January 23, 2009

Journey of a Lifetime

Sixth-grader Deja Nell traveled to the nation's capital to watch President Obama's historic Inauguration

By Vickie An

It's less than an hour's drive from Washington, D.C., to Dumfries, Virginia, where sixth-grader Deja Nell lives. But while traveling to the nation's capital, the 11-year-old couldn't have been more excited. That's because Deja was going to witness history. She was invited to watch the swearing-in of President Barack Obama up close and in person.

An Exciting Week

Deja was among 15,000 students from across the nation who had been selected to take part in the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference. The weeklong seminar is sponsored by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, a development program that invites young people to interact with today's leaders. At the end of the week, the students attend the Presidential Inauguration, as well as an Inaugural Ball.

From January 17-21, Deja and her fellow Scholars visited historic sites and took part in educational workshops. The classes helped them sharpen their leadership skills. The group also heard from several distinguished keynote speakers, including former Secretary of State General Colin Powell and former Vice President Al Gore.

Of course, the most exciting part was Inauguration Day, Deja told TFK. While she did not get to chat with the President like she had hoped, she did get to snap a few photos. If she had gotten the chance, Deja says, "I would have asked President Obama how hard it was for him to get to this moment and what he would like to do for this country."

Recipe for Success

The trip did not come without a lot of hard work. Deja had to raise $2,400 to pay for her tuition and travel costs. Since the 11-year-old is too young to get a real job, she cooked up another plan. She wrote and published a cookbook called Kids in the Kitchen. "I like writing and cooking, so I thought I would put the two together," Deja says.

The cookbook features 150 easy recipes that Deja gathered from family members and from the library. Deja also came up with some of the dishes herself. One of them is "Chip Chicken." The recipe calls for you to crumble a bag of your favorite chips onto chicken before baking. (Always ask a parent for help when using the oven.)

Deja has sold 165 of the 200 books she printed. At $15 per book, she made just enough to pay for the trip by the end of September. Deja says she's saving a copy of her cookbook for First Daughters Malia and Sasha Obama. One of Deja's dreams is to make "Chip Chicken" in the White House kitchen with the girls. "I like the recipe a lot," Deja says. "I hope they'll like it too."

To learn more about Deja's cookbook, visit dejawillamazeya.com.

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