Isabel Beshar and Lisa Lin ’14

Name: Isabel Beshar

Perhaps it was the memory of the First Couple swaying to Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” Maybe it was the recollection of the energy, passion, and hope that set the tone to this historical event. Perhaps it was even the excitement of donning floor length gowns? Regardless of the reasoning, Lisa Lin and Isabel Beshar could hardly wipe the beaming (and may I mention beautiful!) smiles off of their faces when we discussed their experience attending the Official Presidential Inaugural Ball of 2013.

Her campus: You two had a full day this past Monday! Where did the day begin?

Isabel: Well, first off, we were fortunate enough to attend the Inauguration earlier in the day! We were standing within view of the President, and seeing Obama speak was very much one of the highlights. I have actually met him twice before, and the same kind and genuine personality I encountered in those instances came through in the speech he delivered. It was an amazing presentation of liberal thought and he spoke in a way that made our society seem very cohesive. I really love how he framed his speech. He is also a talented orator; he spoke rhythmically and passionately, but also had an amazingly substantive speech.

Lisa:   What impressed me most was his choice to address particularly controversial issues such as immigration. Most Presidents opt to dance around controversy at their Inaugurations, and I really admired his decision to address the issues that will be of the utmost importance to his administration during his time in office.

Also, my political opinions are typically formed by the information I glean from the news, not from first hand experience. Sitting in the audience during the ceremony really allowed me to see that there are thousands of people in the country who are passionate about their support for Obama. It made anything political I’ve read about the presidential race over the last year, feel more tangible.

HC:     Was this an energy you sensed continuing into the evening?

Isabel: Absolutely. Everyone was in a good mood and optimistic.

Lisa:   Yeah and just truly happy to be there. No one was ashamed to take out cameras and take pictures of the A-list performers. All in attendance knew how lucky they were to be there.

HC:     Are there multiple balls? Which one were you at?

Isabel: Last inauguration there were seven balls. This year there were two: The Official Inaugural Ball—which is the one we went to—and The Commander-in-Chief’s ball, which is for the military. They were located in the same place this year though…apparently the Obama’s were back in The White House and asleep by 10!

HC:     What was it like, walking into an event of this importance?

Lisa:   It was a completely glamorous environment. We probably wore the least formal attire there- women were in large puffy princess dresses and men were in tuxes.

Isabel: It was actually humorous walking into the event because cars were not allowed within a few block radius of the D.C. convention center—the ball’s venue. All streets surrounding the center were blocked off, so you saw all these beautiful people in heels and ball gowns walking a few blocks towards the venue without jackets on. It was freezing outside…I just don’t know how these women withstood the chill.

HC:     If cars weren’t allowed nearby, how did you get there?

Lisa:   Haha…the subway? Truthfully…we walked into the metro wearing Uggs and floor length gowns.

HC:     Didn’t people give you weird looks?

Lisa:   Oddly enough…everyone around us was in the same situation. The only people on the metro were the ones going to the inaugural ball. There were tuxes and dresses everywhere.

HC:     What did you wear?

Isabel: Well Lisa wore this one-shouldered dress that was a gorgeous champagne color.

Lisa:   And Isabel wore a black and lacey form-fitting gown…she actually got it off Rent the Runway.

Isabel: Yeah…that’s a story. They only sent me one size. When I put it on the night of the party I must have pulled it up a bit too high because it came up to my calves—I almost had a panic attack. Ultimately I realized it fit well…but it could have turned out so badly.

HC:     That was lucky, but clearly you made it and you two looked incredible according to these pictures! Once you got there, I hear there were a number of special performances?

Lisa:   Alicia Keys played piano and sang without an accompaniment…she wore this beautiful long sleeve red dress.

Isabel: Jamie Foxx sang while the Bidens had their dance.

Lisa:   But perhaps the most memorable was Katy Perry…it was great! She sang a number of her songs including “Teenage Dream” and “I Kissed a Girl.” Interesting choices for an older crowd right? She said that she was thankful to America for giving us the freedom to say whatever we want, and that was her explanation for singing, “I Kissed a Girl.”

Isabel: Actually during her performance we were talking about the fact that Katy Perry was dating John Mayer, whom we both love. We were saying that it would be great if he performed too…well he didn’t perform but—

Lisa:   We looked up right after having this conversation and realized he was standing less than 15 feet in front of us! It was an entirely surreal moment.

HC:     And then you saw the first couple have their first dance, what was that like?

Lisa:   It was so sweet to witness. Jennifer Hudson serenaded them, and it was so easy to think of Michelle and Barack as a normal couple.

Isabel: Yeah, and Obama lip-synced to her. They just looked like they were having fun and being silly together. You could really get a sense of their personalities.

HC:     Did you feel any political tension at the event, especially given that the ball so obviously celebrated the victory of the Democratic Party?

Lisa:   Not particularly. Oh wait, there was that guy in the tree…

HC:     I’m sorry…what?

Isabel: Oh right! There was a protester sitting in a tree outside the venue and the police couldn’t do anything because the guy was in an elevated location that was difficult to access. He was yelling all of his anti-democrat anti-Obama opinions into a megaphone literally the entire time.

HC: That sounds a bit annoying…no?

Isabel: Actually I found the whole situation quite symbolic. It spoke to the freedom we have in America that despite this elaborate historic ceremony that celebrated an important figure in our government, people still have the ability to express their own views in a public forum.

HC:     What was your take away from the event as a whole?

Lisa:   It was an entirely humbling experience and historic. Monday was 50 years to the day since Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech” and 150 years to the day since the Emancipation Proclamation passed through congress.

Isabel: Honestly, we just felt so lucky to be there.