Austin Woman Invited To Attend State Of The Union Address

EAST AUSTIN, TX -- An Austin Community College student has been invited to attend President Barack Obama’s last State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Jenny Bragdon will sit with first lady Michelle Obama in a gallery overlooking the U.S. House floor, the Austin American-Statesman reports. Bragdon, a 42-year-old student who was raised by a single mother, could have her personal narrative shared by the president in illustrating a particular point or cause given her presence there.

Bragdon was invited by Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, who she’s met once before during a education-related event in Austin.

Guests invited to sit with the First Lady--people overcoming struggle or performing heroic deeds--often are used during the SOTU address to dramatically illustrate a particular point.

Bragdon’s personal story yields fodder for this presidential technique.

Raised by a low-income single mother, Bragdon knew that college wasn’t a likely option. But having recently become a mother herself, she was inspired to enroll despite a 23-year absence from a classroom, she told the newspaper.

It was a daunting decision on her part, particularly because of a weakness in math she acknowledges.

The road to college has been bumpy, and rough terrain lies ahead. Bragdon is taking just one class per semester given that she and her husband both have full-time jobs.

Still, she hopes to eventually become a full-time student working toward a bachelor’s degree in order to become a schoolteacher.

Bragdon is one of two Austin residents invited to watch the SOTU address live.

Earl Smith, a Vietnam veteran who is now the director of security at the downtown Hyatt Hotel, also will sit in the First Lady’s box come Tuesday evening.

Smith met Obama back in 2007 when the then-senator was one of the presidential candidates participating in the Democratic debates staged at UT-Austin. He gave the president his 101st Airborne Division patch--a gift Obama tried to decline given its significance--before relenting at Smith’s insistence.

President Obama would carry that patch with him for the rest of the campaign toward his historic presidency.

Tuesday’s SOTU address will be broadcast Tuesday at 8 p.m. CST. It will be the final such address of Obama’s presidency as he winds down his second term in office.