While many students may dismiss the photograph of President Bush holding up a DREAM T-shirt as a clever gimmick of computer graphics, the president did in fact meet with a group of Dartmouth students and children involved with the mentoring program Friday. Dartmouth seniors Brooke Lierman, Michael Foote and Sarah Siegel organized the trip.
Lierman explained, "Knowing this was my last year, in the fall I decided I wanted to bring some of the DREAM kids to D.C. to stay at my house for a weekend."
Siegel, who is also a D.C. native, agreed to volunteer her house as well.
Lierman added, "That's the great thing about DREAM -- when you have an idea you just take the initiative and do it."
The DREAM students and mentors held pizza and spaghetti dinners and sponsored a walk during First Year Family Weekend to raise money for plane fares for 22 DREAM participants and 17 mentors.
A friend of Siegel's family from Washington arranged for the group of mentors and children to attend a ceremony held on the South Lawn of the White House, when Bush departed for Camp David.
While Siegel said that she has not always agreed with President Bush's policies, she praised his graciousness with the children.
"Whatever type of politician he is, he's a great man," she said. "He made their days and lives."
One boy from the program invited Bush to attend the pool party held at the Liermans' later that night; however, Bush had to decline.
The DREAM mentors said they were pleased with how much the children had learned over the weekend.
Lierman described how, before the trip, she had created a packet for the children to fill out about the government and the various memorials and landmarks of Washington.
"One of the kids said that at first he thought it was dumb to have to write out the first few lines of the Gettysburg address, but then when he actually saw it in the Lincoln Memorial it meant so much more," she said.
Siegel then told an anecdote about a boy who decided he wanted to become a Secret Service man after he had his picture taken with one of Bush's agents.
While some mentors said that many of the DREAM students do come from strong families, all felt that one of the greatest benefits of the trip was the opportunity for students to bond with several more traditional families.
Melissa Sheiko '04, speaking about the progress DREAM has made over the past several years, was amazed by how much the program has grown from its founding three years ago to the point that the President of the United States can hold up a DREAM T-shirt.
Foote, a founder of the program, agreed that the Washington trip was an excellent culminating experience after years of mentoring.
"I feel like we went out with a bang," he said.
