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| Jacob Abrahamson Class of 2017 |
The next time someone pokes fun at the University of Louisville, I’ll tell them that going here gave me the opportunity to be in the same room as the President of the United States twice in one week.
That it happened twice may have been coincidence because, in my second opportunity, I was covering his visit to a Louisville tech company for U of L’s student newspaper, but I still can claim this all the same.
The first time I was with him was a culmination of almost an entire academic year of working on a Senate simulation for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. Six McConnell Scholars developed a simulation in which middle and high school students will go to the EMK Institute, become a Senator, sit in a replica of the Senate chambers, and debate on the Patriot Act. The EMK Institute will have other simulation topics like immigration and the Compromise of 1850, but we wanted to combine a historical example with modern issues so students can bring their own unique perspectives when they learn how the Senate works.
The Institute has been developed since Senator Kennedy first had the idea for it, and on March 30th, it finally opened with a dedication ceremony. Because of our work with the simulation, and with a lot of help from the McConnell Center, Sean Southard, another Scholar who worked on the project, and I were able to fly to Boston to attend the ceremony.
The ceremony was broken into two parts. There was a main dedication which featured the President, Vice President, and some notable Senators. The second part was a dedication of the replica Senate chamber inside of the Institute. The reason college students were invited was so we could participate in the second part of the ceremony. So, we sat at our desks in the Senate chamber and listened to the speeches outside the doors in anticipation of the Chamber dedication ceremony.
After his speech, the President and First Lady took a tour of the Institute with Senator Kennedy’s widow, Victoria Reggie Kennedy. While he wasn’t scheduled to appear in the Senate chamber, he ended up making a brief stop, which was a pleasant surprise for everyone in the room. He made some brief remarks before shaking some hands and leaving the Institute. Shortly after this, the Vice President came in and dedicated the Senate chamber.
Each student was paired with a current or former U.S. Senator, and Sean and I sat next to former Senator and Ambassador to China Jim Sasser. He told us stories of his time in the Senate and talked about the budget negotiations he led with President George H.W. Bush. I also got the chance to meet Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Massachusetts Congressman Joseph Kennedy III, among others.
The Vice President decided to take a group photo after the dedication, and I somehow, by some miracle, snuck my way up right next to him as we took the photo. He then told a story about his first time in the Senate chambers as a college student. Apparently, he managed to sneak in and sit in the President of the Senate’s chair, but he was arrested after a little while. He was, of course, released, and when he was elected as a Senator from Delaware, the same officer gave him a hug as he walked into the Senate chamber for the first time as a Senator.
When his story was over, he went right into shaking hands and taking pictures. I swear, if there was a baby there, he would have kissed it; it was classic Biden. I was able to shake his hand and tell him it was an honor to meet him, to which he replied “It’s an honor to meet you too!” I then saw him greet a naturalized citizen who was in tears at meeting the Vice President, because she never thought she could be in America having this opportunity. “Hey, come here,” he said as he hugged her. “Thanks for picking us!”
Eventually, after his staff gave him enough trouble for blocking traffic, he left the Institute, and left all of the students present with an amazing experience to remember for years. This story is what I’ll tell people when they ask why they should go to U of L.
Important Note: Wearing a big button with “KY” on it is a great conversation starter, especially with members of the U.S. Congress.
Jacob Abrahamson is a sophomore McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He studies political science and history.