Submitted photoShown is Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan during his speech.

I traveled to Atlanta with several other Thomas County Central High School Student Ambassadors on Jan. 14 to attend the inauguration of Georgia governor-elect Brian P. Kemp.

The election of Georgia’s governor is held every four years with a two-term limit placed on the position. Following the election in November, the inauguration is held the following January. This year, Kemp’s inauguration was held at the Georgia Tech campus.

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the inauguration with fellow student ambassadors Chelsey Lawler, Taylor Smith, Destini Cole, Matt Mancil, Kendall Lee, Hannah Whittle, Ben Thomas and Langley Wooten, along with our sponsor Joshua Niswonger and his wife, Amber.

The event was set to begin at 2 p.m., and we arrived at around 1:30. We went through security, passing a group of protesters as we went. They were protesting the inauguration, holding many different signs that said things like “Kemp rigged the election.” It was an interesting thing to see because, in smaller towns like Thomasville, things like that don’t happen very often, if ever. We ended up walking in front of them and headed inside to find our seats and wait for the inauguration to begin.

Special guests included former Governor Nathan Deal, several U.S. House, Senate and State Supreme Court representatives, former Georgia Bulldogs head coach Vince Dooley, and the elected officials who were to be inaugurated.

Nathan Deal spoke first and delivered the seal of the state to the secretary of state, who then delivered the seal to governor-elect Kemp. Afterward, Deal administered the oath of office to Kemp, officially making Kemp Georgia’s new governor.

Following Kemp’s inauguration, he then began to swear in the rest of the elected officials, including Lieutenant Governor-elect Geoff Duncan and several commissioners. Once they were all sworn in, Lt. Gov. Duncan stepped up to speak about his campaign and his family. 

Afterward, Gov. Kemp took the podium. He talked about his plans and his inspiration in his life being coach Billy Henderson, who once said “it can be done,” a slogan Kemp repeated many times in his speech. He emphasized his main goal is to unite the state and push it to be even more successful, citing once again “it can be done.”

I joined TCCHS Student Ambassadors because I wanted to learn more about politics and be able to take a semi-active role in them while still in school, and this event is precisely the kind of thing I wanted to be able to do.

I was especially inspired when Gov. Kemp told the story of how Coach Henderson inspired him when he was younger with his mantra “it can be done.” It really resonated with me and made me think about how even if something seems like it’s going to be difficult, if you are determined enough and put in enough effort, you can accomplish your goals.

It was a truly fulfilling experience to be able to go and see so many of the people who are working to make our state and country better. Not only did I get to listen to several of our representatives speak about their plans to help push our state and country forward, but I got a firsthand look at how elections and swearing-in ceremonies work. I am forever grateful that I had this opportunity.