5th Annual "Freedom Through My Eyes" Trip
This March, the Lakers and Lakers Youth Foundation continued their tradition as "champions on the court and in the community" by sponsoring a trip to Washington DC for winners of the fifth annual Lakers "Freedom Through My Eyes" Art/Essay Contest. The contest was open to all Los Angeles County middle school students, and challenged the students to explore their thoughts about freedom by writing an essay and creating an original piece of artwork. Congratulations to this year's winners: Natalie Geismar, Alexis Holman, Danielle Lindeman, Fatima Serrano and Annette Stawsky. The trip's highlights included tours to iconic national monuments like the White House, the Capitol Building, Washington Monument and Arlington National Cemetery, as well as unique Washington DC attractions like the Newseum and International Spy Museum. 
The winners began their first day in Washington DC, bright and early, with a visit the White House. In the self-guided tour, everyone was able to see the official and historical attractions while also hearing about the day-to-day domestic life of the Obama family. These details were especially interesting to our winners, who are all roughly the same ages as the President's two daughters. Next up was the Washington Monument, which offered panoramic views of the greater Washington DC area. This was followed by a tour of the US Capitol Building, graciously organized by the staff of Congressman Ed Markey. The evening brought one of the highlights of the tour, a twilight bus tour of Washington DC's many monuments, including: the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall, and Korean War Memorial. Each monument or memorial was particularly stunning when illuminated at night and that made for great photo opportunities.
The next day of sightseeing was filled with contrasts of the new and old. In the morning, the winners visited the somber and sacred grounds of Arlington National Cemetery, where over 300,000 American veterans are buried. In the afternoon, it was on to the newest major museum in Washington DC, the Newseum, a private museum that tells the story of our nation's historic events and culture through the lens and pen of the journalist. That evening, the group gathered for a delicious dinner and shared stories of what they had seen so far in our nation's capital.
On the final morning of the trip, the group visited Ford's Theatre to see the site of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Then it was on to the International Spy Museum, where the winners and their chaperones participated in Operation Spy, an hour-long role playing game in which the winners were asked to thwart a terrorist plot by using their powers of observation and logic. The group continued their winning tradition by successfully protecting our country!
The fifth annual Freedom Through My Eyes trip was a blast for all involved! The winners had a chance to see their nation's grand monuments, learn about the nation's history and view democracy in-action. Everyone brought back souvenirs, memories, and a greater perspective on all the challenges and sacrifices that are required to keep freedom alive.
