High school student witnesses American history in the making
High school student witnesses American history in the making
By MARVIN BAKER
New Town High School student Cesar Alvarez hasn’t yet graduated from high school and he’s already done something most Americans won’t have the chance of doing in their lifetime.
Alvarez witnessed American history in the making Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C., when he was among an estimated 2 million who attended the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
“It was something I won’t forget,” Alvarez said. “It was literally exciting from beginning to end. You could tell, there was just so much excitement.”
And according to Alvarez, it was Obama who has sparked that excitement and ignited an entire generation of young Americans to become active in politics.
“He sparked it,” Alvarez said, “and that’s just the beginning. He’s young and charismatic. He’s not just an old geiser who wants power and he brings that message across.”
Alvarez said Obama is a role model for millions of young Americans who once again believe in the future of this country and that anything can happen in the United States given hard work and focus.
He said Obama has certainly made a believer out of him.
“It shows me that Obama, going from a no-namer to president, reaffirmed my reason to get into politics,” Alvarez said. “He is a role model for a whole generation and has charisma at all levels. Everyone can look up to him.”
Alvarez has no regrets about booking his trip to Washington early and in fact, said getting up early on inauguration day and getting into place was a good move too. He said his group had a good spot and was roughly 60 yards away in a sea of 2 million people.
“It was very emotional getting to see and hear,” he said. “We all need a beacon of hope.”
He added there were several conservatives in his tour group but there were no critiques of the new president.
