Day Two: Arlington National Cemetery and the Smithsonian Museums

For the Washington DC Experience, the 25 SLI Scholars who attended have been broken up into "work groups".  Each work group will take a turn leading a day during the trip, to include providing direction on transportation, options for meals, and general information about each of the days' activities.  Leading a group of 30 throughout the streets and public transportation of Washington, DC took many hours of preparation. 

For Day Two, we had the honor of visiting Arlington National Cemetery. Some of our group chose to take the tram on the tour throughout the cemetery, ending at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Others opted to enjoy the beauty of the cemetery by walking to the Tomb. Together, we had the opportunity to experience the Changing of the Guard.  

"I found beauty in the arrangement of all the tombstones of the cemetery. These soldiers contributed to the glory and success of America today. This is their legacy. Everybody leaves a legacy when they die, only that some legacies are greater than others. Now a question for myself as a leader is, will I leave a common legacy that is common and similar with everyone else’s or will I leave a legacy worthy of a monument?" contemplates Ranel Bautista. 

Hannah Mahaffey had the opportunity to find her grandfather's tombstone.  "The most meaningful part of the Washington, DC Trip for me was getting to pay my respects to my grandparents at Arlington National Cemetery. My Grandpa Mahaffey was a World War II Purple Heart recipient. He was injured in the war and my grandma was his nurse. They fell in love and have been together up until her death. Her urn was placed in his casket so they will be together forever. I didn't get to say goodbye to either of my grandparents when they died, so this trip gave me closure. This was a once in a lifetime trip and on a personal level I had the chance to say goodbye to my grandparents and honor their memory."

With only a half day to explore the Smithsonian Museums, the group split up and visited the museum that they were most interested in.  One group explored the National Air and Space Museum.  Everyone agreed that more time is needed to see the museums.

One of today's leaders, Miguel Dutson, shared, "It was exhilarating to decipher the MetroRail,  a system I was not familiar with considering I've lived in San Antonio my whole life. I found that people are not born leaders, but must be put in such situations that force them to take charge and effectively finish a task. The D.C. trip will remain in my heart and mind as a starting point where my real life leadership skills were formed."  Miguel and his team proved that they are learning to be proactive, productive and effective leaders today!