TEACHER SELECTED FOR WHITE HOUSE VISIT

On Tuesday, February 11; President Barack Obama welcomed the president of the French Republic, Francois Hollande, at a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.  Hollande’s visit marked just the sixth State Visit during Obama's administration and the first State Visit of a French president since 1996.  Close to 4,000 people gathered on the South Lawn to welcome Hollande, including AMSA history teacher Brianna Murphy.  Murphy was selected through an application on the White House Social page (wh.gov/social), an effort that has been launched by the White House Office of Digital Strategy to increase citizen engagement through the use of social media; roughly 2,500 people applied, of which nearly 100 were selected to join the other guests.

 The application process required applicants to submit a 140-character explanation as to why they wanted to attend the event. Murphy explained that she felt the experience would be incredible to share with her students, especially her tenth grade European history classes since the event would provide a great connection between what her students learn this year and the history of the United States that they will learn in eleventh grade.  “I never expected to be selected, but I saw the contest and thought, ‘Why not?’ When I got the email the next day saying I had been selected, I was shocked,” Murphy explained. “How often can you say that you’ve received an official invitation to the White House?”

The ceremony followed protocol typical of such visits, including a military honor guard, the performance of both the French and American national anthems, and speeches by Presidents Obama and Hollande that addressed the long history between the two nations.  Murphy shared that, “Of course, as a history teacher, I really appreciated how they both talked about the value of the long-standing alliance between the U.S. and France.  France was America’s first ally, and Obama and Hollande have indicated that they want to build upon the recently strengthened alliance between the two nations.”

Overall, Murphy says that the experience feels like an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “It was incredible to be there and realize that I was seeing the President and hearing his voice with my own eyes and ears,” she stated.  “When Presidents Obama and Hollande walked up the steps to the South Portico and paused on the porch to wave to the crowd, I had to stop taking pictures and just appreciate the fact that I was really there on the South Lawn, with two major world leaders looking in my direction and waving at me.” 

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