By Bob Romantic
GCU News Bureau
Shica Little was reading a story Wednesday about the magnitude of President Barack Obama’s Inaugural Ball when it hit her:
The GCU online professor has tickets to the momentous occasion Monday night in Washington, D.C., and she couldn’t be more excited.
“After reading that story, I didn’t fall sleep until 6 a.m.,” Little said on Thursday. “I stayed up all night to plan the trip and make sure I had the right dress. I can’t wait to go.”
This won’t be the first time Little has rubbed elbows with the president. The education professor got a chance to meet Obama in March at an event in Atlanta because she had raised $55,000 for his campaign in less than three weeks – a story that GCU Today chronicled here.
Those connections also helped Little obtain tickets for the Inaugural Ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Mount Vernon Square.
“It’s a hard ticket to get,” Little said, “so I feel very proud that I have two tickets for myself and my husband (Michael).”
There are just two official inaugural balls that the president and first lady will attend Monday, down from 10 during his first go-around in 2009. One is the Commander-In-Chief’s Ball, started by former President George W. Bush, which is for members of the U.S. military. The Inaugural Ball is open to the general public.
That has made tickets for the Inaugural Ball a hot item for scalpers. One ticket broker agency, greatseats.com, is selling the $60 tickets for $1,649.
The thought of pocketing about $3,300 for her pair of tickets never crossed Little’s mind.
“I didn’t realize how big a ticket it is,” Little said. “There will be celebrities there. Katy Perry will perform. And the president and first lady will be there.
“I’d be absolutely crazy not to attend the event of a lifetime when I have the opportunity to do that.”
Contact Bob Romantic at 639.7611 or [email protected].
