On Tuesday, Jan. 20 more than a million people from America and around the world attended the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. One of Nicholls’ own students had the opportunity to be a part of this diverse crowd. Brittany Taraba, marketing junior from Monroe, was among four Nicholls Student Government Association members to attend Inauguration Day. She and the other members were ticket holders to the event.

“We got silver tickets which meant we were at the reflection pool across from the capital, probably about 150 yards,” Taraba says. “It was so cold! It was about fifteen degrees and windy, but in the crowd, the people blocked most of the wind.”

Even before the inauguration took place, it was expected that the event’s audience would reach a record-breaking number of between 1.5 and 4 million people. The inauguration of former President George W. Bush drew an audience of about 300,000 people.

Taraba gave her thoughts on the shared mood of the massive audience surrounding her and her peers.

“Everybody was really excited, just standing there in awe of what was happening,” Taraba says. “Even the little kids seemed to understand that it was a big deal.”

Entertainment for the inauguration included performances from singer Aretha Franklin, music by composer John Williams and performances from the United States Marine and Navy Bands. The SGA members even had a celebrity experience of their own the day before the ceremony.

“We were waiting to meet our representative, standing near some elevators,” Taraba says, “All of a sudden, an elevator opened and Arnold Schwarzenegger walks out. Some of us recognized him and some didn’t. Some were too shocked to do anything.”

The historical significance of the day did not go unnoticed amongst the cold, crowds and celebrity sightings. Taraba revealed that although she was never moved completely to tears, the emotions of the moment were definitely present.

“When I got there, I kind of shocked myself about how emotional I was getting about it,” Taraba says. “I think that most of it was the people around me.”

It would appear that a part of Nicholls was able to place itself into a vital moment in history and help others to experience through memories what they could not in reality.