Inaugural Scholar Lindsey Sutherlin '09
February 10, 2009
It would have been difficult even on a warm day to pick Lindsey D. Sutherlin ‘09 out of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd at last month’s presidential inauguration. But the weather that Tuesday morning was frigid. Standing in front of the Capitol since early morning with her Irish roommate and a sea of well-wishers, Sutherlin was hidden in layers of clothing to keep warm, leaving her only a small window through which she could view the historic event.
“We watched the sun come up behind the Washington Monument,” says Sutherlin. “That was a special moment for me because it represented the dawn of a new era and hope for the future. It didn't get much warmer, however.”
As an Inaugural Scholar, she was invited to Washington, D.C., by the University Presidential Inaugural Conference (UPIC) to attend a program that included talks by Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former secretary of state, and former vice president Al Gore. During his speech, Powell challenged the audience to live up to their potential, a message Sutherlin took to heart.
“The one thing that stuck with me more than his speaking ability,” says Sutherlin, “was his statement that everyone at the conference possessed the ability to change the face 
of politics and, by extension, the world—to ‘make it really rain in Washington’ one day soon.”
On inauguration day, a bundled-up Sutherlin watched as President Obama took the oath of office, an accomplishment that proved to many that sentiments such as General Powell’s aren’t just wishful thinking. For Sutherlin, it was an overwhelming experience.
“The inauguration and all its pomp and circumstance made an unforgettable impression on me. It was so cold, and I had been outside for a long time; but the event was so remarkable that it created a sense of surreal existence for me. I felt like I was floating on history, supported by the tension in the air. It was something truly unprecedented and remarkable. The only thing that registered in my mind was the present moment and ceremony before my eyes. I think I held my breath most of the time.”
Following the ceremony, Sutherlin's evening carried well into the morning at the balls and galas that traditionally mark inauguration day, including the Inaugural Youth Ball where a dance by 
Barack and Michelle Obama warmed her and the other UPIC attendees.
With only a semester remaining before her graduation, Sutherlin, a Romance languages major, reflects back on her education and how it prepared her for a life-changing moment. “All of the language, art and history classes that I have taken during my time here at DePauw really made me stop and think when I was in Washington. DePauw taught me to look at an issue from all angles, to try to understand a concept from the perspective of another person, another country, another language, another culture. There were people in Washington from all over the world, speaking different languages. It was so impressive because they were there with the belief that change in American politics would somehow better the world. “
“The country changed forever at the inauguration, and I felt like my life changed forever as well,” Sutherlin added. “Sure, I'm a senior, and I’ll be graduating soon, but the feeling of change ran deeper than that. The experience strengthened the foundation of my deepest convictions. It will stay with me forever.”
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