Ad Design Student to Meet President

Recently I learned about a student of mine who is about to have a "beyond the ordinary" experience, and I thought I would share it with all of you. Here is the story in the words of Hebron HS student in the afternoon advanced class, Brad Stepien: "I suppose it's not an average experience, though it is the result of average luck. While George W. Bush was still in his presidency, my family and I were watching one of his addresses, and I noticed a guy with a funny looking mustache following him. I just kind of giggled to myself. As Obama was inaugurated, I noticed a hint of the same funny looking mustache close by the president. I asked my dad about it, and he told me that was the "Sergeant at Arms", to the president. Now, if you could have one job revolving around the president, I think that may just be THE job. Turns out, I'm related to that funny mustache. Terry Gainer, the Sergeant at Arms, is actually my cousin. I laughed at the fact, and it didn't hit me how awesome that was until later in the year. My mother e-mailed Irene, his wife, and she told us to get her our Social Security numbers and we would be cleared by FBI. I'm not sure that I would ever e-mail my social security number out, but she did, and it got me a ticket to the White House. This isn't supposed to be a normal tour, we had to be cleared by the FBI to be that close to President Obama. Something tells me few people get that privileged. So from March 15th to the 18th, I will be in Washington D.C. shaking hands with the President of the most powerful nation in the world. I truly am privileged."

A brief rundown on the career of Brad's cousin Terry Gainer: He was born in 1947, so that makes him about 11 years older than me. He has had a long career as a public servant prior to being named the Sergeant at Arms for the United States Senate. He served in the Vietnam War and also served as a Captain in the United States Naval Reserve, and he also has three degrees from college, including a Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University. He served as a law enforcement official in numerous capacities in both the Chicago and the metropolitan Washington DC police forces prior to his appointment as Sergeant at Arms.

It should be an exciting experience for Brad to go to meet with his cousin and to see the President. (President Obama is pictured with Terrance Gainer in the photo to the right.) Of course we know that world events could intervene and that the President might be called away on the day that Brad plans to be there, but we are hopeful that Brad will indeed get that handshake and that someone nearby will have a camera at the ready! Congratulations, Brad, we hope this will be an experience that you will never forget.

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