FLORENCE: Students share inauguration memories with classmates

By Geoffrey Wertime, Staff Writer
   FLORENCE — Three Florence High School students recently spent almost an entire day telling their classmates about their experiences at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
   Juniors Aminah Olajide and Shaquille Millington, both 16, and 15-year-old freshman Kirstie Smith spent Friday giving a presentation to six of the classes of business/marketing and computer teacher Barbara Mayer.
   ”This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Ms. Mayer said of her students’ activities, “just to be able to… see things most people won’t in a lifetime, especially with the first African-American president.”
   She noted that the president had not yet been elected when the three students registered for the program, the Presidential Youth Inaugural Confidence, a part of the Congressional Youth Leadership Council.
   The nonprofit, nonpartisan CYLC, which holds a number of programs, aims “to foster and inspire young people to achieve their full leadership potential,” according to its Web site. Aminah, Shaquille and Kirstie are all alumni of past CYLC programs, which allowed them to join the inaugural trip.
   As the school’s TV/film class videotaped the talk for broadcast on cable channel 10, FTTV, the three youngsters told their peers about their experiences over the course of the five-day excursion, which began Jan. 17.
   On Jan. 20, the students were among the millions who attended the presidential inauguration, which Aminah called “a day like no other.”
   The students made it to the “silver ticket” area by the Capitol Building and reflecting pool.
   ”I never fully understood claustrophobia until I was in that crowd,” she said, describing how the area was so packed there was no room to move and not even an ambulance could get through.
   ”Personal space wasn’t really a theme of the night,” Shaquille agreed.
   He said some people walked across the frozen reflecting pool, while others climbed trees to get a better view.
   Celebrities were easy to find in the crowd, Aminah added.
   ”I guess they wanted to be actual people for the night,” she said.
   In the days leading up to the ceremony, the PYIC saw many celebrities of a different type—the conference’s speakers. They included former Secretary of State Colin Powell; Nobel Prize winner and former Vice President Al Gore; and Nobel Peace Prize winner and renowned human rights activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
   Kirstie said her favorite speaker was Mr. Tutu.
   ”He definitely had a persona about him,” she said. “He had an interesting take on apartheid (the system of segregation in South Africa).”
   ”He wasn’t angry,” she said, but presented more a spirit of “‘it happened—we have to get over it.’”
   Shaquille said that as an environmentalist himself, he was particularly happy to see Mr. Gore, whom he called his role model.
   ”All the speakers had the same theme,” he said, “about enlightening us as to how we can change, benefit and better the world.”
   Since the inauguration, the students have had some time to see President Obama in action, and they agreed they are satisfied with the direction he has taken.
   All three of the young scholars said they were happy with how the president has been distributing funds and resources since he took office, and how he has given the federal government a bigger role than his predecessor did.
   They said they were particularly happy to hear about the president’s plan to increase school funding, and to reform standardized testing, which they agreed was not a fair assessment of all students.
   Finally, they said, they were pleased with the international community’s reaction to the new administration.
   ”I think he’s improving our world standing, “Aminah said. “I’m kind of proud that the world appreciates us.”