College Student from Conservative Town Makes Trek

College Student from Conservative Town Makes Trek
Clare Shepherd
Aaron Slater
Phone: Preferred not to disclose
Email: aslater1@fam.edu

For 21-year-old Aaron Slater, attending Barrack Obama’s inauguration was an endeavour.

Leaving Southeastern Pennsylvania Monday in the middle of a snowstorm, Slater and a friend drove for hours to make it to Washington by the night. The pair cheerfully braved traffic coming into the city, two nights on a friend’s floor, and Tuesday’s early morning cold just for a chance to see Obama be sworn in as president.

The trip meant taking three days off from work and his studies as a History and Government major at Franklin and Marshall College. However, Slater was nothing but excited at the chance to make the trip.

“I felt like it was a historic moment, and I wanted to be a part of American history,” said Slater of his decision to make the trek. He said that, while he had never watched or cared about an inauguration before, he felt that this one was special.

“First black president,” he said with a shrug.

While his hometown of Lancaster and his campus at Franklin and Marshall College may have largely supported McCain, Slater said that he and his family were proud to vote for Obama. Slater worked on his campaign as a volunteer through the primaries, campaigning in what has been a red county. It was this volunteer work and how inspired he felt by Obama that led him to make the trip to see the inauguration.

Slater’s family was pleased that he had the opportunity to make the trip, supporting his decision to take time off from work and school. He said that he was grateful to have had a place to stay and a parking space in Washington.

As a History and Government major, Slater said that he’s particularly pleased to be able to see this moment- no classroom can compare to being a part of history. Slater will be able to return with a unique perspective on this moment.

Slater noted that he was surprised at the lack of security around the monument. His friend drove back to Pennsylvania to retrieve his wallet and I.D., only to find that there was no one checking the massive influx of people onto the National Mall.

Slater said that what he wanted most from the inauguration was to see in person Obama’s famous oratory ability, and to hear an inspiring speech like the ones that typified his campaign.

He added, “Whoo! Obama!”

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