MMC Students, Campus Community Witness Presidential Inauguration

Holly Dougherty '09 snaps a photo of an on-looker waving an American flag during the Presidential Inauguration.

“The city was really alive,” Dougherty, Senator for Senior Issues of the Student Government Association, said. “I was there for four days, and each day, there would be randomly assembled crowds of people calling for change, all of them ready for [President] Obama to take the oath of office.” 

“It was incredible to see millions of people, all united behind one person, come together for one day,” Minwalla said. “There was a feeling in the air of optimism for the future, curiosity and most importantly, happiness.” 

“The actual inauguration was one of the most unforgettable days of my life,” Dougherty continued. “Watching Joe Biden and Barack Obama be sworn in was an indescribable experience. I just know that being there was a feeling that you couldn’t get from watching it on television. To be with complete strangers from all walks of life and from all over the country was amazing. To see the hope on their faces as he took the oath and to watch them believe again was something that had to be witnessed.” 

“To observe Barack Obama take his oath of office was the visualization of everything volunteers and Obama staffers had worked tirelessly in an effort to accomplish,” Minwalla, who was also a field organizer for President Obama’s campaign, added. 

Displayed in the Charlotte, N.C., campaign office, the Wall of Hope was a place where staffers, volunteers and children wrote what inspired them about Barack Obama.

Minwalla, who is an English major, devoted the Fall semester to serving on the Obama Presidential Campaign in the battleground state of North Carolina with concentration in Charlotte from July 2008 through the General Election. As a field organizer, Minwalla also received internship credit for the semester. 

“My [campaign] experience has shown me that behind every public policy issue there are real people suffering due to a lack of proper infrastructure in the major arenas, such as healthcare and the public education system,” Minwalla said. “I have been exposed to the predicaments that face America by listening to people, and that has influenced me politically that something has to change.” 

While President Obama’s administration faces challenges in almost every area of the world, it has set forth a sizeable agenda to resolve everything from the nation’s financial state to troops in Afghanistan. Dougherty and Minwalla acknowledge President Obama’s across-the-board shift in priorities from the previous administration as a step in the right direction even though the new administration outlines a shift that will take time to implement successfully. As a young citizen and college student, Dougherty also identifies the nation’s financial dilemma to be an issue that affects her most directly. 

“He has a lot of work ahead of him, but I think if I had to pick one thing that would directly affect me is the rising cost of higher education. After financing an undergraduate degree through loans, I am starting all over again with the costs of attending law school,” Dougherty, a four-year Academic Excellence Scholarship recipient who plans to attend law school in the Fall, said. 

“Everyone is under a strict budget in the current economy, so scholarships are even harder to come by, and loans for expenses are dwindling,” Dougherty continued. “Many of the providers of student loans cannot survive in the current economic environment. I have always known that my reality is that I would have student loans, but some way to alleviate the costs would be extremely useful.” 

Minwalla’s first-hand experience on the campaign trail has opened her eyes to many issues facing the country, and she also identifies education as a necessary issue the new administration must address. 

“I hope President Obama will focus heavily on reforming America’s public education system,” Minwalla said. “The quality and standards of public education within our country has dropped, and the short-term and long-term effects of this downfall are seriously under-represented. A challenging education is the key to success, and for many children that opportunity has never been made available. President Obama must focus on this issue if he wants change to ever be lasting.” 

Minwalla also has aspirations of executing President Obama’s policies by working in Washington, D.C., for a government agency once she graduates from Marymount Manhattan. “One day I hope to be a campaign manager for a senator or handle press for a presidential candidate,” Minwalla said. “The opportunities are limitless in terms of influencing change within America, and the only thing I want is to be involved.” 

While visiting the nation’s capital, Dougherty also attended the Impact Film Fund’s “Artist Making An Impact.” The event celebrated the historic election of President Obama and recognized artists whose words, films and actions the organization felt played a role in the cultural dialogue surrounding the historical moment, including Ludacris, Nelly, Sarah Silverman and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels. 

“Never have I seen such an outpour of support and call to action from the younger generation,” Dougherty, a political science major, said. “The fact that many young Americans cast their first vote in the election sets a great tone for future involvement in politics.” 

“His continuing message of change and nonpartisan politics has influenced young citizens to vote for the first time and become engaged in politics like never before,” Minwalla reiterated. “The next generation has increased their interest in politics and community service, and I feel will continue to do so as President Obama stays true to his desire for change.”

Published: February 11, 2009