Jan. 20th was any normal day of school for most students. Classes went on as usual, homework being assigned and lectures being taught.

For senior Austin Stachowski, however, the day was anything but ordinary.

Stachowski was over 500 miles away from school, in the heart of Washington, D.C., to attend the presidential inauguration.

After spending almost two days in the car, Stachowski and his mother tried to get tickets to the celebration concert at the Lincoln Memorial held the night before the inauguration, only to find them impossible to come by. Instead, they spent the night watching fireworks from the hotel room.

The following morning Stachowski and his mom left the hotel at seven because each section of seating was first to come, first served. There were four or five gated entrances, each one color-coded with the tickets.

“Beforehand, they had given out a list of prohibited items,” said Stachowski. He said that security was heavy, but standard, including armed guards, metal detectors servicemen and police officers at each entrance.

Once seated, they waited about three hours for the inauguration to actually start, watching senators and congressmen being announced, as well as videos of “historical tidbits” being played.

Stachowski said the inauguration actually started around 11, and a number of bands and choirs performed. A couple of religious figures gave speeches as well, including a rabbi and a priest.

Vice President Mike Pence was sworn in first, followed by President Donald Trump. Stachowski said he was a fan of Trump’s speech.

“I thought that he really drove home well that idea of uniting America,” said Stachowski. “Some people said it was a little negative,” he said, adding later that he thought the speech was “kind of effective.”

This inauguration sparked massive protests in cities across the nation. Stachowski said he and his mother didn’t encounter a lot of protesters themselves, mostly because the majority were sectioned off in one area.

“Most, if not all, of the people, were supporters,” Stachowski said of the actual inauguration crowd.

Stachowski said he had no issue with the protesters, but he didn’t necessarily love their methods. “

Overall, I thought it was kind of unnecessary,” he said.

Despite any controversy surrounding the inauguration, Stachowski said he loved the experience.

The inauguration “marks that peaceful transition of power,” Stachowski said. “Just getting to be a part of that experience was definitely a highlight for me.”