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Journalism students from Bishop Mora Salesian College Preparatory High School in Boyle Heights head to Washington, D.C. to attend the 57th presidential inauguration, thanks in part to a donation from AEG.
Los Angeles, CA (January 14, 2013) Last week, three journalism students from Bishop Mora Salesian College Preparatory High School were given the rare opportunity to attend President-elect Barack Obama’s second inauguration in Washington, D.C., courtesy of Congressman Xavier Becerra, U.S. Representative for California’s 34th Congressional District. The students and their teacher were notified by Congressman Becerra’s office on January 4th that they were selected to receive tickets to witness the historic event. In addition to attending the inauguration, these students will visit the Capitol Building, memorials and other historical sites.
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As soon as the students heard the good news, they began making travel arrangements and raising the funds needed to pay for their trip. Getting there is not cheap. The cost to each student is approximately $1,250, which includes roundtrip airfare, ground transportation and hotel stay. They have been using a creative way to collect donations online from family, friends, neighbors and the community. As of Monday morning, the students had raised $2000 from parents, friends, alumni, and generous strangers. AEG Worldwide stepped in to cover the remaining $3000, making their dream a reality. They will present a check to the students Wednesday morning at the school.
Marco Rivas, David Manrique and Gerardo “Joe” Gonzalez, all 12th grade students, will leave Los Angeles with their journalism teacher, Mr. Guillermo Vidaurri, this Saturday, January 19th and return on Wednesday, January 23rd. They will attend the swearing-in ceremony, inaugural address and parade. These student journalists plan to document their journey to the nation’s capital, and share their experience and observations of the public inaugural festivities with the school community using various social media networks, including an internet blog they are preparing to launch specifically for this trip through Shutterfly. (shstodc2013.shuterfly.com) They will also be covering a story for the school magazine, The Salesian SPIRIT, on an alumnus who will be travelling to Washington, D.C with one thousand other artists from across the country to do free public art exhibits around the national mall.
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Since last week, the students have been understandably excited at the prospect of witnessing first-hand this important American tradition, and have expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve as ambassadors for the school. “It is an honor beyond words to be able to represent Salesian at such a historic event,” said Gonzalez. This trip is also particularly significant for this group of students because they have worked hard to achieve academic success and hone their leadership skills on campus, and they each have expressed an interest in pursuing a career in politics. Rivas has accepted admission to Princeton University where he will major in political science and hopes of seeking public office in the future. Manrique will be attending DePaul University in the fall where he will study political science, and eventually attend law school. Gonzalez hopes to attend Harvard and pursue a career in law and politics. "The trip will be an extraordinary experience - a once in a high school career opportunity,” said Guillermo Vidaurri. “I am happy that these hard-working and motivated students will have the opportunity to play a small part in American history."
To continue to help them raise the money they need to attend inaugural events in Washington, D.C. for this unique experience, they can visit their page on the website GoFundMe: http://www.gofundme.com/SHStoDC2013
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Bishop Mora Salesian High School is a Catholic, all-male, college preparatory high school that was founded by the Salesians of Don Bosco in 1958. Salesian is located in the Boyle Heights community of Los Angeles and serves a diverse student body from various economic and social backgrounds, and from many neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles County and beyond.