By Paige R., Teen Portal Contributing Writer
September 8, 2009: a day many will never forget – especially those of us who were at Wakefield. President Barack Obama’s speech at our school was covered in so many papers, from The Washington Post to a small paper in a town called Greencastle, In. Meanwhile, thousands of students across the Nation watched live, as President Obama made his first official address on education to students.
All students nationwide were inspired by Obama’s words. However there were about 40 students who were even more inspired. It was 40 students from the freshman class at Wakefield who got to speak to and ask questions of Obama. I was one of these lucky students.
The 40 of us went in to our first day of high school already expecting to see Obama, but not from four feet away! We were told at the end of the morning orientation that we were going to meet him. We then went and got wanded to sit in a security-filled room and wait for the President. I was so excited! Due to seat rearrangements I even got moved to the front row.
When Obama entered I became ecstatic; we got to ask him any questions we wanted. He didn’t get to my question, but many other good ones were asked. For example: “If he could eat with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?” He answered Gandhi -- because if it weren’t for Gandhi’s movement, many other movements probably wouldn’t have happened. When asked, “How has your life changed since becoming President?” he replied that he can’t do anything spontaneous. Wherever he goes, he has to have security around him and inconvenience many people with street closures.
A big question was: “How do you think your life would be different if your dad had been in it?” This was asked by a student whose parents are separated, which made it particularly interesting and heartfelt. The President answered that you can never be sure. He thinks that maybe he matured faster since he didn’t have a father to tell him his own experiences. So he had to learn from his own. These and many more questions led to encouraging and sincere answers by President Obama.
Obama’s speech also was very inspiring. By talking about his own experiences (like waking up at 4:30 in the morning to study with his mom) and the experiences of others (like pushing past cancer to get an education), Obama explained how you and only you can force yourself to get a good education. He explained that while he and others are doing their best to work on getting us the best teachers and supplies, we are the ones who hold the key; we are really the people who decide if we get a good education or not. He put it in our hands to work hard and pursue our education.
This day was a very inspiring day for all of us in high school. I feel like I have been cleared a path, shown a way to follow it, and now all I have to do is start walking and make it my own. This day of President Obama making his address on education in my school, speaking to our small group, and shaking my hand is a day I’ll never forget: September 8, 2009.
