By: Symone Gosby, Student Ambassador, USA Pavilion 2012

July 4th was a very productive and busy day at Expo 2012. It was not only Independence Day in the U.S., but also appropriately the USA’s National Day at Expo 2012. The celebration began in the morning with speeches from USA Pavilion Chief Spokesperson Philippe Cousteau, the head of the USA Presidential Delegation, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco as well as cultural performances by Harvard University’s a cappella group the Krokodiloes and the United States Eighth Army Band. Usually, each nation follows a certain schedule for their national day　opening ceremony. However, the USA Pavilion switched it up a little. Two, rather than one, representatives gave speeches that reiterated the themes of the Expo and the USA Pavilion. What I also appreciated from the opening ceremony was how the U.S. Student Ambassadors, an important part of our Pavilion, were invited to introduce and announce the speakers and performers. I was honored to be one of the six Student Ambassadors chosen to do this task. Although public speaking is not one of my strong points, and I am still an intermediate speaker of Korean, I wanted to do it in order to give back to the USA Pavilion team for giving me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Working as a Student Ambassador, I’ve not only increased my Korean language skills, but have also learned more about myself.

In the evening, the USA Pavilion held a reception where representatives from other pavilions joined us in celebrating the U.S.’s national day. It was a special occasion because it’s not every day you find yourself in a room with 200+ people who come from over 50 countries. The reception hall was filled with drinks and food that Americans enjoy, especially during the 4th of July. Although I usually don’t eat hamburgers and hotdogs, just seeing that kind of food made me a tiny-bit homesick. This has been the first 4th of July where I have not gone downtown to the White House or Washington Memorial with my mother and watched the fireworks. Although I wasn’t able to spend this holiday with my family, this once-in-a-lifetime experience made it an unforgettable 4th of July, fireworks or not.