Our first official day at the United States Senate Youth Program started at 7 AM this morning. After an extravagant breakfast in an incredibly ornate ballroom, our Military Mentors escorted our groups directly to a coach bus. Through a partnership with the Department of Defense, the USSYP has competitively selected several members of the different branches of the military to serve as our “Mentors” for the next week. My mentor, Lieutenant Michael Keating of the U.S Navy, will mentor me and other members of my subunit of delegates.

The coach buses took us directly to Mt. Vernon (George Washington’s home) on the outskirts of Washington D.C. Here, an informative tour guide took us through President Washington’s historic residence and explained many things about his life, including his moral struggle with the institution of slavery and his tremendous ability as a military general. It was fascinating to see 16th century furniture, clothing, and paintings perfectly preserved and presented in such a manner. It was humbling experience to glance into the parlour where Washington met regularly with Jefferson, Hamilton, etc. and the bedroom where our foremost founding father passed way. At the end of our visit, two student-representatives laid a wreath on Washington’s tomb, and the tour guides reflected on “General Washington’s tremendous legacy.” At this moment, I began thinking more about Washington’s career as a public servant. As our tour guides had told us. he had enjoyed tremendous public support and could very well have declared himself king. However, he stepped down from the presidency after serving two terms in order to preserve the merits of the new Constitution and respect the will of the civilian government. This selfless act ensured that our country would not slip into another civil war and that our democracy would thrive. It’s truly incredible, and indicative of a truly remarkable man.

Afterwards, we were escorted to the Newseum, a museum in central D.C that’s solely dedicated to the preservation of journalism and the advancement of first amendment rights. Here, I looked through a breath-taking gallery that contained several Pulitzer-Prize winning photos. These also moved me to think about my own passion in journalism and how exactly I could impact the world in similar ways. We then had lunch on the roof of the building, which overlooked the National Gallery of Art and the Capitol building off in the distance. Our day piqued when we listened to Dr. Jeffrey Herbst, the President and CEO of the Newseum, speak about the status of developing media and how it plays a role in our national dialogues. His background in political science and independent status allowed him to give candid and instructive answers to many delegates’ questions.

It was a great day and I’m definitely looking forward to tomorrow’s jam-packed schedule.

Read about my first day: https://www.benedictnewsonline.org/3371/blogs/day-1-arrival