Altus Air Force Base News

 

Daughter of Altus Airman experiences 57th Presidential Inauguration

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kenneth W. Norman
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Amber Nicole Stefan, daughter of Master Sgt. Keith Stefan, 97th Operations Support Squadron unit training and security manager, recently returned from Washington D.C. where she experienced the 57th Presidential Inauguration.

Amber had the opportunity to be part of the 2013 Middle School Presidential Inaugural Conference from Jan. 19-23. The MSPIC is held in Washington, D.C. every four years in conjunction with the formal inauguration of the President and Vice President of the United States.

"I got to meet the Bush sisters and listen to a lot of guest speakers," Amber said. "I got to listen to Brandon Greene, Cynthia Lowen, Cornell McClellan, and Michael Waldman. Brandon Greene and Cynthia Lowen talked to us about bullying. McClellan and Waldman talked to us about what it's like to be in the White House."

According to the MSPIC website, the conference celebrates the peaceful transition of power in the United States, with a curriculum uniquely designed for high-achieving Middle School students. Witnessing democracy in action, leadership comes to life through distinctive field studies that explore the continuing relevance of leadership through history, as revealed to the young scholars through the oath taken to uphold the duties of the highest office in the land. Using the nation's capital as the classroom, students are inspired and motivated to fulfill their own leadership potential.

Amber is a straight-A student, a member of her school band, enrolled in extended studies and is hoping that this experience will help her get into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"It will look really good on my college application, so hopefully I could get into a good college like MIT," Amber said.

During her trip, Amber had the opportunity to take part in a simulation of being part of the President's Cabinet and Administration. During the simulation Inaugural Scholars are introduced to the roles of the President's Cabinet and examine the function and importance of the Secretaries of Defense, National Security and State, as well as other roles in the president's administration, including Chief of Staff, First Lady, and Head of State.

"My favorite part was a simulation we did called life in the White House," Amber said. "We were all part of a cabinet, we had a president and vice president of our group, and my role was secretary of homeland security ... it was so tiring. Our little area was piled with papers, all of our notes, we couldn't find anything and then when we finally started to get it organized that is when it finished and we were like, come on."

Stefan said sending Amber on this trip by herself was a new experience for him.

"Just the sheer potential for her to be able to attend these conferences is astronomical," Stefan said.