BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — Before chaos broke out Wednesday at the Capitol, Congress was in the middle of counting electoral votes from the election.
Those votes were stored in boxes and carried with care before the session began. One of those that helped carry them in was a teen from Blount County, 19-year-old Abigail 'Abbie' Cate.
Her family now resides in Williamson County. Cate graduated from Brentwood High School and currently is a junior at George Washington University in Washington D.C.
Cate, better known as Abbie, has always had her sights set on Washington D.C, according to her parents Mark and Cathy.
"Back when Hillary Clinton ran for president the first time she got mad and we said why are you mad and she said because I want to be president, the first woman president," said her father.
In high school, Cate landed the position of a senate page, and this year she held a similar position.
On Wednesday she was assigned to carry the electoral college votes during a historic day. In the boxes was the final piece of a long process to certify the presidential election.
"Knowing that she was going to be able to participate was historical in nature," said her father.
When rioters breached the Capitol, her parents watched anxiously from hundreds of miles away in Brentwood, Tennessee.
"We got a text from her from a different phone number maybe 30 minutes later that just said 'I am okay, we are in a safe place and I’ll call you later,'" said her mother.
"She told us probably the starkest moment was when the SWAT team came into the senate chambers and said we have to evacuate you," said her father.
In the midst of chaos, Abbie had to quickly evacuate. Her parents said a senator was there to help.
"Senator Ernst from Iowa grabbed her by the hand and took her and hugged her and took her and escorted her as they were all evacuating," her father said.
At the same time, senate parliamentarians took the boxes to safety.
Her parents said that they are proud of her accomplishments and hope she continues to follow her dream in politics and public policy.
"It's a pretty profound moment for anyone, especially a 19-year-old," said her father.