Pittsburgh-area carpenter invited to State of the Union address as guest of First Lady Jill Biden
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - At the Carpenters Pittsburgh Training Center near Robinson on Saturday, Samantha Ervin-Upsher was still buzzing from the excitement of being invited to Thursday's State of the Union in Washington.
"I have still been trying to put it into words about how I feel. I don't feel real," she said.
Although Ervin-Upsher met the First Lady in July when Dr. Biden came to see the work on the new terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport, Ervin-Upsher says that she almost missed this surreal experience of going to the State of the Union, mainly because she thought the phone calls she was getting from D.C. last week were spam.
"I didn't think they were real," Ervin-Upsher joked. "I thought they were spam. Anytime I answer a number I don't know, it's usually someone calling about a car's extended warranty or asking to donate, so I am like, 'No, I am not in the mood. I am not going to answer.'"
Of course, she eventually did pick up and jumped at the opportunity to be a guest of the First Lady, with several other tradespeople.
Though she wasn't allowed to have her phone at the event, Ervin-Upsher said she did get a chance to meet and speak with the First Lady and President Biden. She is still waiting for the official White House photos that were taken with them to arrive.
Overall, Ervin-Upsher says it was an honor to represent carpenters and her union; and the event, she said, while surreal, was overall comforting.
"It made me feel at comfort to be there," said Ervin-Upsher. "It is different watching it at home. You know, he's talking to you, but to be there, he's actually talking to you! To hear how he felt and the points that he made about buying back American and building American. I had chills all night. To be there, and to be the representation of what he is talking about, just overwhelming, really."