My trip to the 2009 Presidential Inauguration

In Washington D.C.
By: Christian Ordaz

At 12:00 noon Eastern Standard Time on January 20, 2009 I witnessed one of the greatest
ceremonial events in history. I had the privilege and honor of observing the inauguration of the
44th president of the United States of America, Barak Obama. My trip started when I was
selected to be a part of the Junior Presidential Youth Inauguration Conference (JrPYIC). The
JrPYIC is a program that is held every four years in January following the presidential election.
This program provides inaugural scholars with a unique experience as they take part in and share
first hand in the excitement and ceremony of the inauguration of the President and Vice
President of the United States.

My name was selected because two years ago when I was in the third grade two teachers Mrs.
Linda Weil and Mrs. Janelle Foust both teachers at Tippin Elementary School nominated me for
a similar program, the National Young Scholars Program (NYSP). After my teachers nominated
me I was then selected by the NYSP committee to attend. The NYSP is designed and created
specifically for the nation’s most highly acclaimed 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students.
Participating in this program is how I came to be invited to the JrPYIC and therefore able to
attend the inauguration.

From the moment I arrived in Washington D.C. and was placed with a group of kids ranging
from 5th graders to College students. We were quickly rushed to see and hear Mr. Erik
Weihenmayer speak. Mr. Weihenmayer is the only blind man in history to reach the summit of
Mount Everest the world’s highest peak. Mr. Weihenmayer also completed his 7-year quest to
climb the seven summits. The seven summits are the highest mountains on each of the seven
continents. This man was amazing, what I learned from him was that you can take obstacles and
turn them into opportunities. In life there are many challenges, but when you persevere even
when things seem impossible or others tell you that it can’t be done, you (we) can do it. We can
make all our dreams come true.

The following day we had the privilege of hearing Former Secretary of State General Colin L.
Powell (Ret.) Mr. Powell has many accomplishments, too many to list, but he is probably best
remembered for his involvement during Operation Desert Storm. He taught me that being a
leader is not due to a title, but rather it is about character traits. One of the more important traits a
leader must have is the ability to listen. To be a good leader, you must be a good listener.

We then heard former Vice President Al Gore speak, he also has many accomplishments to
include Nobel Peace Prize winner. Mr. Gore spoke of the climate and how it affects the world;
He also spoke about his plan to use solar, wind and geothermal power. It was neat to see that we
can do things in a more cost affective manner, He states that his plan would also create jobs. I
learned that we can think intelligently about using the natural resources this world has to offer.
Mr. Gore’s phrase also stuck with me, “We Can Solve It.” I guess that is true for many of life’s
problems.

Without a doubt one of the highlights of a trip, that was filled with memorable and exciting
experiences was the inauguration itself. To stand among a sea of people with one common hope,
a straight forward hope, the hope to better our country. The people seemed to come from all
over the world, from every walk of life imaginable. I saw people in their later years of life with
tears in their eyes and though we were positioned far from the capital itself and could only have a
limited view of one of the jumbo screens, it was amazing to see the nearly two million people
come to a silence when President Obama spoke. Every ear was intent on hearing what the new
president would say. He spoke of the challenges ahead and stated that those challenges would be
met. He spoke about extending opportunity to every willing heart. He quoted George
Washington, "Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing
but hope and virtue could survive…..that the city and the country, alarmed at one common
danger, came forth to meet [it]." However, my personal favorite part was during the oath when
he ended with, “So help me God.”

Prior to leaving Washington D.C. My awesome father George Ordaz was able to take me to see
some sites and monuments. We visited the Washington Memorial; we saw the capital from the
national mall, just like we had only hours earlier when we witnessed now president Barak
Obama take his oath. We walked along side the reflecting pool on our way to the Lincoln
memorial; it was then that I began to reflect on my own life and what this trip meant to me. We
continued to the Lincoln memorial, a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln and the nation he
fought to preserve during the Civil War. Inscribed inside the monument were his Gettysburg
Address and his second Inaugural address. It was amazing to be standing at the place where
Martin Luther King Jr. recited his, “I have a dream speech”. We then walked to the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial, I could tell my dad, a former war veteran himself felt something special. It
was a wall engraved with all the names of soldiers who lost their lives during the Vietnam War
in the name of our great nation. It was then, seeing the names on the wall, seeing the respect my
dad has for these men that everything began to sink-in. All the speeches I heard through out the
week, all the monuments that I saw represent great people and their actions, all the discussions
that I’ve ever had with my parents and at times my grand-parents. All the teachers, pastors, and
coaches I’ve had, whom constantly educated me on a variety of topics. All this, I began to
understand. Not just understand as in comprehending for its educational value, but understanding
in a way that was much more valuable, I understood in a way that was engraved in my heart, just
as the names of those great men were engraved on the wall. I understood in a way that my
lessons learned will be bound to my dreams.

You see, I too have a dream; in fact I have many dreams. Some are ever so small and others are
bigger than life itself. Some people may even find some of my dreams to be ridiculous, but the
one dream that far surpasses the rest of them and the one dream that I know I will accomplish is
the dream I have to make a difference, so help me God.

Sincerely,

Christian Ordaz
Christian Ordaz
5th Grader
Tippin Elementary School