GW’s proximity to the White House was never more evident than the moment hundreds of students left Kogan Plaza and sprinted down Pennsylvania Avenue to Barack Obama’s future home.

Chanting “Yes we did!” “USA!” and “O-ba-ma!” they swarmed the gates with unrestrained energy at 11:30 p.m. As the nation’s eyes turned to Washington, the GW community was in full force, hugging one other, crowd surfing, singing and screaming together in front of major media outlets.

The crowd was primarily GW students even an hour later, after Georgetown and American arrived. Holding American flags and Obama banners, they turned toward the White House and sang, “Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey. Goodbye.”

“I just want to tell Bush and Republicans that young people are here, we care, and we just picked the new president,” said Alisha Bhagat, a sophomore.

As dozens of cars drove by honking, more people gathered near the White House from all over the city, and the celebration on Pennsylvania Avenue grew consistently larger. By about 12:30 a.m., the crowd had become more diverse, with people of all ages traveling to downtown D.C.

“It’s the most historic day so far in our lifetime,” said senior Lauren Winsten. “I’m going to remember this forever.”

Update: 2:30 a.m.: Most people, especially college students, have left the area near the White House. Park Police, MPD and Secret Service are keeping people in the middle of the road and away from the main gates.

– Jennifer Tchinnosian and Bryan Han contributed to this report.

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