Syracuse football student-athlete Kevyn Scott is attending the 2009 University Presidential Inaugural Conference (UPIC). The redshirt freshman was invited to participate in the event by the National Honor Society. Held every four years in January following the presidential election, the PYIC provides inaugural scholars with a unique experience as they take part in and share firsthand in the excitement and ceremony of the inauguration of the President and Vice President of the United States.
"I am looking forward to have an opportunity to meet President-elect Obama. He is the person I am most excited to meet," Scott said. "I am also looking forward to attending the gala ball and being present to witness the inauguration of the first Black president. In addition, I am looking forward to meeting other political leaders. I am going to directly participate in the pageantry and ceremony of the inauguration of the President and Vice President."
Scott and all of the UPIC participants are exclusively invited to attend private Inaugural Conference events and activities such as roundtable discussions with national journalists, meetings with congressional staff, and point/counter point debates with leading political experts, as well as special events with VIP's. Inaugural Scholars also take part in the traditional ceremony of the inauguration itself, as they witness the official swearing-in of the President of the United States, and view the inaugural parade as the President, Vice President and their families make their way from the U.S. Capitol to the White House.
"Our Conference kicked off with a welcoming speech by Luke Russert, one of NBC's youngest correspondents who reports on youth issues for 'NBC Nightly News,'" Scott said. "We also listened to General Colin L. Powell, former Secretary of State, at the University Of Maryland, and had panel discussion that featured the nation's top journalists."