He was in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall, and that’s what counts.
As Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States at the U.S. Capitol, Evan was in the midst of millions of spectators, somewhere between the Washington Monument and the Capitol.
A freshman at Belton High School, Evan has been in Washington since Saturday taking part in the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference.
A participant of the Congressional Youth Leadership Council for a couple of years, Evan told his mother that his favorite event has been the Sunday concert at the Lincoln Memorial.
Other area students participating in the Youth Leadership Council event are Shelby Alexandra Danley of Belton and Kaitlyn Anelundi of Temple.
Parents of the students get postings each day from conference organizers about what their children have done that day. Evan has been text messaging his mother, Jennifer Tonkinson, as events unfold.
“It’s been such a great experience for him,” Ms. Tonkinson said. “He did say it was really crowded at the inauguration.”
She talked to him on the phone after the inauguration, while the youngsters were having lunch at Nationals Park, the home field of the Washington Nationals baseball team.
“He did say, ‘Thanks for letting me come,’” Tonkinson said.
The students also had an opportunity to hear from some influential individuals, such as Gen. Colin Powell, former secretary of state and founder of America’s Promise Alliance; and Nobel Prize winners former Vice President Al Gore and human rights activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
“Evan’s favorite speaker was Colin Powell,” his mother said. “He said it was awesome.”
The students are scheduled to return home today.
