Moon Township, Pa. -- When Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, an RMU student will be there to witness history.

Jennifer Ritter, a junior accounting major and member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, is in Washington, D.C., for the University Presidential Inaugural Conference.

“I’m actually excited just to see the White House in person,” Ritter said. “This is the first time I’ve been able to visit Washington, and I get to see an inauguration.”

The five-day conference is organized by the National Youth Leadership Forum and includes keynote speeches by Gen. Colin Powell and Nobel Prize winner Al Gore. Ritter said she also is looking forward to a politics workshop with famous pundits James Carville and Mary Matalin.

A graduate of Baldwin High School, Ritter traveled to Ireland on a study trip through Robert Morris University and is planning to visit London on another university trip this spring. She is a member of the RMU chapter of the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society and has been on the dean’s list each semester.

Ritter said she bought a new red silk dress for the conference’s black tie gala, and hopes Obama makes an appearance at the event.