President Obama greets CVHS Close Up Academy students

Students who joined the Close Up academy this school year journeyed to the nation’s capital, Washington DC, where they received hands-on experience with government and politics, and were in the presence of President Barack Obama.

At the conferences, the attendees were able to express their views on hot topics with other students nation-wide. They also had the chance to visit the Pentagon. Teacher Carmelina Frasca led the group from CVHS.

“The trip was amazing. We had a great time exploring DC and learning about our government, close up and in action. We also got to bond with other schools from other parts of the country,” junior Christina Montes said.

Students waved at the president as he drove by. To their amazement, he smiled and waved back at them.

“Ms. Frasca was almost in tears as the president waved at them from his car. I liked having her around because she was so positive and enthusiastic about events” said Montes.

“Seeing Obama was incredible, but the Secret Service made things scary. I also liked the question and answer session with (Representative) Barbara Lee. Besides walking around DC, I enjoyed making new friends from other high schools in different states and the big dance towards the end of the trip was fun. I don’t regret going and I’m super lucky I got the chance to go in senior year, I recommend it 125 percent,” said Tracy Aguilar.

Besides walking around DC, students who attended enjoyed meeting people from different states and getting hands on experience. All who attended were glad they were able to participate in such an informative event.
“I saw the trip as a great opportunity to travel to Washington DC. Everything that happened was cool. I was unsure about it at first but the trip was worth it,” said Darrell Choi.