Howard band members still marching with pride after inauguration A Howard University graduate from Atlanta remembers the historic inauguration of Vice President Kamala Harris. WASHINGTON, D.C. - It was the moment drummer A.J. Orea has been dreaming about since elementary school--one he envisioned over and over again during his years at Atlanta's Westlake High School. "I was more so excited than anything because this is a performance that I have dreamed about doing for years ever since I saw Howard perform in Obama's inauguration back in 2009," said Orea, a Sophomore who is majoring in Mechanical Engineering. The Atlanta native couldn't have imagined his Inaugural Parade debut would come with the pride of escorting Howard University graduate Kamala Harris after she was sworn in as the nation's first female Vice President. Harris graduated from the historically Black university in 1986 with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Economics.