Lyndon B. Johnson: An Inspiration Essay

Recently, I had the opportunity to be a â€Å"Presidential Classroom† student in which I attending a two week forum in Washington D.C. While there, I was awarded the opportunity to meet with a multitude of public officials and to discuss domestic and foreign policy with students from across the nation. While in Washington D.C., it is clear the city has not forgotten its history as images of past presidents adorn many walls. When looking at the pictures past presidents, there is one president who does not appear as prominently as other. That president is Lyndon B. Johnson, a former president whose legacy influences me a great deal. Johnson was one of the most care-giving of all the presidents as his Great Society concept provided a variety of social programs with the intention of eliminating wide scale poverty in the United States. Sadly, President Johnson’s original plans for the Great Society were curtailed by the escalation of the Vietnam War, but several aspects of the Great Society did survive and remain helpful to many people in the United States to this very day. This is among the noblest goal that a president could seek and remains a goal that resonates a great deal with me today and had so in the past as it guided me on my academic and scholastic path. In my senior year, I served as one of the 12 International Ambassadors at Poly High School. The purpose of the Ambassadors is to represent the various ethnic groups at the school. This was the most prestigious of the school civics positions and is reserved for members of the senior class who have achieved high academic standards and a willingness to represent the needs of the numerous groups that make up the student body. Again, Lyndon Johnson remained a major influence on me as I served in this position. When Johnson first entered congress, he sought to fairly represent the poor Texas towns that sent him to Washington as a representative. Often times, the needs of the people in poor, rural Texas towns were often neglected. This was not because there Admission Essay was anything set in place to exclude these people; it was that they did not have any providing a voice for them. Johnson eschewed seeking the interests of the big money lobbies and stuck to his convictions and early promises. Johnson drove a great deal of legislation through congress that aided these people and, when elected to the office of the president, Johnson used a great deal of his experience helping people in the rural town to successfully draft the famous Civil Rights Act of 1964. As an International Ambassador, it was easy to see how certain voices could be overlooked. When reading about Lyndon Johnson’s successful exploits serving his constituency, I was inspired by the fact that he showed a voice could be heard if there is effective help. Many students have serious concerns, but are either unaware of as to how to have their voice heard or are too intimidated to initiate a dialogue. Considering that President Johnson provided a voice for the many people, I would frequently review his past deeds as a way of understanding the skills required to perform such tasks. As such, President Johnson was then and remains today, a huge influence on my life.