Caleb Laieski said it was difficult to put his emotions into words after his first trip to Washington D.C. After all, it included a trip to the White House, where he was among President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and then to the U.S. Capitol, where he met with several congressman and members of the Senate.
Not a bad little trip for a 16-year-old.
Laieski, who lives in Phoenix, is gay and left his high school after enduring bullying. (He has since earned his GED.) He attended the Conference on Bullying March 10 in Washington, D.C. Laieski, who founded and now serves as the executive director for Gays and Lesbians United Against Discrimination (GLUAD), was personally invited to the conference by the White House; Equality Arizona sponsored his three-day trip.
"I was very honored and of course, excited," when invited, Laieski said. "At the start of the conference, we had remarks by the president and first ladyand I really liked how they didn't only speak on behalf of the president and first lady, but as parents. Following the opening remarks, participants were put into break-out groups." Laieski was assigned to the cyber bullying session.
"While I didn't have the opportunity to speak one on one with the president or first lady, it was an honor to even be near them," he said. "I did have the chance to meet several of his top administrators.
"The participants were very active. The White House didn't only listen, but asked follow-up questions. It was all just amazing."
Will the conference help?
It undoubtedly will, said Laieski: "Not only did the White House gain a lot of insight, I think the participants did as well."
Laieski, who will soon enroll in college, founded GLUAD in 2008. He has a few volunteers helping him from time to time, but mostly he and Director of Outreach Casey Cameron, of Chicago, run it.
Laieski said it was "hard to believe" that the White House was actually reaching out to him to attend.
"I was there more on behalf of the youth [as opposed to just for GLUAD, but] brought up the founding of GLUAD [as a] result of my experiences," he said.
Laieski said the biggest surprise from the day was simply being in the White House.
His trip also included a visit to the Capitol, where he spoke with Reps. Jared Polis, D-Colo.; Ed Pastor, D-Ariz.; and David Schwiekert, R-Ariz., and staff within other members' offices.