Always Meet Your Heroes: Meeting President Obama in Yosemite
On a bus parked inside Yosemite National Park, Chemnui sat with her classmates as two Secret Service agents in black suits and sunglasses explained the rules: no hats, no hoods; exit the bus in an orderly fashion.
The students, teacher and chaperones filed out. The group had traveled to Yosemite to take part in NatureBridge’s environmental science program. Now, they murmured to each other with excitement as the Secret Service began their briefing.
“That’s when I got nervous,” says Chemnui, who was a fourth grade student at a nearby public school in San Francisco.
“When they said ‘you’re going to meet the Obamas.’”
This was June 2016, the final year of Barack Obama’s presidency and the 100-year anniversary of the National Park Service. The President and First Lady had come to celebrate the centennial and emphasize the importance of getting kids into nature and national parks, recognizing NatureBridge’s vital role in achieving that goal.
As the Obamas approached the group, the kids’ energy reached a fever pitch. Even the parents and teachers were unable to contain their excitement. Chemnui remembers her mom, who joined the trip as a chaperone, crying as the President and First Lady began meeting the NatureBridge students.
“We were all saying ‘Oh my God, that’s the President, that’s the First Lady,’ and we were so excited,” says Chemnui. “But we weren’t screaming or anything because there were Secret Service guards everywhere — I didn’t want to test any boundaries,” she laughs.
The Obamas sat and talked with the students, shook lots of hands and gave a short speech. The President personally handed each NatureBridge student an Every Kid in a Park pass, guaranteeing fourth graders and their families free access to any national park for an entire year (the ongoing program has since been renamed to Every Kid Outdoors).
“I hugged Michelle and got to talk to her for 10 minutes. I only got to high five the President,” says Chemnui. “Actually, I got to high five him twice and I shook his hand. I touched him three times; extra points!”
Chemnui and her mom talked with Michelle through tears. Her mom expressed boundless appreciation for the Obamas and how much they both meant to their family as role models.
“My mom was saying all the things I wanted to but couldn’t because I was bawling my eyes out,” says Chemnui. “And Michelle Obama really listened. You could tell that my mom had her full attention.”
“Oh, and Michelle gives really nice hugs; kind of like a grandma hug.”
Just seeing someone that comes from a similar-ish background to me — an African American. To see them get so far...it said to me that I could do something like that. It’s not unattainable. You know what I mean? It's not a fairy tale thing. I can actually do that if I tried. I think that's why it hit me so hard.Chemnui
After the Obamas posed for a few photos with the students, handed out the passes and said their goodbyes, they left the park.
“Out of all the kids with NatureBridge, I was the only one that was crying. My eyes were all puffy, and I was sniffling, my nose was running...I felt like I was about to pass out,” says Chemnui. “At some point I think I just, like, locked myself in the cabin.”
Chemnui idolized the Obamas as a kid and had never imagined meeting them as part of her NatureBridge experience in Yosemite. Despite her young age, she understood the immensity of the moment.
“Just seeing someone that comes from a similar-ish background to me — an African American. To see them get so far...it said to me that I could do something like that,” she says. “It’s not unattainable. You know what I mean? It's not a fairy tale thing. I can actually do that if I tried. I think that's why it hit me so hard.”
The rest of her week with NatureBridge was fun, memorable and empowering. Chemnui and her classmates spent time doing field science, observing waterfalls and hiking through some of the country’s greatest wilderness. She has since returned to Yosemite with her father and brothers and continues to spend time outdoors around San Francisco. She will always remember her time at NatureBridge. Five years later, it is meeting the Obamas that understandably left the biggest emotional imprint.
“It was kind of an out-of-body experience. When I think back on it, I'm not thinking in a first-person view. It's almost like I'm watching myself on a camera,” she says.
Chemnui thinks of her unforgettable meeting often. Pictures of her shaking Michelle’s hand adorn her bedroom. “Meeting the President” always tops her list of fun facts about herself. An avid soccer player, she also plays the piano, guitar, clarinet, ukulele and xylophone. One can imagine that list of fun facts expanding exponentially every year.
One can also imagine a talented, disciplined ninth grader who met and was deeply inspired by a former President having dreams of becoming the President one day.
“Ever since I was little, I’ve always felt like I could be the President if I wanted to, but I never wanted to,” she says.
“I want to be a role model for other kids like Obama was for me, but not the President. Being a professional soccer player and bringing light to women's soccer and getting it to where men’s soccer is — that would be making it for me.”
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