Leadership duty pays off for Bigfork student

By KRISTI ALBERTSON/Daily Inter Lake

Youth to view inauguration from Smithsonian

A historic moment will unfold right before Robert Walters' eyes on Tuesday. The Flathead Valley native will watch from the Smithsonian as Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.

"I am looking forward to being able to stand there and watch this happen," Walters said.

Walters, 20, will be in Washington, D.C., as part of the University Presidential Inaugural Conference, which provides alumni of high school national leadership groups and honors societies the opportunity to witness the inauguration.

Walters is an alumnus of the National Youth Leadership Forum, to which he was nominated while attending Bigfork High School. The forum helps prepare young people for their professional careers and encourages their leadership abilities.

As part of the forum, Walters went to Washington, D.C., for a week, where he went sightseeing, heard keynote speakers and "participated in all kinds of cool scenarios of Congress."

At the end of the week, his group leader singled out Walters as an outstanding student. He kept in touch with her until he graduated from Bigfork in 2006 and enlisted in the U.S. Marines.

After two years of active duty, Walters started school at Washington State University, where he is currently a sophomore studying criminal justice and political science. He also is a midshipman with the University of Idaho/Washington State University Navy ROTC.

When he was back in a scholastic setting, Walters reconnected with the National Youth Leadership Council leader.

"I sent her an e-mail saying if there was anything I could do to help out or be part of the program, I'd love to," Walters said. "She said, 'Check your mail within the next few days.'"

A few days later, Walters' mother, Carol, called.

"She said, 'You were just invited to the presidential inauguration in January,'" Walters said. "I was like, wow, that's kind of cool. And sure enough, I get to go."

In Washington, D.C., Walters will hear keynote speeches from Luke Russert, son of late "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert; former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Vice President Al Gore. He will attend panel discussions featuring political consultants James Carville and Mary Matalin; and political news correspondent Tucker Carlson and Democratic strategist Paul Begala, former co-hosts of CNN's "Crossfire."

The big events, of course, take place Tuesday, when Walters will have private access to the Smithsonian. From there, he'll witness Obama take the oath of office and watch the inaugural parade.

That night, he'll attend an inaugural ball.

While Walters said he is looking forward to the party that evening, he is most excited about the inauguration itself. He said he was largely undecided in the presidential election but would consider himself an Obama supporter.

He appreciates, too, the historic aspect of the inauguration, and "being able to say I was there when the nation's first black president was sworn in."

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com