During the two-week academy, Khalil was one of 100 students from around the country who learned about history by visiting historical places, including the Library of Congress.

From June 29 through July 11, Khalil joined 99 other students from around the country at the 2008 Congressional Academy in Washington, D.C., to explore a more in-depth view of American history through class discussions and visiting monuments.

“I came away from the trip enjoying history for the first time - I never enjoyed history before,” Khalil, 17, said. “It also gave me perspective on America, past and present.”

Each day of the academy started out with a common session, where a professor lectured to the group of 100 students about some aspect of American history. At the end of the lecture, Khalil said the professor would leave the students with a question about the topic and the students would break into four groups to further explore the subject.

Then, depending on the day’s itinerary, the students participated in at least two or three class meetings each day.

“These were more like conversation-type classes, more about theories and the philosophy behind things,” Khalil said.

They studied the Founding Fathers, the Civil War and other events from the 1800s and 1900s - including the Civil Rights Movement - during the classes.

On several days, the groups would travel to different historical locations and visit monuments. They took day trips to Gettysburg and Philadelphia, and went to the U.S. Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Lincoln Memorial and other memorials.

Khalil said not only did he learn about American history, but he also became involved in discussions with students his own age from around the country.

“I got their perspective on present day issues,” Khalil said. “It was interesting.”

Although Khalil was born in Ohio, he spent the first three years of his high school career in Australia before returning to Michigan last December. As a result, he said he was naive about American history and looked into the Congressional Academy after hearing about it from his teacher. Khalil applied, writing a 750-word essay, and was chosen as one out of 658 high school juniors from around the country who applied.

After completing his senior year at SHHS this year, Khalil plans to stay in Michigan and attend the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and possibly attend graduate school out of state. Khalil is interested in pursuing a political science degree, but he said he also enjoys math and science.