Presidential inauguration a ‘treasure chest’ experience
Video Camera: check. Plane ticket: check. Inauguration access: as of early November, not quite yet. It was one of those little details that I thought would be taken care of, but the infrastructure needed to be in place. The more time passed, the less likely it felt possible to get the golden ticket. I asked my hometown congressman: no. I applied for access with the Senate House Press Gallery: not a chance. I even considered the prices on eBay, but my bank account balance laughed at me. The thought of concern wisped across my brow, but I didn’t have time for that-I still needed to find a coat.
It wasn’t until the Saturday before we left when I received the e-mail from the Presidential Inaugural Committee stating that Pepperdine University’s Newswaves 26 and the Graphic newspaper would receive media credentials for the swearing in ceremony at the National Mall. The final puzzle piece took its rightful place. Ms. Hickman was going to Washington.
The inauguration was full of understatements.
Cold: freezing. Flying from an 80-degree oasis to a 23-degree snow globe was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
Packed: I have been to an *Nsync concert but nothing had prepared me for feeling as if I was a sardine, even if the can, the National Mall, was two-miles long.
Awe-inspiring: It was quite possibly the most amazing experience of my entire life. There’s something about the American spirit when in triumph- faces look brighter, people act nicer; to witness the unity and generosity of visitors from each corner of the nation was phenomenal.
And I got to document it.
The most amazing thing about being a journalist is the stories. I met a news shop owner who slept in her store for two days to make sure the newspapers were ready for her anxious customers wanting to commemorate the day. I ran into college students, like myself, beaming as they rejoiced for the president for whom they voted. Perhaps, one of the most interesting stories I encountered was a woman on her path to citizenship; she turned a random Barack Obama photo book into a guestbook, almost as if to say that she felt she owned a piece of this history as well. These are the stories you didn’t see on CNN, and I got them.
But I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my friends. CNN, NBC and FOX NEWS had trucks; we had a different set of wheels-a mini suitcase. We called ourselves “Three Girls and a Bag,” dragging the rolling suitcase through the streets of Washington, D.C., making obnoxious noises when we entered a room.
More than anything, this opportunity served as an incredible learning experience. There’s nothing like having a real-world setting with a little safety net. It has been said the best way to learn is to make a mistake, and we made a quite a few.
Lessons learned: Always make sure you have all of your equipment before you leave; you never know when it will take you an hour and a half to walk five blocks.
Crying won’t budge a Secret Service man, but it will convince an Army man to intercede on your behalf.
Don’t bring up Britney Spears in an interview with a reputable journalist from the one of the largest Arab media outlets of the world, even if you do believe you are making a legitimate comparison.
I’m 20 years old; I started to forget that when I was in the moment-trading my Malibu Ashlyee voice for my Ms. I’m-a -reporter-take-me-seriously voice. To be a part of something bigger than myself feels overwhelmingly special. Being in front of the camera wasn’t a priority of mine. Hearing Carla Kostoff of One Stop newsstand saying it was always a dream of hers to have a reporter walk in her store and want to interview her was the payoff. Meeting Dechen Surkhang -an Indian soon-to-be American citizen -and signing her book made my trip. Seeing President Barack Obama assume his place of leadership was the key that unlocked this treasure chest of an experience.
Ashlyee Hickman is the “Perspectives” section editor for the Pepperdine University Seaver College student newspaper, Graphic.