Sylvester a witness to history

            Inauguration Day in the United States is one of the most important events in our nation’s democratic process. Hundreds of thousands gather in D.C. to watch as a new or re-elected President gives the Oath of Office and address the nation for the first time in their new term. Everyone gathered in our nation’s capitol knows they are seeing and ultimately participating in a piece of our history.

            That is exactly the feeling Taylor Sylvester of Hedrick got from being there to witness this year’s Inauguration from under the shadow of the Washington Monument. Sylvester, a seventh grader at Pekin Middle School, was invited to participate in a program call Envision Experience when she was in fourth grade by her reading teacher, Mrs. Scholtus. It led to the young lady taking a trip to Chicago for a STEM conference that next year, then the opportunity later to join her peers across the country for a trip to D.C. in January. Sylvester mowed yards, did extra chores at her family’s farm, reached out to community businesses, got plenty of help from her family, all to raise enough money to book a plane trip from Des Moines to D.C.

            “When I arrived out of my gate, I met lots of other students from everywhere to see the Inauguration too,” Sylvester said. “I made several friends right away from Miami.”

            In addition to Sylvester and her new friends from Miami, approximately 600 middle school students gathered in the capital to take part in the Envision Experience. They all stayed a large Marriott resort in the capitol, then divided into “classes” of 20 students, and even further into groups for a special project. Sylvester’s group tackled the topic of health care. They researched and drew up a solution to our nation’s health care problem and then presented their project to the class in one of the resort’s meeting rooms. Their class then voted to have Sylvester and her group go on to present to all 600 of their peers later in the trip.

            “There was so much about health care I never knew before,” Sylvester said. “I learn about the issues around it and presenting to everyone allowed me to practice my talking skills. I was nervous, excited and thrilled at the same time.”

            The next day brought the Inauguration. Everyone was up bright and early to be driven to the National Mall. The National History Museum was rented out to the students as they explore the world-renowned museum. As the main event drew closer, Sylvester and her new friends walked down the street to the Washington Monument. An area was set aside for them to watch history unfold in front of them, though they were too far away and had to observe from a jumbotron TV.

            “There were lots of police and veterans surrounding our group,” Sylvester said. “It was different from just watching it on TV at home. I really enjoyed the swearing in.”

            Sylvester and the other students were then required to write a review of the Inauguration after the ceremony was over and they were all safely back in their rooms. They followed Inauguration Day with a conference at the Eagle Bank Arena to watch several celebrities and political figures speak, including Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Filmmaker Spike Lee, former presidential candidates Carly Fiorina and Martin O’Malley, former U.S soccer star Abby Wambach and Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by ISIS followers for simply wanting an education for herself. Topics ranging from the economy to feminism were discussed, with O’Mally and Fiorina taking part in interviews rather than speeches.

            “I learned a lot of leadership skills and to share my thoughts with a lot of different people around me,” Sylvester said. “I always felt I had good speaking skills, but this experience taught me a lot more.”

            But the fun wasn’t over after the speeches came to close. Sylvester and the students then spent their last full day at a spectacular “Suit and Tie Gala” at the Air and Space Museum, where they marveled at some of aviation’s greatest moments, hung out with friends each made during the trip, danced to a DJ and had fun at the gift shop. The music didn’t stop for these middle schoolers until midnight.

            However, all good things must come to an end. Sylvester said goodbye to her new friends that next morning as they all hopped on planes back home. Though she had to unfortunately wait for hers to arrive almost 12 hours later, the experience overall was one Sylvester promises never to forget.

            “The Inauguration was my favorite part,” Sylvester said. “I felt very important to be there. It’s something I can tell my family about forever.”