‘Surreal Event’: Liberty Campus Student Attends State of the Union Address

First-year student Jaiden Thompson was Congressman Buddy Carter’s guest at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address in February.

“The event was surreal,” said Thompson, a student on the Liberty Campus. “I remember watching past State of the Union addresses on the television with my grandfather, so seeing them in person was mind-blowing.”

Thompson and her mother watched the annual address from a balcony seat in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol.

“I had so much fun with Buddy Carter,” said the business administration major. “He introduced me to many other representatives and members of Congress. I also got to attend two receptions with him and my mother in a beautiful room on Capitol Hill filled with other representatives and their guests.”

Thompson caught Carter’s attention when she was honored as a Gold Award Girl Scout in 2019. It is the highest award for a senior Girl Scout. Thompson, a Girl Scout in Hinesville, Georgia, for 13 years, was honored for her outreach work, which included the project Community of Care.

“My project was geared toward helping those who were in need of personal hygiene items and school supplies and blossomed into the school uniforms closet and a prize room,” she said.