(Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman speaks during the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images))
Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman captivated Americans Wednesday with her poem “The Hill We Climb,” solidifying a moment of needed unity among everyone in the nation.
The 22-year-old became the youngest poet to perform at a presidential inauguration with her poem dedicated to hope, unity and healing, she said in an interview with Anderson Cooper.
“There is always light,” Gorman said during her performance. “If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
The California native and author has become a viral sensation and household name, gaining more than 1 millions Twitter followers since Wednesday’s historic inauguration.
Gorman even caught the attention of Morgan State University President David Wilson who offered her a job at the historically Black institution.
“Ms. Gorman, I need you as our Poet-in-Residence at the National Treasure, @MorganStateU,” Wilson tweeted.
Former teachers of Gorman weren’t surprised to hear she’d been chosen to perform at the inauguration. Alexandra Gazzaniga Padilla, Gorman’s 10th-grade teacher, said it was always clear that Gorman could achieve anything she put her mind to.
“It’s almost like we needed Amanda to be the poet,” Padilla said, according to The Lily.
Gorman, a Harvard alum, has often said that she plans to run for president in 2036, the first year she’ll be eligible. She also alluded to her presidential ambitions in her inaugural poem.
“I don’t know exactly what path she’ll take to the presidency, Padilla said, according to The Lily. “But I have no doubt she’ll find a way.”
Gorman has exhibited great talent since she was young. As soon as she learned the alphabet as a child, she always kept a pen and paper nearby, said Gorman’s grandmother Villirie Harmon to FOX 32 Chicago.
“The greatest thing to me is that Amanda delivered a message of hope and unity for our nation,” Harmon said. “I was absolutely thrilled that my granddaughter was able to usher in a new era in our nation.”
Cooper, who was left speechless by Gorman during a CNN interview, asked “President Gorman has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does,” she said. “Madam President Gorman, I like the sound of that.”
Gorman’s two yet-to-be released books, “The Hill We Climb: Poems,” and “Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem,” are already on Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s best sellers lists, she tweeted.