Andrew Morris

11/11/10

The Greatest Six Days of My Life

From October 25 to October 31, I was in Washington D.C on a college tour with the East Oakland Youth Development Center. I was able to go because my mentor, Ms. Regina, blessed me with the chance to fly there. Nine kids and I flew there to look at colleges, see monuments and meet with important people in power.  It was my first time flying and I’m thankful for the chance to travel and see something that I probably wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for Ms. Regina and the E.O.Y.D.C.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was going to the colleges. I liked the vibe of schools in D.C and it changed my mind on what colleges I wanted to go to. Prior to coming on the trip I only had ideas of going to colleges in California, but now I will apply to Howard and George Washington University. These two colleges were really great and I loved the atmosphere around it. My favorite college overall was really Howard. I liked that Howard had a dentistry program and they had a basketball team. I also liked going to the Homecoming game. The game was exciting and I would love to be one of the many students attending one of those games.

Another part of the college tour I liked was the experience of flying and the monuments. On the whole trip I took off and landed a total of four times. At first I was scared because it was my first time flying, but by the end of the trip I was used to it. I was glad to fly because I felt it was something that I thought I would have to wait a long time to do. I am thankful for the opportunity and for Southwest helping us get there. I also liked the monuments. I like the monuments because they were amazing. I got to see the Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson monuments. They were very big and when I stood in them I felt as if I were part of history. It was really amazing to think that although Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson are no longer alive a part of them still stands today.

Another part of the trip I liked was the White House tour and the bureau of printing and engraving. I liked the White House because it is a place where the president lives. Not only Obama, but many other presidents lived before him. It was cool to look at the rooms and to talk to the secret service. One secret service guard told us the story of what happened in the White House when 9/11 happened. He talked about how he had to stay behind and the precautions he took for the president. It was interesting when he talked about how he had to sacrifice his time to serve the country. He said that on some days he had to do 20 hour shifts if they needed it. That included Holiday’s with Christmas included. The bureau of printing and engraving was one of the best parts of the trip. In there we learned how money was made and we got to see the new 100 dollar bill they were making. We received a ground floor tour and touched the money in each step it took to complete the final process. Another great thing was that I got to see 1 million dollars in cash. I would have never guessed I would have seen that much money until I was grown.

Those six days in D.C were some of the best days of my life. I will never forget those days and I am forever thankful for the opportunity. I know that if not for Ms. Regina and the E.O.Y.D.C I would have never had that chance to have an experience like that. I’m glad that I decided to be a part of the youth leadership program there and I’m glad to be a part of the 2010 E.O.Y.D.C college tour.