Mother’s day weekend this year was one like no other. It was jammed packed with experiences that I will never forget. And making it extra special is that I had the opportunity to do everything with my mother, Lydia.
We kicked off our weekend on Friday with a trip to New York City. I found out earlier in the week that I was invited to the New York Stock Exchange Closing Bell Ceremony. We arrived at the stock exchange and went to the waiting area. To my surprise Epiphany Prince was also there for the ceremony. It was pretty exciting to do an event with a legend of the game. We were soon joined by league President Lisa Borders, other WNBA staff, and staff of the NYSE. A small ceremony was held and we were presented with medallions to commemorate our visit. Then we went down to the floor where the Closing Bell Ceremony takes place. A moment that stands out to me is that on the elevator going down to the ceremony, I had the opportunity to meet the NYSE President, Thomas W. Farley.
The stock exchange floor was not like anything that I had ever seen before. We get to the place where we were to ring the bell and we are debriefed on the proper way to ring it. We were warned that if you mess up the ringing of the bell the audience would boo you. So, Epiphany and myself decided to leave the ringing of the bell to President Borders. After we rang the bell we found out that we would have the opportunity to meet Buzz Aldrin. To meet someone that actually walked on the moon was an amazing experience. My mom had a great time and enjoyed the fact that we were able to go to the NYSE together.
A couple of days later, on Mother’s Day, I graduated from the University of Connecticut. For graduation my sister Taylor and dad David drove up from Virginia to make sure that they didn’t miss it. Hearing my name called and receiving my diploma was the best feeling and was also a great relief. I’m finally done with school! Afterwards, I found my family to take pictures and my mom was crying. I know graduation was really emotional for her because both of her kids are out of college.
The last event of my weekend was a trip to see President Obama. This was my fourth trip to the White House but it was still just as amazing as the first time. What also made this trip special is that I got to spend the day with my UCONN team. The day started off with an early morning flight to Dulles Airport then a bus ride to Old Ebbitt Grille for lunch. After lunch we walked across the street to go through security for the White House. After security, we took a mini tour of the East Wing and waited for the President.
President Obama came in, talked to us for a few minutes, then went around and shook everyone’s hand. This has been the same routine each time I’ve visited the White House. But this time, we gave President Obama a gift. It was a rocking chair engraved with all of the times our team has visited him in the White House. It was easy to tell that President Obama loved his gift! Then we went out and did our normal ceremony.
This weekend was extremely busy, but it was filled with great experiences. I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to be a part of each event. It’s something I will always remember.