About 50 people took time out of their day to sit in Cardinal Hall and watch President Barack Obama swear into the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon.
No one in attendance was prouder than Ball State University soccer coach Michael Lovett.
Lovett, one of two black coaches at Ball State, said Obama's inauguration was a historic moment for all who live in the United States. But for blacks and other minorities, Lovett said, it's the beginning of a new era.
"Up until this day, life was born with limitations for minorities in this country," Lovett said. "It was just kind of accepted. That was culture, that was life. You didn't have to agree with it - just like anything else in life - but you had to accept it. ... Just to see and to know that this has come true, life doesn't have to have limitations anymore."
Lovett looked forward to this Inauguration Day for more than two months. However, until he saw Obama place his hand on the Bible and take the Presidential Oath of Office, he said he failed to grasp the magnitude of the situation.
"I just kind of took a breath my wife and I looked at each other like, 'Wow, this is real,'" Lovett said.
Despite the history of the day, Lovett knows Obama's presidency won't automatically solve the issues in the world.
But when asked what this Inauguration Day does for the future, Lovett took a page from the President's quote book.
"There's hope," Lovett says. "... I hope that they can back up what they say and provide for America the assistances we need, the new programs that we need and that Americans are willing to make the sacrifices it will take to rebuild our country."
Click here to see Michael Lovett's full interview on the inauguration of President Barack Obama
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