March 26
March 26, 2008
Howard Edward Green
March 28, 2008
With pending sponsorship, Nicholls State University student Marquita Christy will attend the 56th United States Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C., in January.
“It’s really exciting, especially with the historical nature of this election,” said Christy, a junior Nursing major at Nicholls. “I don’t care who gets elected; this is a wonderful opportunity.”
The trip will set the 20-year-old back $2,600 to attend the conference. She hopes to enlist the help of her school or scrape together enough money from her part-time job at an area pharmacy.
Vice president of student affairs and enrollment services Eugene Dial said the university has a history of helping students attend events that promote leadership skills.
“She’s a wonderful student, and we are so proud that she is a student at Nicholls. She has been an outstanding role model to the other students, her leadership abilities are evident,” he said.
However, the university can’t use state-appropriated funds for the trip; Christy must appeal to private donors, such as the university’s foundation, according to Dial.
Christy’s leadership qualities include serving as campus director of student rights and grievances. Any complaint, whether it concerns parking tickets or dorm disputes, lands on her desk.
“I deal with anything that goes wrong,” she said. “I like it because I get to hear what’s going on around campus.”
Christy will be among 2,000 other college students at the weeklong conference that includes tours of Washington, D.C., a black-tie ball and a number of speakers such as champion cyclist Lance Armstrong and former 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’d like to do it during my collegiate years,” she said. “It will open my eyes more to the governmental process.”
Christy was selected to attend the event through her prior participation with the National Youth Leaders Forum, a Virginia-based academic society. The forum is an independent educational organization established to help prepare young people for their professional careers.
Christy was a member of the organization in 2004 while attending Ascension Catholic High School in Donaldsonville. The organization keeps tabs on members’ success as they move into college, said National Youth Leadership Media Relations Director Laura Stevenson.
“We are dedicated to building leadership skills in our program participants,” Stevenson said. “A lot of people will never experience the peaceful transition of power from president to president up close and personal. This is a great opportunity for [the students] because they get to talk with political officials on Capitol Hill and see how a presidential campaign is run.”
The deadline for Christy’s sponsorship is mid-April. For more information, call (225) 717-0564.
SGA 2007 mugs of board and senators.Photo by Doug Keese/Nicholls State9/17/07
