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Mr. Anderson Goes To Washington

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By LAURA FRAZIER lfrazier@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 31, 2008

Matthew Anderson

BRANDON - Months before the results of the presidential election were announced Nov. 4, Matthew Anderson made plans to attend the inauguration ceremony for America's 44th president Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C.

Anderson, an eighth-grade student at Bell Shoals Baptist Academy, will tour the capital and attend the inauguration with a delegate of students from across the country. The contingent of middle and high school students was organized by People to People International, a nonprofit venture founded in 1956 by Dwight D. Eisenhower to foster opportunities for young people to bridge cultural and political divides.

Academic achievers are invited each year to apply for the student ambassador program. To qualify, students must submit written recommendations from three of their teachers, go through an interview process and raise money to pay for the trip.

Anderson traveled with a group in 2007 to Scotland and England. He was surprised this spring to learn he was among a select cadre of student ambassador alumni invited to attend the inauguration.

"It's so exotic that I would be chosen to go to see our president," Anderson said. "And I was excited because it's history that Barack Obama is an African-American. Plus, we were all excited at school that he was promising change."

The 13-year-old said his trip to Europe last year was a great experience.

"We got to go to several castles and Buckingham Palace, and Stonehenge was pretty cool," he said.

Anderson will fly out of Tampa International Airport Jan. 17 and meet up with his group in Washington, where - in addition to attending the swearing-in ceremony - they will tour the city.

"I'm excited to see all the monuments and memorials, especially Arlington Cemetery and the Smithsonian," he said.

To learn more about People to People International, go to www.ptpi.org.

Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at (813) 657-4523.

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