The Obama Diary

West Philadelphia High School student Brandon Ford (far right) attends the State of the Union address sitting in the first lady Michelle Obama’s box.

Newsworks: West Philly High School Junior Brandon Ford is returning home today after a whirlwind trip to Washington, DC. Tuesday night he watched the State of the Union Address alongside First Lady Michelle Obama.

“It was an honor to be there,” Ford said. “It was an honor to sit in her box and it was an overwhelming, great experience for me.” Ford shook hands with President Obama and and got a picture with the First Lady….

Ford had been invited to a speech at the White House in September as part of the West Philly Hybrid X team. The group won national attention for outlasting teams of professionals and college students in an international competition to design fuel-efficient cars.

But Ford forgot his ID, so he wasn’t allowed through security and into the White House. He had to wait outside, where the Hybrid X Team’s director, Simon Hauger, said a White House staffer took pity on him. “One of the staffers there felt really bad that Brandon wouldn’t get to come in so she said she would try to do something for him,” Hauger said. “Our gut was a letter or a photo or something like that.”

Nothing came in the mail and after a few weeks, everyone thought the President had forgotten about Brandon. Then last week, a call came from Washington asking if Brandon would like to sit with the First Lady during the State of the Union.

“We were utterly surprised and delighted,” Hauger said. “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer kid, he’s really delightful.”

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