Prior to the 2008 presidential election, most Americans had never heard the name Barack Obama, but Julie Maslowsky knew exactly who he was and what he stood for because she’d been following his political career for years.
That’s why the 2000 Oxford High School graduate is absolutely ‘thrilled? she’s going to Washington D.C. to witness Obama taking the oath of office Jan. 20 and becoming the 44th President of the United States.
‘I’m really honored and I can’t wait to tell my children and grandchildren that I was there at this moment and tell them what it meant,? Maslowsky said. ‘Hopefully, 20 years from now it won’t be a big deal to have elected a minority to the presidency.?
The 26-year-old Addison native received this unique opportunity courtesy of U.S. Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Brighton). She requested inauguration tickets through his office and her name was selected in a random drawing.
‘I was jumping up and down,? Maslowsky said. ‘I think it’s going to be a really historic moment and I wanted to witness it.?
Maslowsky began following the president-elect’s political career when he was serving in the Illinois State Senate and she was an undergraduate studying at Northwestern University just outside Chicago.
‘I really knew a lot about him before he came on to the national scene,? Maslowsky said. ‘I started hearing about him through local news coverage and from friends who interned with him and from professors who knew him. They talked about what a charismatic, energized and fresh new leader he was.?
She found herself in agreement with his policies and beliefs and even volunteered on his campaign.
‘I really like his approach to foreign policy that includes more diplomacy than we’ve seen recently,? Maslowsky said. ‘And I’m really excited about his (plans for) more universal health care and educational reform.?
It’s no surprise that Maslowsky was drawn to a social justice advocate like Obama. When she’s not pursuing her doctorate in developmental psychology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Maslowsky’s volunteering as a program director for the Quito Project, a nonprofit group that helps people in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador.
‘We do medical, social and educational programs for children there,? she said.
For her humanitarian efforts in South America, she received the Compassion in Action Award from the Dalai Lama when he visited Ann Arbor in April 2008.