TCNJ

18 The College of New Jersey Magazine TM: Were there any situations that you could have never imagined, or could have only happened in this job? AW: There are so many. But for one example, I was on the ground floor of the White House, and everyone stopped. And I was like, "OK, what's happening? Something is happen- ing." It was a principal movement. Principal movements are when one of the four principals — the pres- ident, the VP, the first lady, or the second gentleman — is on the move. For security reasons, everyone holds or pauses, and we move away from the path to let the principal pass. TM: You mentioned Kenya earlier. Do you travel to cover international events with the president? AW: I go back and forth between covering the president, the first lady, or the White House in general. I am with the president more often domestically. A lot of my travel has been with the first lady. I've been to Paris with her. And then to Africa, 5 mainly Kenya and Namibia. We went there to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to supporting Africa, an initiative the president spoke about last year at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. We also went to Kajiado, a very remote village, and we saw the effects of a drought. And the first lady was on the front lines, advocating for support for water accessibility. TM: Do you fly on Air Force One? AW: I have been on Air Force One. 6 I flew with the president and the first lady to survey the devastation from the Maui wildfire. 7 The stakes were high. I had to cover it in a way that showed the importance of what was happening while being sensitive to and respecting the affected community. The president assured the community it would get the resources it needs, and he committed to speaking personally to everyone who wanted to talk. We were at one community event for hours where he did just that. The devastation was like nothing I had ever seen. And yet, what they call the "Aloha spirit" was still there. There was so much hope, so much joy, and so much resilience in spite of such loss. "You can see the work of this administration in the lives of people." 5 "Kenya was very special," says Watson. He met entrepreneurs and artists and worked alongside Kenyan photographers. 6 In addition to Air Force One, Watson has flown on Bright Star, which is the plane reserved for the first lady. 7 The visit to Lahaina, Hawaii, in August was the first time Watson covered a national disaster. 6 7 5

• Cover