On Jan. 20 the 45th president of the United States will take the oath of office, and 21 students from Southern Methodist University's presidential inaugurals class will be there to witness history.
"I am extremely excited," said SMU sophomore Alex Twiss. "I can't wait!"
Students signed up for and were accepted into the class before they knew who would win the election. Some were Donald Trump supporters. Others were not.
"I voted for Hillary Clinton," Twiss said. "My interest isn't about seeing the president I voted for. It's about seeing the peaceful transition."
"I was really excited about this election because it was the first time I got to vote," said SMU freshman Ana Torubara, who also supported Clinton. She's going to the inauguration, too. "I think there is something to be said about listening to people who don't agree with you."
As part of the class, students had to participate in the democratic process. They wrote to Congressional representatives to try to get tickets to the inaugural.
"I wrote letters. I called. I did everything," said Twiss, laughing. "I didn't want to be that one student that didn't get an invite."
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Twiss secured five extra invitations to the event and shared them with classmates who weren't so lucky.
The class is a study of that peaceful transition of power, the rhetoric of an inaugural address and the pomp and circumstance that goes with it all.
"One of the things I hope they learn from this is you've got to fight passionately for the things you believe in," said professor Rita Kirk. "But sometimes you don't always win."
