A KU junior is gearing up to attend the inauguration of the 44th president in January as a University Presidential Inaugural Scholar.

Meagan Siobhan Kiser, Golden, Colo., majoring in physical therapy and sports medicine in the School of Education, is one of 5,000 scholars selected to participate in the five-day University Presidential Inauguration Conference in Washington, D.C. She is the daughter of Randal and Paula Kiser and a graduate of Monarch High School in Louisville, Colo.

Kiser said she is looking forward to the conference and prepared for it simply by casting her vote on Election Day.

Kiser became eligible for the conference after she attended the summer 2005 National Youth Leadership Forum for Medicine in Washington, D.C. Only students who had participated in the National Youth Leadership Forum, the Congressional Youth Leaders Council or the International Scholar Laureate Program were eligible to apply for the conference. Alumni of these programs have met academic requirements and have demonstrated leadership qualities that make them eligible to participate in the inauguration.

A gymnast, Kiser was a member of the KU cheerleading squad during her freshman year. Her interest in physical therapy stems from her positive encounters as a patient recuperating from injuries sustained in gymnastics. She chose KU because it offered a degree in her field of interest and an opportunity to join the cheerleading squad.

Kiser is working this semester as a teaching assistant in a human anatomy lab directed by David S. McLeod, lecturer in ecology and evolutionary biology. Last year, she worked as a teaching assistant in a biology lab. The labs are part of basic science courses required of students seeking degrees in health, sport and exercise science.

Presidential Inaugural Scholars attend the inauguration ceremony, the inaugural parade and a black tie gala ball. Keynote speakers include Gen. Colin L. Powell, former secretary of state and founder of the America’s Promise Alliance; Al Gore, former U.S. vice president and Nobel Peace Prize winner; and Eric Weihenmayer, filmmaker, mountaineer and author of "Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man’s Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See."