WASHINGTON, D.C. – Acting as volunteers at the Presidential Inauguration on Monday, January 21st, NPHS seniors Khushboo Attarwala, Morgan Nachman, Janki Patel, Jessica Yun, and I not only witnessed history, but also had the privilege of being part of it.

Shivers and sore feet, teary eyes and exhilarated screams – they marked merely a fraction of our incredible experience. It was also the sense of involvement and togetherness that made this event all the more special. 

“Seeing all those people there who were just as excited about seeing the President sworn in as I was,” remarked Attarwala, “made all the hard work and effort we put into the campaign feel validated.”

Back in 2012, all five of us were volunteers for the Obama re-election campaign. All the hours we had put into, either at the phone bank or out canvassing, made attending the inaugural ceremony in Washington all the more meaningful. Acting as parade runners, our job was to deliver messages between volunteer team leaders and members during the day because  cell phone service, given the number of people in the National Mall area, would not be reliable. 

But like the policeman and the military personnel who were present that day, we took on different positions. We gave directions, snapped pictures for others, managed lines, and even helped find a missing child.

Red hats were given to every volunteer to wear on Inauguration day; keeping us warm and proud, the bright hats were spotted almost everywhere along Pennsylvania Avenue. 

“We were surrounded by a lot of people who are interested in helping out like us,” said Nachman, “it was cool to be in such a hectic environment on such an important day.”

Patel recalls seeing the President and the First Lady at the Inaugural Parade:

“The President and first lady stepped out of the limo at the beginning of ninth street, half a block from where I was standing. They walked half the length of Pennsylvania Avenue from me, waving and smiling at their supporters. All around me people were screaming and flashing pictures. As funny as it may sound, my first thought was ‘wow, he’s real.’ It’s one thing to experience inauguration alone, but seeing him meant so much to me because I interned with the campaign for  four months. In those last grueling months, it was easy to lose perspective of how my efforts would help reelect President Obama. There were times I would easily have walked away in defeat of not following through with the fellowship, but physically celebrating with hundreds of thousands of people and seeing the man we elected into office with my own eyes was very rewarding. It definitely made following through with the internship worthwhile.” 

Another exciting moment of the day, she added, was when Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, who walked after  the President and the First Lady, pointed and waved at Patel and Yun.

Besides seeing the President, hearing him talk was another memorable experience. There was no TV screens, just loud speakers along the streets. Stationed at about ten blocks from the Capitol Building where the President gave his Inaugural Address and hearing the speech live was a fantastically different experience from watching the President speak on TV.

The speech itself was both captivating and representational of this Administration and of our time. “It showed a lot about his character and his goals as president,” said Nachman.

Addressing issues such as climate change, women’s equal pay, LGBT rights, Social Security, and gun violence, President Obama’s well-articulated and impassioned progressive ideals set his blueprint for his second term and marked the first steps in building his legacy.

“The layout of the agenda for his next four years to shape our country was just thrilling [to hear],” said Yun. 

Declaring that we as citizens have “the power to set this country’s course” and “the obligation to shape the debates of our time,” the President called for a higher level of civil engagement in his address.

“The thought of taking action came up to my mind,” said Yun. “We need to keep fighting and work with President Obama to move forward.”

However, in a republic with a diverse population and opinions, not everyone agrees with the President or approves of the government. Our country was founded on Federalist ideals and a Constitution which guarantee that the voices of the minority opinions be heard.A designated protesters’ zone along the Inaugural Parade route bore witness to our government’s commitment to protecting the rights and freedoms of its citizens.

While the President was giving his speech, a woman marched down on the sidewalk and exercised her First Amendment Right loudly and without regard to the many stares of disapproval. Her disrespectful actions may be distasteful, but the fact that she had the right to protest was a reminder of the right of U.S. citizens to voice their distaste of the government – a privilege still denied to many people in other parts of the world. 

Being at the Inauguration was both a humbling and empowering experience, one that will be always remembered.