La Salle University Student Justin Walters
Will Witness History as part of
the University Presidential Inaugural Conference

Justin Walters will miss the first two days of the spring semester at La Salle University, but he has a good reason: he’ll be at the University Presidential Inaugural Conference (UPIC).

When Walters learned he had been accepted in the program, the presidential election was far from settled, but he knew it would be historic: Barack Obama or Hilary Clinton would make history if nominated (and elected) and Sen. John McCain would have been the oldest person elected President.   “This inauguration is special to me because it is a historic occasion, and it was my first time voting,” said Walters, 18, who is freshman Communication major. “I look forward to sharing my experience with Lasallians and others. This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’m astounded that I’ll get to go there.”

Keynote speakers at the UPIC are General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.), Former Secretary of State; Al Gore, Former Vice President and Nobel Prize winner, and Luke Russert, NBC News Correspondent. Walters and other scholars will participate in a Q&A with the speakers.

Walters will also get to see Point/Counterpoint, featuring Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson, as well as James Carville and Mary Matalin, co-authors of All's Fair: Love, War and Running for President. Walters will also participate in two panel discussions of his choice (he picked campaign strategy and the environment) featuring leaders in those fields. Those events will be smaller in size and provide for more one-on-one interaction.

Walters isn’t sure where he’ll be at the moment Obama takes the oath of office, but at one point he’ll be on the White House grounds having his picture taken. “Most people take a picture in front of the fence, but I’ll be on the lawn,” he said. The UPIC ends with a black-tie Inauguration Ball.

Two years ago, Walters was in Philadelphia attending the National Youth Leadership Forum at Villanova University.  As an alumnus of that forum, he received an invitation in February, 2008 to apply for the UPIC. According to the organization’s website, students selected for UPIC “have met the academic requirements and have demonstrated the leadership qualities necessary to make a positive contribution to the quality and integrity of this historic inaugural conference.”

In March, Walters learned he’d been accepted, but he would have to finance the four-day trip himself.  The Hon. Clinton I. Young, Mayor of Mount Vernon, Christopher Black, CEO of New England Construction Co., and Reverend W. Darin Moore, his Pastor at Greater Centennial A.M.E. Zion Church, provided support.

Christopher Black said, “Walters is a great young man I have known for many years, and it is a pleasure seeing him grow into the man he has become. I felt that the opportunity to be present at the Presidential Inauguration happens only once in a lifetime, (and) I was happy to help.”

A graduate of Iona Prep High School, Walters plans to pursue sports broadcasting as a career. He has already been a crew member for two programs on La Salle’s cable TV channel and writes for the Collegian, La Salle’s student newspaper.
Walters has been to Washington, D.C. before; when he was 13, his grandmother, who lives in Syracuse, arranged for a bus of middle school students to visit the city, and she arranged a White House tour for them.