I have always been told by my parents opportunities are everything and, finally, I believe them. You see, opportunities don’t just come in the form of a school activity or finding a quarter on the ground which can help pay for some gum. I learned over spring break most opportunities come in the form of experiences.

Leaving school a week early I made my way to the airport after being named a youth delegate for the United States Youth Senate Program, a program created by the Hearst Foundation to honor students and their leadership work. So, I boarded a plane and two hours later, I landed in our nation’s capital city, Washington D.C.

Almost immediately after I exited the plane the other delegate and I were greeted by military mentors and signs with the logo of the program on it. About an hour later, we were at the nicest hotel I have ever had the privilege of staying in, the historic Mayflower Hotel.

The halls of the hotel were lined with marble walkways and gold and crystal chandeliers, but the hotel wasn’t the best part by any means; my experience as a whole was about to get a lot better. The selection I had the honor of receiving didn’t just mean I got an all expense paid trip to D.C to see the tourism sites, but I also got to meet President Barack Obama, Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court, the CEO of C-SPAN and the Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, just to name a few. For a boy from Kansas who wants to go into politics, I about peed my pants I was so excited.

Chief Justice John Roberts, who was the first “celebrity” we met, provided some great advice for those who want to go into public service. Not only were we allowed to meet the Justice, but we had the privilege of going into the actual court room, which was, in a way, humbling. So many important decision has been made there, and I learned that there is a basketball court above it for the Justices, which is really entertaining.

Secretary Panetta, who was the most well known person we met the next day, was hilarious. I learned about the conflicts at the Capitol, with a lot of cursing on Panetta’s part, which I thought needed to be addressed. He stressed that, “[Congress’] job is to make the tough decisions because, damn it, that is why they are here!” I couldn’t agree more.

Now onto meeting the big man himself, President Obama. We met him in the White House, which took forever to get into, but it was definitely worth it. When he walked in, I about collapsed, it was that cool. In the end, he wasn’t my favorite speaker, but it was still an honor to be in his presence.

But enough about all the cool people, my next favorite part of the trip was by far the food. I love to eat and the four course meals were a treat every time. From the crab cakes and steak, to enchiladas served like a tower and even white chocolate capital buildings and flower-centerpiece tiramisu, everything tasted like, for lack of a better term, the “bomb-diggity.” I would have gained so much weight if I stayed any longer.

The treatment was great and all, but the people were best. I felt like I was surrounded by the best and brightest, but they were possibly the kindest and most welcoming, as well. The other delegates, the foundation and the speakers made me feel humbled and important, possibly more so than meeting the Justices and Presidents because, I could relate. They knew the stresses of school and how to stay motivated and confident, all things I needed to hear, and I will never be able to thank them enough for that.

I am now 100 percent sure that I want to serve this country in some way. Maybe I won’t have the honor of being a successful politician, but I will work to make a difference. I have always been someone who rushed into everything, thinking that the fun things in life often needed to be forgotten to succeed. You can be happy and enjoy life even if you want to work hard, it was a hard lesson for me to learn.

All in all, this was a trip I will never forget. It was an honor and a blessing just to go, and for that I have the Hearst Foundation, my government teacher Jeff Strickland and principal Tobie Waldeck, to thank. I was the first to receive such an honor, but hopefully I won’t be the last from Mill Valley, because it truly changed my life. Over and out, good buddy.