Moulton House guest from Lynn

LYNN – Service to country is one of U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton’s priorities, and he will underscore that value tonight when he ushers Lynn resident Ludia Modi into the House of Representatives to hear President Obama deliver his State of the Union speech.”She represents my strong belief in the city of Lynn. She is fantastic and she is very excited to be attending,” Moulton said Monday.Modi, 22, lives in West Lynn and is taking part in a year of service with AmeriCorps, the national volunteer program, while she earns a master’s degree in nonprofit management at Northeastern University.She met Moulton Sunday after one of the congressman’s aides informed her that Moulton wanted her to be his guest when Obama addresses Congress and the nation. For Modi, the invitation is not just a chance to see the president in person and sit in the House chamber – it is also her first visit to Washington, D.C.”I’m overwhelmed – I’m excited and nervous all at once – in a positive way,” she said.Modi was born in Sierra Leone and her mother, Mary, and father, James, a United Nations worker, moved their family to the United States in 1999 as civil war spread through the West African nation. Modi attended Sacred Heart School, graduated St. Mary’s High School in 2010 and Regis College last year with a degree in public health.She started her AmeriCorps service year last September working with the Food Project, an organization Modi has been associated with since 2009. The Food Project plants and harvests farms and gardens in Beverly and Lynn. Modi said the organization is affiliated with AmeriCorps through the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship.”My role is to manage 17 youth members to teach them that everyone should have food access. I really like interacting with people from diverse backgrounds,” she said.Modi said her academic interests parallel her involvement with the Food Project and its emphasis on eliminating hunger and advocating for access to food as a “right, not a privilege.”Moulton, a Marine veteran who served four tours in Iraq, said service to the nation through volunteer programs such as AmeriCorps is important. State of the Union protocol allows members of Congress to invite a guest to the speech and Moulton’s aides contacted AmeriCorps in search of a volunteer who could represent Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District.Moulton, who will make sure Modi tours Washington and the U.S. Capitol, hopes Obama will speak with inspiration about his goals for 2015 and beyond.”We still want our president to be bold,” he said.