Students make trip to inauguration
By Ben Logan
IV Leader Editor, Feb. 3, 2005
On Jan. 20, incumbent George W. Bush was sworn in for a
second term at noon. People who attended the ceremony included the Bush family,
Sen. John Kerry, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a few members of
IVCC’s Young Republican organization.
Instructor Dorene Perez and students Angie Pratt and David
Baima attended the ceremony. They managed to get tickets through Congressman
Jerry Weller’s office.
“It was a once in a lifetime experience,” said Pratt. “You
never know if you’ll have the opportunity again, so we had to take it since we
had the chance.”
Perez said early planning enabled the group to gain access to
the inauguration.
“We knew ahead that we wanted to go the ceremony,” Perez said
when asked how she got to attend. “You have to contact your local congressman in
order to get tickets to the ceremony.”
Pratt’s mom Sue made the original call to Weller’s office,
but she didn’t learn until about two weeks before the ceremony that their
tickets were secured.
In addition to the IVCC contingent, Pratt’s mom, dad and four
siblings attended inaugural activities.
The Capitol building was completely changed and dressed up in
order to have the ceremony. A stage was erected along with stairs for all the
political figures to be seated.
Past and present American flags were hanging off the building
while red, white, and blue banners hung off the stage.
“It was really neat being there. The ceremony itself was very
formal,” Perez said.
When asked what her favorite part of the ceremony was, she
said, “The inaugural speech.” She also said that having big-screen TVs and
watching the president’s limo arrive were also exciting to her.
Pratt, who has also attended other events where Bush spoke,
said she was surprised by the heavy security.
“In a way I expected it because I’ve been to other things
that Bush has been at, but I didn’t realize there would be pat down security,”
she said.
Pratt said Bush’s message on freedom was particularly
effective, and she believes it will resonate with many.
“I think it will help soften a lot of hearts toward him and
help people see him in a different perspective,” she said.
While in Washington, the group was able to tour the Capitol
with an intern from Weller’s office and attend a post-inaugural ball. They also
walked the mall area and saw many of the landmarks, such as the World War II
memorial, the Washington monument and Lincoln Memorial.
The members had to pay for the trip out of their private
funds because they did not know until a week in advance, so there was no time to
wait for the IVCC trip process to be completed.
“It was a historical trip because we were in the Capitol, but
it was also history in the making and we were there for it,” said Pratt.