With the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama looming, millions of people, including some Vanderbilt students, have been descending on the nation's capital to see history in the making.

The festivities began this weekend with the arrival of the Obama and Biden families in Washington, D.C. and a welcome concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, featuring celebrities like Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Stevie Wonder, Denzel Washington and Martin Luther King III. Around 500,000 people were expected to attend, including sophomore Hilary Shynett.

Shynett was invited to attend the University Presidential Inaugural Conference after participating in both the Global Young Leaders Conference and the National Young Leaders Conference. As well as attending the Inaugural Opening Concert, she will be participating in the debates and discussions of the conference and listening to several keynote speakers including Luke Russert, son of the late Tim Russert, Colin Powell and Al Gore. She will also attend the Inauguration Ceremony, which will begin at 11:30 a.m., and the Black Tie Gala Inaugural Ball on Tuesday.

"I am very excited about attending the Inauguration," said Shynett. "It will be a watershed event in history, and being part of that is extremely special. It will be exciting to witness this emerging new identity, an identity that reflects the contemporary face of America."

Ashley Shelton, a first-year student at Vanderbilt Law School, will also witness Obama's swearing-in. Shelton, who volunteered with the Obama election campaign throughout 2008, added her name to an Inauguration ticket lottery conducted by Rep. Jim Cooper. She won her ticket and will be flying up to Washington solely for the ceremony itself.

"I was determined to get to D.C. for the Inauguration," said Shelton. "Volunteering with the campaign, I became emotionally invested in the idea of an Obama administration. It will be a very personal moment for me."

Members of several campus organizations will be traveling to Washington for events scheduled near the Inauguration. Both the Vanderbilt Students for Life group and Vandy Catholic will be attending the March for Life on Jan. 22. The march, held on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, protests the Supreme Court abortion decisions and petitions Congress for redress.

Although the students may not agree with Obama's pro-choice stance on abortion, they are hopeful about America's future.

"President-elect Obama said in his acceptance speech on Election Day that he will listen to the American people especially when we disagree, so I hope that we can demonstrate in a loving way through the march, how important the pro-life movement is to so many citizens," said sophomore Kathryn Manza, one of the marchers. "I love our country so I pray that he will be able to change America for the better and remember the sanctity of life at every age when making policy decisions."