Unlike past Washington Center participants, the students in TWC for the fall got to experience an historic election in Washington, DC, a city that lives and breathes politics. Each student has a different story to tell about their experience on November 4. Many students from the Washington Center went to John Hopkins University, where a big screen was set up for them to watch the election results while enjoying free pizza and beer. Quite a great deal...however, I decided to watch the election with a group of friends from Grosvenor. It was very exciting to switch from network to network and to find the latest poll results, especially as more and more states turned blue. The excitement continued to grow until 9 pm, when several students insisted that they knew the winner. I remained skeptical throughout because we've all witnessed past elections that ended with shocking results. Once Obama was announced as the next president for the United States, the room was filled with cheers and laughs. It was exciting to get phone calls from family and friends at home and from other parts of the world sharing the good news.
I was especially happy to take part in history by taking advantage of my first chance to vote and by canvassing in Loudoun County, Virginia. Both made a difference. This was the first time that the youth vote reached 18%, which surpasses the amount of older individuals who voted. And this was also the first time in decades that Loudoun County elected a Democrat and the first time in 44 years that Virginia went blue. I am glad I did not have to arrive at work until 12 pm the next day, although this resulted in never having the opportunity to buy a newspaper. I was not surprised that the newspapers were already sold out. This election was definitely an historic one that cannot be forgotten. Who knows, maybe I will return to DC on January 20th for the inauguration speech. This is where students deciding to come to The Washington Center for the upcoming spring semester will benefit.
The next day in my Intercultural Communication class, the professor brought in a speaker who works for the government to generate discussions about the elections. We talked about any questions and concerns we had about the election and what we expect for the future. It was interesting to have the discussion because people have different expectations for the newly elected president and it is important to understand that it will take time to implement many of the changes discussed during the campaign. I thought it would have been interesting to have at least one Republican or McCain supporter in the class just to hear a different perspective because the discussion was quite one-sided.
I was especially happy to take part in history by taking advantage of my first chance to vote and by canvassing in Loudoun County, Virginia. Both made a difference. This was the first time that the youth vote reached 18%, which surpasses the amount of older individuals who voted. And this was also the first time in decades that Loudoun County elected a Democrat and the first time in 44 years that Virginia went blue. I am glad I did not have to arrive at work until 12 pm the next day, although this resulted in never having the opportunity to buy a newspaper. I was not surprised that the newspapers were already sold out. This election was definitely an historic one that cannot be forgotten. Who knows, maybe I will return to DC on January 20th for the inauguration speech. This is where students deciding to come to The Washington Center for the upcoming spring semester will benefit.
The next day in my Intercultural Communication class, the professor brought in a speaker who works for the government to generate discussions about the elections. We talked about any questions and concerns we had about the election and what we expect for the future. It was interesting to have the discussion because people have different expectations for the newly elected president and it is important to understand that it will take time to implement many of the changes discussed during the campaign. I thought it would have been interesting to have at least one Republican or McCain supporter in the class just to hear a different perspective because the discussion was quite one-sided.
Diversity at International Fair
In addition, to the election frenzy the Washington Center held an International Fair this past week. The Washington Center Program takes pride in the diversity of students that come from all over the world. This was a great opportunity to learn about the different cultures represented in the Washington Center program. Among the participants were Mexico, South Korea, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Russia, Brazil and India. There were numerous flags spread throughout the area and tables with crafts, food, and drinks from each country represented. I enjoyed going to the tables and learning something about each country. Further into the program there was a buffet of food from different countries, videos, performances by TWC students, and music. Overall, I enjoyed the event and there was a very good turn out. This was the perfect way to end such a hectic week.
Mexico table at International Fair
Nigeria table!
A friend wearing tradtional Indian attire
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