My mom had two tickets to the graduation at UCI thanks to her job at the medical center on campus.We woke up early, passed tons of secret service, sat for the morning, and watched the graduates file in. The helicopter flew overhead and when he walked out on stage, chills went down my back.I am such a geek about stuff like this. It’s the coolest president we’ve ever had and I got to see him in real life. Check- crossed off the bucket list.Hours later with a mild sunburn, I was all smiles in the breeze of the open car window. Still so happy to have been at such an awesome event.

His message of hope and promise for future generations makes me excited to watch my own children grow up.

Was it worth waking up at sunrise? Yeah

Was it worth the upper 80’s temps? Yeah

These are the questions Joe asked and I resoundingly answer that this kind of moment feels priceless.