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Attending a presidential inauguration is not something many people can say they have done in their life. For Julianne Quinn, it was an experience that will stick with her for a long time.

"It was pretty amazing," said the sophomore from The Academy of the Holy Names in Albany. "You could sense the feeling of hope throughout the crowd."

Julianne, 15, went to Washington, D.C., as a member of the Congressional Youth Leadership Council and attended the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference from January 17-21. While there, she attended presentations from such political figures as former secretary of state Colin Powell and environmental activist and former vice president Al Gore. 

Most amazing
The ultimate memory, however, was the swearing in of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. Though Julianne was on the National Mall, nowhere near the heart of the celebration, just the feeling of being around thousands of other Americans was enough to make her feel part of the event.

"There's no way I would have remotely had the same feeling had I been watching on TV and hadn't been there," she said.

The experience has made an impact on her outlook as an American and her ideas for the future.

"It's definitely given me a better insight and it gave me the feeling of being a part of history," Julianne claimed.

Being with her Congressional Youth Leadership Council throughout the weekend also taught her new life lessons: "I feel like I became more independent," she said. "I had to figure things out for myself. I had to pick a friend or a group to stay with, I had to find things through a crowd by myself. It was an amazing experience."

Perspective
The trip to Washington also served as a good lesson in politics.

"I learned a lot because there were people from everywhere," Julianne recalled. 
"With the council, I also just learned about the election process. I wasn't really as aware of politics before, but this [country] is something I'm going to be a part of, so I want to be informed."

Julianne has been inspired to learn more about politics, but she was unsure if she would be interested in a political career.

"I haven't really given it much thought," she mused.

She did, however, have advice for other teens and adults about attending a presidential inauguration: "If given the chance, definitely take it. [You] might be thinking, 'I have other things to do,' but you should definitely go. It's an incredible experience and I learned so much from it."[[In-content Ad]]

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