Students get VIP treatment on #DMUglobal trip - and a wave from the President!

Students got a wave from President Obama and quizzed lobbyists about the Presidential election during a whistle-stop tour of Washington.

Politics and History students from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) were able to deepen their understanding of the American political system thanks to the #DMUglobal opportunity led by Dr Clodagh Harrington.



Dr Harrington, senior lecturer in American Politics, even arranged for the group to have a special tour of the White House during their stay – something not available to tourists.

The students were also able to visit the Supreme Court, Arlington Memorial and the Pentagon as well as meeting business lobbyist at “America’s Main Street”, Pennsylvania Avenue and hearing a Congressman at the Senate.

Dr Harrington said: “They appreciated the fact they were getting to do stuff which was a bit of a one-off.

“There was a palpable sense of excitement around the Presidential election – it was interesting that whomever we spoke to, the conversation inevitably turned to Donald Trump. We met a lobbyist who was very candid and admitted the private sector had ‘no idea’ how to deal with Trump and how unsettling it was.

“I think trips like this bring the course to life. We were able to have a lot of discussions and debates from the trips and they were all very enthusiastic and engaged.
Having these conversations when we are physically there, rather than in the classroom s much more engaging.  They got a lot out of it.”

Dr Harrington said one very special moment came when they were walking from the Supreme Court. “Obama was in the motorcade and there was almost no-one around. He waved at us and it was a real ‘Oh My God’ moment for all of us.”

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History students Toby Crowe and Adam Keys went on the study trip and both said they had a “brilliant” experience.

Toby said: “We got to do a lot of things that tourists would not normally do – when we went to the White House we spoke to people who’d be trying to visit for two years and we were walking right past them!”

“We spoke to people about their thoughts on the presidential election and we got an insight that you would not have reading the coverage in this country,” said Adam.  “It was an amazing experience.”

The students got a chance to put their new-found knowledge and experience into practice at their exams last week.