Newsblog: Presidential Gala

The things a press pass will get you...President Bush and I had a good chat backstage before he gave his speech at a presidential gala tonight at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda. His comments will appear in Thursday's issue of the Chimes.

Okay, I know this begs a little explanation. This guy isn't actually Bush. But he might as well be--he's the Bush impersonator and Biola alum who is a frequent guest on the Tonight show and other comedy hours. And thanks to prosthetics/makeup that take three hours to apply, he not only does an uncanny representation of The Chief in voice and manner, but he looks like his twin.

The gala I reported on was a fundraising dinner for Biola. It was absolutely beautiful, since the Nixon Library's banquet room is a fairly accurate re-creation of the White House's East Room. I really lucked out on getting to go, since I had randomly asked my news editor for an assignment this morning. He called me 2 hours before I had to go and asked me if I'd like to cover it. Umm, as if I have anything better to do on a Saturday night! I jumped at the chance.

There was a price to be paid. Since it was a formal affair, I had to stand around in my velvet heels for hours and hours. My feet are crying right now. And it was pretty intense--I had to come up with interview questions on the fly, but had to look confident since these were the hot shots of the evening. That's not to mention the fact that I'm basically taking notes in the world's cruddiest, most unwieldy notebook, which I just happened to scrounge up around my room (it was an Intro to Mass Media notebook in it's former life last semester). Then the pay--we're looking at about $1.00 per hour.

But OMIGOSH, who cares?! It was AWESOME. I got to talk to the coordinators, 2 keynote speakers (one's a professional anchor/sports broadcaster and one's a media law prof and bestselling author), President Clyde Cook, and of course, President Bush! Then I got to eat a sweet meal (someone threw around the figure $150 per plate...) of salmon, chocolate mousse, and a salad so fancy that tossed alongside the greens was an orchid! I love reporting. I would do it if I never got a cent.

There were two things that really hit me about the gala. The first was that all the guests there were donors. 100% of their money goes to the Biola Scholarship Fund. President Cook said that they have to raise $3 million a year to keep up the scholarships.

I am so humbled by that. I just want to go up to these people and hug them and say, without you I would be nowhere. If God hadn't prompted them to give to this school, to this fund, I wouldn't have a scholarship, and I would be at some other university. I came here because I could afford it. Because God provided. I am so eternally indebted to these people who I don't know. God, you are good.

The second thing that struck me was that all of the guest speakers were mass communicators. What that means is that God is working in Biola's MCOM department. He's made the administrators of this event, and the administrators of this school, passionate about the power of the mass media that I'm going into. He's moving in the industry, and Christians positioned there can have a huge impact on their world from the platform.

I guess what I got out of the whole thing (besides a a fancy meal and that cool pic) is a sense of how I'm so small--if I'm successful, I am because of these hundreds of donors who fund my education. If I reach my potential and do great things, it's going to benefit so much more than myself. If any lives are changed as a result of what I do, it's because God is working.

What a terribly glorious responsibility we have. We have the duty to make our lives count in a kingdom sense. It makes me want to work so hard, so zealously. I don't want to waste these years, and I don't want to let down my side of the deal, which is to be a faithful steward of what God has given me.