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Commuters flooded in and out of Tenleytown station, ready to face a typical DC, muggy Monday morning. For me, however, the morning was decidedly atypical. Instead of hopping on the red line to CER’s Bethesda office, I took the train the opposite direction. I headed downtown to DC’s convention center for the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools Conference.

At the convention center, my fellow interns and I had a single task: to distribute tote bags stuffed with CER literature and charter-themed knick-knacks to attendees. The bags were not difficult to give away. In fact, we could barely distribute the bags quickly enough to meet the demand for the give-away (the bags were incredibly popular, in part due to their aesthetic value). My task gave me a unique opportunity, the opportunity to see first-hand the diversity represented at the conference. The attendees came from a wide array of backgrounds, from educators to reform advocates. They represented all corners of the United States. Furthermore they represented a diverse set of opinions present within the charter movement. The attendees were visibly excited, and I was too. Our excitement stemmed partly from being in the same building as Pitbull, a.k.a. Mr. Worldwide. But it was clear that everyone was most excited to meet other charter advocates and discuss the merits and pitfalls of today’s public education system. That excitement was created by the promise of diversity coming together to share ideas and experiences, to challenge and critically examine personal beliefs and opinions.

We spent the morning distributing tote bags to the diverse conference goers before taking a quick break to regroup. During the general session, Intern Tyler and I trekked upstairs to give totes to attendees as they left the session. Little did Intern Tyler and I know we were about to become partners-in-crime. As we were distributing the last of the totes, a conference coordinator came and informed us we were not authorized to distribute paraphernalia in the building. She quickly escorted us out of the building, but not before telling security to ensure we did not re-enter and taking a “watch out for these kids” picture (our first, and hopefully last, mug shot).

Barred from the convention center, Intern Tyler and I handed the few remaining bags over to CER staff before heading home. By this point in time, it had started raining. The weather reflected our disappointment to leave the enthusiastic atmosphere of the conference. But a single thought acted as a ray of sun through the clouds: that day advocates came together to share and debate charter ideas, encouraging the reform movement to progress further.

Macon Richardson is a rising senior at the University of North Carolina majoring in Political Science/ History. She is from Raleigh, NC and we are excited she is interning with the Center for Education Reform this summer.