to focus on education policy, something that I have been curious about for some time. The first day was a little bit of a nervous frenzy, but from then on I had the time of my life

 

The Inauguration of President Donald Trump was definitely the highlight of the event. It was a cold and early morning bus ride from the Sheraton Hotel in Vienna, Virginia to the south side of the national mall. Then, out came a line of yellow and blue scarves and badges reading Envision worn by 2,400 students from grades five to twelve. The coach buses could go no farther, and we huddled together one and a half miles forward. That morning felt very odd and was unusually quiet compared to the normal hustle bustle of the streets of Washington D.C. Thanking soldiers and talking to newfound friends made the path forward a lot easier. One would watch in awe as the coordinated passage of nearly one million people made their ways to the heart of the nation’s capital. There were people of all walks of life that had clustered together to watch our democracy in action.

 

That cold morning propelled our group to the center of the first tarp hoisted just before Third Street with a scenic view of the Capitol Building. We watched as President Obama passed the baton to President Trump. It was more optimal to view from the large jumbotron positioned to the right, but you could see the mass of people surrounding the podium with the naked eye from our position. It was an amazing view, to see so many people passionate about our country and the electoral process. Those came to honor our new president and bid farewell to the old for the sake of moving forward. It was a fascinating journey in which I was given the opportunity to witness history. This trip could not have been described as anything less than an eye opener. It shows no matter how bleak our nation is depicted, we always will come together. I am so proud to be an American.