Katie Maynard had a pretty good excuse for having to miss her classes and Massachusetts Maritime’s women’s soccer match at Pine Manor last Wednesday afternoon (October 13^th).

You see, she had a meeting with the President.

No, not the Academy’s President, Admiral Rick Gurnon.

The President.  As in President Barack Obama, as in the President of the United States, as in the leader of the free world.

Yeah, that President.

Maynard, a senior co-captain for the Buccaneers majoring in Marine Engineering, was invited along with her entire family, including parents Phil and Joanne, older brother Greg and her twin sister Elizabeth by the White House for a meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office with two other families who had benefitted greatly from the American Opportunity Tax Credit (better known as the “tax credit for education”).  The Maynards, who reside in Chelmsford, Mass., were all able to attend higher education institutions through the American Opportunity Tax Credit, as families can receive up to $2,500 per year to cover the costs of tuition, books and other expenses. Greg is a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Elizabeth will earn her degree from UMass this coming spring, and the President spoke with all three families privately about the impact that the American Opportunity Tax Credit has had on them.

The Maynards were selected through the efforts of the White House staff and the United States Public Interest Research Group, as Katie’s brother Greg is employed by the latter.

“It was an amazing and unbelievable experience,” Katie said of her whirlwind trip to Washington.  “My mom received a call from the White House staff on Monday asking if we would all be available to fly down and meet with the President on Wednesday.  Nothing was confirmed until early Tuesday afternoon, and when my mom called to tell me, I e-mailed my professors and called my coach (Christine McCarey) to let them know I wouldn’t be on campus Wednesday.”

McCarey laughed that it was a first in her career as a coach to receive such a message.

“It’s not every day that an athlete comes in to tell their coach that they have to miss a game because they’re meeting with the President of the United States,” she said.  “I can only imagine what the experience was like for Katie and her family—this was an absolute once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I know she will remember forever.”

The day didn’t end with the Oval Office visit.  President Obama invited all three families out to the Rose Garden for a press conference to speak about his future plans for the American Opportunity Tax Credit. 

And standing immediately to the left of the President in the background the entire time, wearing her black Maritime uniform?  Katie Maynard—with the biggest smile imaginable.

“It’s kind of surreal to think that I’m standing directly in back of the President of the United States as he is addressing the world,” Katie said. 

Maynard described the Commander in Chief as “engaging, respectful and extremely kind” during their visit, both in the Oval Office and during the press conference in the Rose Garden.

There are moments in the sun, and then there are moments that the Maynard family experienced last Wednesday afternoon.  The impression that the President made on them was lasting, and the message delivered was one that resonates for all college students across the nation.

“President Obama is really dedicated to education at all levels, and to be able to share with him the experiences that I’ve had at the Academy was very special,” Katie said.

As for her classes?  No problem.  As for her team’s match at Pine Manor?  The Buccaneers won one for their captain, 5-0, and in the process set a school record for victories in a season in just the third varsity campaign for the program, one in which Maynard, who also plays softball at Massachusetts Maritime, has played a large role in building.

And, appropriately, McCarey extended something to her captain for her career-long efforts:

“All the credit in the world.”

(To view Katie’s appearance with President Obama at the Rose Garden press conference, log-on to www.mmabucs.com and go to the Bucs Video link on the right hand column)