2008 Woodie Awards
Alumni Attend Presidential Inauguration Ceremonies
Nancy Sanchez
Issue date: 2/9/05 Section: Life
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When President George W. Bush took the oath of office on Jan. 20, two former Clarion reporters were on hand to witness that historic event.
Joseph Siyam, a talent coordinator with Access Hollywood, accompanied television anchor Nancy O'Dell to Washington D.C. to cover the inauguration.
Siyam was Clarion editor-in-chief in spring of 1998. He was also named Citrus College "Man of the Year" in spring of 1999, the year he graduated from Citrus College.
He and O'Dell met with Laura Bush on Jan. 17, the same day that press secretary Rachael Sunbarger took them on a White House tour.
Siyam spent Jan. 19 doing research, while O'Dell was doing stand-ups in the National Mall.
" I was still not used to the cold weather, so I stayed in," Siyam said. "There was live snow falling."
Siyam accompanied O'Dell to the parade route on Jan. 20, Inauguration Day.
Attending the inaugural festivities made a lasting impression on him, Siyam said.
"One of the most interesting parts of the trip was experiencing the heavy security," Siyam said. "On Tuesday [Jan. 18], we had to go through security four different times.
Siyam said he hopes to someday visit Washington D.C. as a tourist.
"I want to come to Washington D.C. again with friends and just visit the places I've heard about, like Capitol Hill," Siyam said. "I want to be able to experience Washington D.C. without any time restrictions or limitations."
Meanwhile, former Clarion news editor Sonia Meléndez, editor of Hispanic Link, covered the inauguration for that news agency.
"The experience was so unbelievable," Meléndez said. " I would have never thought of being given the opportunity to cover the inauguration."
Meléndez attended two of the three inauguration balls organized by Latino national organizations.
At the balls, Meléndez said that she ran into Gloria Estefan, got to meet many Hispanic people who supported President Bush, and gathered reactions from national Hispanic leaders concerning the President's 21-minute inaugural address.
Joseph Siyam, a talent coordinator with Access Hollywood, accompanied television anchor Nancy O'Dell to Washington D.C. to cover the inauguration.
Siyam was Clarion editor-in-chief in spring of 1998. He was also named Citrus College "Man of the Year" in spring of 1999, the year he graduated from Citrus College.
He and O'Dell met with Laura Bush on Jan. 17, the same day that press secretary Rachael Sunbarger took them on a White House tour.
Siyam spent Jan. 19 doing research, while O'Dell was doing stand-ups in the National Mall.
" I was still not used to the cold weather, so I stayed in," Siyam said. "There was live snow falling."
Siyam accompanied O'Dell to the parade route on Jan. 20, Inauguration Day.
Attending the inaugural festivities made a lasting impression on him, Siyam said.
"One of the most interesting parts of the trip was experiencing the heavy security," Siyam said. "On Tuesday [Jan. 18], we had to go through security four different times.
Siyam said he hopes to someday visit Washington D.C. as a tourist.
"I want to come to Washington D.C. again with friends and just visit the places I've heard about, like Capitol Hill," Siyam said. "I want to be able to experience Washington D.C. without any time restrictions or limitations."
Meanwhile, former Clarion news editor Sonia Meléndez, editor of Hispanic Link, covered the inauguration for that news agency.
"The experience was so unbelievable," Meléndez said. " I would have never thought of being given the opportunity to cover the inauguration."
Meléndez attended two of the three inauguration balls organized by Latino national organizations.
At the balls, Meléndez said that she ran into Gloria Estefan, got to meet many Hispanic people who supported President Bush, and gathered reactions from national Hispanic leaders concerning the President's 21-minute inaugural address.