Above: Kayla Carucci (l) poses in front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., with friends met during her trip to the inauguration Jan. 20. Right: Carucci, a student at Red Bank Catholic High School, visits the Lincoln Memorial. RED BANK — Kayla Carucci traveled from Middletown to Washington, D.C., where she met and made friends with people from across the country and watched Barack Obama be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.
Carucci, a sophomore at Red Bank Catholic High School, said she wanted to attend the inauguration regardless of who was victorious on Nov. 4.
“It’s not something a lot of people can say they went to, a presidential inauguration, especially this one,” she said.
Carucci called going to the inauguration the chance of a lifetime and a great experience that was a lot of fun.
She was able to witness the inauguration as part of the People to People Ambassador Program.
According to the program’s Web site, the People to People Ambassador Program offers educational travel opportunities for students, athletes, educators and professionals.
Carucci said her group included 350 people, and Inauguration Day was a long day for her group.
She said she left the hotel where the group was staying at 4 a.m., and when she arrived at 6 a.m. at the National Mall where the inauguration was to be held, there was already a large group of people awaiting the event.
She said that even before the festivities began, there was “indescribable energy there before anything even happened.”
Before Obama’s speech, Carucci watched the pre-inauguration performances at the event.
“[When the] inauguration started, everything came to life even more,” she said.C
arucci could see the Capitol Building and the stage from where she stood, but she wasn’t close enough to take pictures, she said.
Even the cold weather wasn’t a deterrent for Carucci.
“[It was] a really great experience, a lot of fun, despite the fact that it was 20 degrees. It was worth standing there for seven hours to see it,” she said.
Although not initially in favor of Obama winning the election, Carucci said the new president’s speech was inspirational.
“At first I really wanted [Republican presidential candidate John] McCain to win, but I’m excited to see what Obama does, and I think he can do a lot of good for us,” she said.
Carucci was in D.C. from Jan. 17 to Jan. 22 and said that even in that short period of time, the group she spent time with bonded. Students in the group came from throughout the country, including Connecticut, California, Louisiana and Texas.
In addition to attending the inauguration, Carucci also did a lot of sightseeing. She said the group traveled to the Smithsonian Institution, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial and many other attractions located in the city.
Carucci said this was her second trip with the People to People Ambassador Program. A few summers ago, she went to Spain, France and Italy.
She remains in touch with some of the people she met, Carucci said.
“The kids in my group, we became such good friends in the little time we were there,” she said.