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| Mountain View Elementary School teacher Paula Asinas will attend the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama on January 20th. |
Claremont teacher to witness part of history
Add Mountain View Elementary School teacher Paula Asinas to the list of people who will be present at the upcoming presidential inauguration.
The 4th and 5th grade instructor is one of hundreds of teachers selected by People to People Ambassador Programs to accompany more than 2000 students to witness President-Elect Barack Obama take the Oath of Office on January 20.
“It’s going to be interesting to see what happens and to be there in person,” said Ms. Asinas, who is attending her first inauguration. “An inauguration is an exciting event to be able to attend but this one is different than the previous ones with it being about change. The world has always watched [presidential] inaugurations but I think they will be watching even more this year. Yet even if [John] McCain won, it still would have been exciting to go.”
The inauguration is one of many activities designed for the 6-day trip. The itinerary includes visits to memorials, presidential monuments, the U.S. Capitol Building and the Smithsonian American History Museum. U.S. News and World Report’s Ken Walsh and People to People CEO Mary Eisenhower will be featured speakers.
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Photo special to the COURIER
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| Claremont schoolteacher Paula Asinas stands in front of the U.S. Capitol building, where she will witness President-Elect Barack Obama take the oath of office later this month. |
“What I like about People to People is that not only was it started by a president but it has a 50-year plus history and it is a very well run organization,” Ms. Asinas explained. “They have a long standing legacy of already fostering peace through understanding.”
As area director, the Mountain View teacher recruits teachers and coaches to travel internationally with student delegates. Ms. Asinas aids in nominating student delegates representing Los Angeles County.
Since joining People to People, Ms. Asinas’ international travel log includes England, France, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Italy and Greece. Her trip to Hiroshima last summer offered a unique perspective in her understanding of World War II.
“It’s one thing to see pictures of what happened but when you go there and you see the devastation that was our fault as Americans, it is completely different,” she said. “The student delegates were sad when they saw it. But we had a tour guide that told them not to be sad but encouraged them to live with the idea of hope for the future. It was amazing and the people we met in Japan had no ill feelings about what happened.”
Ms. Asinas’ students are equally excited about their teacher’s upcoming trip. The 4th and 5th graders are aware of Mr. Obama’s popularity and understand the historical significance of this year’s inauguration.
“We’ve never had an African American president before and this will be the first one,” 5th grader Kamren Brown explained. “I think that’s one of the reasons why he is so popular.”
Fourth grader Naya Dyar-Place views Mr. Obama’s oratory skills as a key reason why many people support the president-elect. Naya looks forward to seeing pictures from her instructor’s tour of Washington D.C. and hearing a first-hand account of the inauguration experience.
“I think his words make people like him—especially his word ‘change,’” she said. “I also think it is really exciting for Ms. Asinas to be able to go to Washington D.C. because there are a lot of people that won’t be able to be there to see Obama become president.”
—Landus Rigsby
