It is an impressive and important moment, and eight Saint Anselm College students were among the almost two million standing in awe on the National Mall last Tuesday as President Barack Obama took the oath of office.

Most impressive was the silence stretching down the Mall, the grass and dirt strip through the center of Washington, D.C., as all waited to hear Mr. Obama speak. The silence was punctuated only by moments of cheering, jeering (when Republican politicians appeared on the gigantic television screens covering the event), and sirens of emergency vehicles maneuvering about the emergency vehicles maneuvering about the barricaded city. A sense of history, both in the inauguration of the country's first African-American president, and in the tradition of inaugurations was evident.

The eight the Kevin Harrington Student Ambassadors from the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, including this reporter, traveled by van to the nation's capital and witnessed the Inauguration in person from the grounds of the capitol building. Travel from the Manchester campus early Sunday morning was hampered only by the 6 inches of snow that had fallen over night and continued throughout the day.

Documenting the trip on digital and video cameras, the group attended receptions, toured Capitol Hill, and met with members of the Washington, D.C. media.

On the morning of the inauguration, the group left the Reston, V.A. condo for the Metro mass transit system in the pre-morning darkness of 4 a.m. Upon arriving in the city and taking places in the blue line -- color coded by ticket area, the group eventually arrived on Capitol grounds. The wait was profound -- profoundly cold, profoundly long, and profoundly exciting. Although problems with security, long lines, and an eventual lack of space for some of the 240,000 ticket-bearing attendees were reported, the Ambassadors encountered no significant issues upon arrival.

The students watched the Inauguration itself from two different areas of the Capitol grounds, and were surrounded by a diverse group of attendees. Hailing from Texas, California, and one speaking exclusively in Spanish, tears were shed, shouts were heard, and rounds of trivia were shared.

On Sunday evening, the students were invited to a reception at the infamous Bullfeathers restaurant -- reportedly named for President Theodore Roosevelt's favorite exclamation -- held in honor of the New Hampshire delegation.

A tour of Capitol Hill was on tap for Monday morning, and in the afternoon, the group met with Steve Scully and Brian Lamb of C-SPAN (the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network). Mr. Scully, political editor for C-SPAN and a member of the NHIOP's Public Advisory Board, spoke about his experience reporting on past inaugurations and provided a history of the network. Mr. Lamb, who has spoken at the college on several occasions, most recently in the fall of 2008, impressed upon the students his media philosophy that has driven C-SPAN for the past 30 years.

On Monday evening, the group attended another reception with the New Hampshire federal delegation, featuring an actor who proclaimed the 'Mountaintop' speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The reception took place at D.C.'s historically-steeped Willard Hotel.

Tickets to the inauguration were provided by the office of Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. Sen. Gregg is chair of the NHIOP Public Advisory Board and a friend of the Institute.

The students, as well as Student Activities director Matt Goodwin and Residence Director Bill Cummings, stayed just outside of D.C. with one of the Ambassador's aunt. Katharine Hunter was among the thousands volunteering with the Inauguration crowd management.

The college hosted an inauguration watch party in Cushing Student Center as part of the festivities to honor Dr. King.

This article was published on January 29, 2009 on page 1 of the Saint Anselm Crier.