Washington Semester student meets Vice President Kamala Harris
November 22, 2021
Isabel “Izzy” Mack’s internship in Washington, D.C. just got even more exciting on a Saturday morning trip to the Eastern Market, where she met Vice President Kamala Harris.
Mack, a senior, and her roommate went to Eastern Market, a public market in D.C.’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Mack described it as “a farmer’s market near the Capitol, with pop-up tents of local vendors with food, artwork and crafts.”
While in the warehouse building, Mack noticed a U.S. Secret Service member. As she continued walking, she saw another Secret Service member and noticed people taking pictures. That’s when she recognized Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Very few people knew she was there so there wasn’t a line of people trying to talk to her or anything,” Mack said. “Most people were walking right by without even recognizing it was her.”
I am still trying to wrap my head around that it happened ... It makes it more special that we ran into her somewhere, not where we got to meet her through an event. It was absolutely an amazing opportunity.
Isabel "Izzy" Mack '22
Mack waited for a perfect window to ask for a photo and then approached Harris saying, “I'm sorry, is there a chance we can get a photo with you?” Harris grabbed her arm, smiled and said she shouldn’t apologize, noting that as women “we should not apologize as much we do.” Harris’s assistant took the photo and afterwards, Mack said she thanked the vice president and told her she had a lot of respect for her.
“I am still trying to wrap my head around that it happened,” Mack said. “She was there to support local vendors; it wasn't the first time she has been there. It makes it more special that we ran into her somewhere, not where we got to meet her through an event. It was absolutely an amazing opportunity.”
Mack, a political science major with a concentration in legal studies, is one of 15 Roanoke College students participating in the Lutheran College Washington Semester program this fall. She is interning for Brett Parson Consulting, an organization that works with law enforcement and foundations that deal with hate crimes against the LGBTQ community. She is also interning at Lutheran Services in America, a health and human services non-profit. Mack also is a member of the Maroons women’s swim team.