CLP 2009: Day 18, Tuesday June 16

College Leaders Program Class of 2009
Day 18—Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Reported by: Michele Alexander, University of Mary Washington

I love Washington, DC. I always will and always have. Call it bias because I have grown up around the city my entire life, or call it a love for beautiful architecture and historic monuments— but mainly just call it a love for the political buzz that surrounds the city.
     The Nation’s Capital is like a beehive that is ever growing and changing as each part is intricate to its design and function, from the structures keeping it together to its inhabitants. Today, we got to witness this constant motion of activity as we stepped through the doors of the Capitol Building into the world of national politics.
     Our first stop was to be greeted by Bob Gibson’s daughter, Logan, who took us through the building. We passed through the Dome Room with its amazing frescos and gorgeous ceiling and went straight to the Senate chamber where we got to see politics in action as Senator John McCain discussed healthcare reforms on the Senate floor (which was pretty cool, I must say).
     After seeing Senator McCain speak (and catching a glimpse of Senator Joe Lieberman), we were ushered onto our next destination – a meeting with Alfonso Lopez, who basically serves as Governor Kaine’s voice up in Washington. Mr. Lopez answered every question we threw his way with a grin and wit, keeping the excited mood spreading throughout our class alive. Mr. Lopez’s act appeared to be a hard one to follow, but Senator Jim Webb kept the momentum going as he spoke to the class.
     Lunch was next in the Senate cafeteria for what seemed like five minutes and then onto our next stop: a photo op with Senator Mark Warner and surprise visitor Senator Mark Begich from Alaska! A couple of us stayed after (even though we were being told by April to get a move on) to get pics with Senator Warner which was exciting – I guess you could say some of us got a little star struck!
     After the photo ops, we were onto our last parts of the day: back-to-back meetings with Virginia’s House Representatives throughout the Capitol building and its offices. First for the afternoon was Congressman Bob Goodlatte followed by Congressman Jim Moran. Next was Congressman Tom Perriello, who brought with him a fresh vivacity and breadth for the position he was elected to this past November. Sorensen grad Brian Diffle spoke next and was later followed by another Sorensen grad, Jamie Lockhart, who helped to show us where in politics a program like this can take us. Congressman Frank Wolf spoke next and taught us that as politicians we must fulfill the Constitution’s closing line of “[pledging] our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor” to our nation. Congressman Rob Whittman concluded the day by instilling in us the ideal that we are all here to serve and there is no better reason than that to enter the realm of politics.
     As we boarded the bus to travel back to Charlottesville and settled into watching Meet the Fockers (as we had watched Meet the Parents on the way to DC), our tired faces could not hide the lessons we learned and the memories we made as we traversed the Capitol’s sacred halls and meeting rooms. As for me, I cannot wait to go back to the city I love and will continue to immerse myself in the politics that keep it alive.

—Michele Alexander, University of Mary Washington