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Student
When President Barack Obama took the oath of office on January 2009, Katherine L. Fish ’10 was among the nearly two million people who witnessed the historic event in Washington, D.C. It was an opportunity the future social studies teacher could not pass up.
“I seek out hands-on learning experiences so that when I become a teacher, I’ll have stories to tell my students,” says Fish. “Stories are what capture their attention, and are what get students asking questions and generate their interest.”
Fish was one of 5,000 college students invited to attend the University Presidential Inaugural Conference (UPIC) from January 17 -21. Participation is reserved for alumni of the National Youth Leadership Conference (NYLC), an organization that recruits high-achieving high school students who demonstrate leadership qualities. Fish participated in NYLC while a student at Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart.
The five-day event included visits to the National Mall’s monuments and museums, entrance into the “We Are One” concert at the Lincoln Memorial and tickets to the UPIC Inaugural Gala. The conference culminated at noon on January 20, with the historic swearing-in of the nation’s first African American President Barak Obama.
“There were nearly two million people gathered in one place but the silence was deafening when President Obama recited the oath of office,” recalls Fish.
The pageantry of the Presidential Inauguration was the most momentous occasion for Fish but the days leading up to it included several other indelible learning experiences. White House veterans, political experts and commentators, and other sought-after personalities all participated in the conference.
Fish had a front-row seat during former Secretary of State (Ret.) General Colin Powell’s keynote address. “He reminded us that we are the next generation of leaders and we need to prepare ourselves by becoming people of trust, character and integrity,” recalls Fish.
Former Vice President Al Gore told conference attendees that “This new generation coming of age has proven that young voters can make a difference,” says Fish. NBC News Correspondent Luke Russert commended young people for their use of social networking, which he said “played a key role in the election of President Obama.” And Democratic and Republican political strategists (respectively) James Carville and Mary Matalin spoke candidly about how “The digital age now permanently altered future political campaigns,” recalls Fish, who walked away from the University Presidential Inaugural Conference with a deeper understanding of how democracy works in a modern society and memories that will last a lifetime. But there was one message that most resonated with her.
“In the days leading up to the Presidential Inauguration and the day of the actual event, I saw how people – millions of people – unified for a common purpose and the strength of that. It felt good and I felt proud and I want to be someone who helps sustain that.”
It’s a lesson that will reverberate a lifetime for Fish – and one that can’t possibly be found in a textbook.