Historic inauguration impresses local Brunswick County youngsters
The historical significance of the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump Jan. 20 will be forever imbedded in the minds of Giovanni Palmieri, 10, of Sunset Beach, N.C., and Robin Wood, 17, of Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. The two students in Brunswick County Schools knew months before the election they would attend the event.
“We weren’t going [to the inauguration] for one candidate,” Robin says. She explains that more than a year ago Early College High School students who took or were taking American history were offered the opportunity to go.
“If it was Hillary who won, we still would have gone,” adds Giovanni’s mother, Leslie Palmieri. “It was a historical event.”
Giovanni, a 5th grader at Jessie Mae Monroe Elementary School in Calabash, N.C., looked forward to seeing the president, meeting new people and having fun. His wishes were granted in modified form. He saw the president on the jumbotron and heard his message.
“He wants the year to be better and lessen the bad things,” Giovanni says.
“His message was that America be put first, that American people be the first priority,” Robin says. She doesn’t plan to enter politics, but the way government works fascinates her. “I am interested in how the three branches of government interact and the values and the platforms of the political parties,” she says. She hasn’t chosen a career path yet, but psychology is something she’ll investigate.
Giovanni says he doesn’t plan to enter politics either. “Count me out,” he says. At this point in his life, he doesn’t know what career he’ll follow.
About 1,500 people were in his group with Envision, an organization that offers career and leadership programs. He met students from Alaska, Nigeria and other countries around the world.
Robin said Explorica, a company that specializes in educational tours for students, organized her trip. She had never been to D.C. and was impressed with it. Among the sites the 50 Early College students visited were the American History, Natural History and Air and Space museums, National Archives and Arlington Cemetery.
“I was expecting crowds, but I wasn’t expecting the women’s march,” Robin says, and adds that was a highlight for her. “I never saw so many people rallying for a cause.”
Giovanni had been to D.C. “many times,” but this time he heard speakers including former Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland, Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, past Secretary of State General Colin Powell and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and her father by video.
The downside of being there were the lines and the wait. Robin says it took three to four hours to get in, and several check points were closed. “That was the worst,” she says. “I hated that people skipped in front of us, and security wasn’t doing anything about it. There was no way to block them.”
Both students saw protesters but didn’t participate in the protests. “Our group was quiet while others were cheering,” Robin says. “We were there for the historical event.” She adds that students were keeping up with the protests on social media, but, “We wanted to get away from it and leave as soon as possible.”
“I didn’t want to be part of it,” Giovanni says. “There were so many people protesting.”
The advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
“I was glad I was able to see it and be there,” Robin says. “It made me aware of politics. I will always remember the whole experience.”
Would these students go to another inauguration?
“Not if the lines and waiting are the same. No,” Robin says. “I want to visit [D.C.] as a family.”
“It was cool being part of it because not many kids have a chance to do it,” Giovanni says. “I’d go again if the lines were shorter.”
This story was originally published January 26, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Historic inauguration impresses local Brunswick County youngsters."