Kozak's Inaguaration Experience

Laura Kozak stood on the Washington mall with nearly 2 million people as Barack Obama was sworn in to serve as the nation's 44th president. "I just kept thinking that we are all in this together and we are all just fellow Americans," recalls Kozak.

Kozak, 19, said she went to Washington so that she could "witness history." It was one of the chilliest inaugurations ever, with temperatures as low as 13 degrees.

She said the event was surreal. "It wasn't about what Obama was saying, it was about what I was seeing," said Kozak, a sophomore at Columbia College Chicago.

Kozak arrived on the mall at 7 a.m. and waited for the ceremony to begin at 11, she said.

Kozak recalled seeing tears of joy in people's eyes. "There was a very high and happy energy that you could feel," said Kozak.

She listened to numerous people speak before Obama was sworn in, such as Colin Powell and Al Gore. Listening to them seemed to impact everyone making "Barack's dream realized," she said.

ThE moment was so important to people that some would do anything to get as close as possible to Obama, she said. She recalls people pushing; surprisingly, there were no arrests, nor were there any serious injuries.

Kozak pointed to the fact that the United States was recently racially segregated and the idea of separate but equal was still in place. She said she couldn't believe how far the country has come. "Even though I couldn't see [Obama]," she said, "I know he felt very happy.”

While waiting for Obama to be sworn, Kozak met two. Canadian women who were attending school in the United States. Melissa and Amanda Elliot, who are unrelated, expressed sincere happiness about the day’s events.

“It was really empowering to see all of these people together and united for this one moment in history,” said Melissa Elliot. “Everyone knew how momentous that day was.”

Both said they felt they were United States citizens that day.


“I go to school in the states and plan to work in the states, so as a Canadian living in America, I feel President Obama is as much my president as the average American,” said Amanda Elliot.

Not only did they feel as though they were citizens, they both expressed similar political beliefs.

“I just hope that Obama brings the Democratic way of thinking to this country after such a long run of Republicans,” said Melissa Elliot.

Even though they waited in the freezing cold for hours, all three young women said they have no regrets. Melissa Elliot called it “life changing."

Kozak, who graduated from Morton West High School in Berwyn, majoring in journalism at Columbia College Chicago. One of her many hobbies is traveling, so she hopes to land a job in “new media” online print, or perhaps working as a freelancer after graduating.