Today, the Institute was brought to a close with a ceremony in which the seniors were congratulated for their success in their classes, internships and other activities. Each graduating senior stood before the audience assembled at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown as the Institute’s president, William Keyes, read his bio and presented him with a diploma and lapel pin. Keyes was joined in the presentations by professors William Allen and Thomas Rustici. The two professors also gave brief remarks.
This ceremony was the first that was attended by the parents of every graduating senior. Some came from as far away as California. Also in attendance were donors, including Diana Davis Spencer of the Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation and Richard Walker, Vice President for Corporate Giving at Friedman Billings Ramsey. Spencer and Walker were presented gifts as tokens of appreciation for their support since the Institute’s founding. The gifts were group photos of current students and alumni taken on the Georgetown University campus during alumni weekend. The seniors also presented gifts to Keyes, Allen and Rustici, Institute staff, and the three Summer Fellows—Christopher Binns, Bernard Holloway and Fred Jones—who graduated one year ago.
A special feature of this year’s graduation was music performed by five Institute scholars. They opened the event with the National Anthem and Lift Every Voice and closed it with an improvisational piece that included all five singing, plus piano and beat box. The music was upbeat, causing everyone to leave on a most festive note.
Scholar-musicians John Harper, Barron Ryan, Brandon Piper and Clarence Mitchell performed an abbreviated version of their July 17 National Endowment for the Arts concert in the main conference room at Epstein Becker & Green, PC. The performers were introduced by the firm’s founder, Steven Epstein, who has supported the Institute since its establishment. The firm provided food and beverage for all of the attorneys and support staff in attendance. The performers ended the concert with an improvisational song about lawyers.
The Honorable Janice Rogers Brown has served on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 2005. She previously was an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court. She spent much of her time with the scholars discussing her role as a jurist and the difficulties she sometimes faces in deciding tragic cases, such as those of habitual drug offenders who might otherwise be good people but run afoul of the law because of prior mistakes that have left them addicted. Beyond the law, she led a stimulating and thought-provoking discussion about the direction in which the country is headed and the role the scholars can plan in protecting American values
On Sunday afternoon, Institute alumnus Edward Sanders, a member of President Bush's White House staff, invited current scholars to visit the South Lawn to meet the President upon his return from Camp David. The occasion proved to be a wonderful opportunity, as the President appeared to be relaxed and ready to talk with the few fortunate individuals who were treated to this rare opportunity. After disembarking, the President walked along a rope line of individuals, most of whom were members of his staff and family and friends of staff members. When Mr. Keyes told the President of the caliber of young men he was meeting, the President said, simply, "the best and the brightest." When he described the mission of the Institute, the President responded, "Just tell them to contribute to the country.”
For the third year, Institute juniors visited the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a private briefing with Secretary Alphonso Jackson. In previous years, the twelve students met around a conference table in the Secretary’s office. With a larger class of 24 scholars, this summer’s session was moved to a larger room in HUD’s headquarters, the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building. The discussion was no less intimate, with the Secretary answering questions ranging from the effectiveness of the federal government’s response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster to the constitutionality of HUD programs. As always, Jackson encouraged the scholars to continue to work hard, with the goal of becoming successful enough to be able to help other people. He also told the scholars that one of the benefits of their hard work in college is that it puts them in touch with others who will run the country one day.
John Murdock of the law firm Epstein Becker & Green, whose founder Steven B. Epstein was a founding supporter of the Institute, called together numerous Washington lawyers for a reception with Institute scholars. The reception was held in the moot court room at Hogan & Hartson LLP. Steven C. Lambert of Foley & Lardner LLP addressed the assembled lawyers and scholars, describing the relationship his firm has established with the Institute to educate young men about the practice of law.
Members of the National Endowment for the Arts, internship supervisors, fellow scholars and other friends of the Institute were treated to an exciting performance by scholars John Harper (Oberlin, Sr.), David Wilford (LaSalle, Sr.), Barron Ryan (Oklahoma, Jr.), Clarence Mitchell (Maryland, Jr.) and Brandon Piper (DePauw, Jr.). Harper is a Vocal Performance major and has won several awards for his singing. He plans to become a professional opera singer. He interned at the NEA during his first summer in the Institute. Ryan is a Music major, specializing in Piano Performance. He too plans to become a professional musician. He is interning at the NEA this summer. The students performed an impressive variety of selections, which included opera, gospel and show tunes. Ryan accompanied most pieces, though Mitchell played the piano and guitar while singing successive songs. The scholars exceeded everyone’s high expectations and received a prolonged standing ovation at the conclusion.
John McConnell is truly a friend of the Institute. In previous summers, McConnell has been the opening speaker for a writing workshop that the Institute provides its seniors along with twelve carefully-selected interns from the Heritage Foundation. This summer, McConnell’s schedule did not allow him to participate in the writing workshop, but he invited senior scholars to the White House for a brown bag lunch. McConnell discussed his role as a presidential speechwriter and answered many questions about the White House policymaking process. The event was schedule for one hour but lasted for more than two.
The senior class traveled to Maryland to meet with the state’s recently-inaugurated Lieutenant Governor. They found the session to be one of the most inspiring of the summer. In addition to answering the scholars’ public policy questions, Brown talked about his life and his commitment to public service. He was born to a Jamaican father and Swiss mother who embraced the opportunities that America provided. Following their advice, he worked hard to take advantage of America’s opportunities. He became the first African American student government president at his high school and graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1984. While in Cambridge, he also joined Army ROTC and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Army. He went on to graduate first in his class at flight school. After serving in the Army, he enrolled at Harvard Law School. After practicing law for several years, he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, where he served as Majority Whip from 2004 until he was elected Lt. Governor this year. He had an interlude from politics in 2005, when he was deployed as a reservist to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Following a three-hour Saturday morning Economics lecture, the junior class changed into business attire and headed to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Institute alumnus and White House staffer Edward Sanders was joined by other staff members who led the scholars in small groups through the working section of the White House. They visited the Cabinet Room, Roosevelt Room, Rose Garden, Press Briefing Room and, of course, the Oval Office.
Representative Donald Payne, a New Jersey Democrat, chairs the House Subcommittee on Africa. This afternoon, he talked with the Institute’s seniors about challenges and developments in Africa as well as American policy toward the countries of that continent. The scholars found him to be “extremely personable, candid and genuine.” Several of the seniors had traveled to Africa through Study Abroad programs. One, Stefan Lallinger, lived in Tanzania for seven years.
Civil rights leader, presidential advisor and corporate director Vernon Jordan hosted Institute juniors at the Dupont Circle office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld LLP, where Jordan serves as counsel. He greeted each of the scholars individually, noting that the Institute selected its first scholar from his alma mater, DePauw University, this year and paying particular attention to the scholars from his hometown, Atlanta. After extending personal greetings, he shared with the scholars insights that he has learned from his roles as collegiate chauffeur to a white Atlanta business executive in the 1950s, college intern, president of the National Urban League, head of the United Negro College Fund, presidential advisor, lawyer, and Wall Street executive. Following his talk, Summer Fellows Christopher Binns, Bernard Holloway and Fred Jones presented Jordan with the Institute’s 2006 Award for the American Ideal. Recipients of the award are selected each year by the senior class and announced at graduation.
For the fifth straight year, Representative John Lewis hosted the junior class at his Capitol Hill office. As always, he spent more time with the scholars than was scheduled. This time, a total of four hours. Lewis talked principally about the Civil Rights Movement and his role in planning some of the monumental events, including the March on Washington. In discussing the March, he focused his attention on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, but noted that he was the youngest person to speak at the event, at barely older than the scholars themselves. As in previous years, the Congressman hosted the scholars in his office in the Cannon Building, where the walls are covered with pictures, plaques and posters that commemorate some facet of his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Given that this year’s class was doubled in size from previous classes, today’s visit was especially cozy. Following the session, Lewis invited the scholars to walk over to the Capitol to take pictures.
Early Saturday morning, the Institute’s seniors boarded a bus for New York. After arriving there, they checked into their hotel and went to Brooklyn to attend the African Street Festival. In the evening, they met Mr. Keyes and his wife for dinner at the famous soul food restaurant, Sylvia’s, in Harlem. Afterward, they visited Times Square.
On Sunday morning, Keyes was joined by a few Institute alumni for a worship service at Abyssinnian Baptist Church and brunch at a local restaurant in Harlem. The alumni and all of the seniors spent the afternoon on a river cruise around lower Manhattan, which gave them close views of the Financial District, Governor’s Island, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and the United Nations.
While the Seniors visited New York, the Juniors spent their time getting to know each other better while learning more about the city in which they have chosen to spend two summers. The highlight of the weekend was the Institute’s first annual Capital Scavenger Hunt. Summer Fellow Bernard Holloway divided the junior class into five teams and gave each team twelve clues. They were allowed only one camera and were prohibited from using any type of technology to answer the clues. To receive credit for solving the clues correctly, the teams were required to provide a photo with all of the team members and the object of interest included.
The teams departed Georgetown at 2:00 in the afternoon. The first two teams to finish their missions returned to campus shortly after 6:00. The third team returned a little after 8:00 and the runner-up at 9:15. The winning group arrived at 11:00 p.m., nine hours after starting. They demonstrated that success in this competition required stamina as much as smarts.
The wining team consisted of Barron Ryan, Oklahoma; Sean Mickens, Howard; Brandon Piper, DePauw; Aaron Miesczanski, Williams; and Barrett Young, Harvard. The reward for winning was dinner with Mrs. & Mrs. Keyes at Clyde’s of Georgetown the following weekend.
This afternoon, the Institute’s seniors took advantage of one of the perks of being Institute seniors: golf lessons. For most of them, it was a true introduction to the sport. Tonight was the first of four lessons that will be led by golf professional Keith Robertson.