Last week’s Presidential Inauguration was viewed by millions of people around the world. Not only was one Stevens student fortunate to be there in Washington D.C. to witness the historical event in person, Keith Rosso even scored sought-after tickets to not one, but two inaugural balls.
Keith (BE, ’10), an Engineering Management/Accelerated Pre-Law student, spent several days in DC exploring the city and attending inaugural festivities. Active in his hometown of Saddle Brook, NJ, Keith is a member of both the Board of Education and the Zoning Board, and he kicked off his time in DC by attending a pre-inauguration event hosted by the Young Elected Officials Network. The next evening, Keith attended the Illinois Inaugural Ball. One of 7000 people in attendance, Keith says: “Attending this ball with people from all around the world was truly an amazing experience.”
The inauguration ceremony itself came next, and when Keith received those tickets, he also received tickets to that evening’s Southern States Ball – an unexpected but much appreciated surprise. Because of the inauguration package that Keith and his mother secured prior to attending the events, they were given access to one of the first sections on the Capitol lawn. As they arrived to wait for the ceremony to commence, Keith ran into Cory Booker, the Mayor of Newark, whom he met previously at an Obama fundraiser in Hoboken.
After the incredible ceremony, which was in arm’s reach from Keith, they got ready for the Southern States Ball, held at the DC Armory. When Keith arrived, he made sure they were positioned close to where Barack Obama and Joe Biden would be arriving shortly. The energy in the room was palpable and at midnight, Biden arrived to share a dance with his wife, Jill, and speak briefly to the group. Not long after that, Obama arrived with his wife, Michelle. According to Keith, the crowd erupted with cheering and calling for Obama, who addressed everyone and danced with Michelle, before moving on to his next ball.
Of the overall experience, Keith concludes: “Being there with 1.5 million people, all from different backgrounds, who are all united for one reason, sharing the same goal and vision, was unreal. It was like absolutely nothing else.”
