College of Education News

Sharee Onyezia

Undergraduate student
History Secondary Education

School commitments barred Sharee Onyezia from attending Barack Obama's victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park. But that absence only reinforced her resolute to attend his inauguration, regardless of the price. This time around, "I was prepared to make sacrifices to witness history," Onyezia said.

Why did you attend the inauguration?

I never thought that attending a president's inauguration would be on my personal agenda, but I knew that whether I had a ticket or not, I was going to find a way to go... I missed the first two days of class and let all my professors know so I could be in Washington. Not only did I want to witness history, but I wanted to go to be a part of it as I took part in the National Day of Service days prior to the inauguration. I attended the inauguration because it was a once in a lifetime chance, so why would I not want to be there.

 

How will your attending this event affect your role at the college of education?

My role in education is definitely to be a leader and educator, but spreading knowledge through action and by example is the best way to ever teach someone and leave a lasting impression on them. Attending the inauguration was me being active in my life by wanting to personally experience the swearing in of our president and the first African-American president. I want to be able to spread the desire to be pro-active in one's life and educate others and my future students on why this was such a historic event.

What was the highlight of the event? 

A personal highlight was of course being within feet of President Obama and First Lady Michelle as they walked through the inaugural parade. It was even better than being at the National Mall, but we had to wait longer and in the cold to see them.

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