MiddletownJournal.com

Michael Wilcher never thought he'd have a ticket to see America's first black president take office.

But the Carlisle High School senior will be standing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Jan. 20, for that historic swearing-in.

"I never imagined this at all," Wilcher said. "It's something I'll remember the rest of my life and tell my children about."

Wilcher is one of 37 students from Carlisle, Madison and Miamisburg, who will be traveling to the Capitol for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

The students got tickets from local congressmen, including Centerville Republican Mike Turner.

Turner said his office received 200 tickets, and about 3,000 requests for them.

Turner chose to give some of the tickets to students, who he said he hopes will one day share their stories with future generations.

Carlisle senior Gary Koogle said he feels "extremely lucky" to have a ticket.

Koogle and senior Samantha Shelton said they always expected America to elect a minority president one day and they can't wait to witness the historic event.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Shelton said. "It's something not a lot of people get to see and we do. It's something we'll always get to talk about."

Wilcher said he was hoping Obama would be elected when he signed up for the trip at the end of last school year. Though too young to vote himself, Wilcher said he supported Obama and is hoping his swearing-in will change the country.

And on Tuesday, when he is surrounded by the millions of people expected to attend the inauguration, Wilcher said his mind will be racing with hope for the future as he thinks about "all the people that are going to be there, how important it is, and it will unite the country and hopefully eliminate racism."

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or mengle@coxohio.com.