The Oscars may still be weeks away, but for U.S. Army Sgt. Ashleigh Berg of Malibu, her award season started Tuesday evening thousands of miles from the Kodak Theatre.
Berg sat in the First Lady's Box at the 2012 State of the Union address.
"I was a little nervous at first, but definitely excited for sure," Berg said of hearing the news. "It feels like I just won an Oscar."
Berg, who has served two tours of duty in Iraq and is stationed in Fort Shafter, Hawaii, learned she was a finalist on Friday. The actual invite was extended on Saturday, although it sounds like the process started more than a year ago during Jill Biden's Fourth of July visit to Iraq.
Berg was among a group of soldiers dining with Dr. Biden.
"The whole table, they were all nervous about asking questions," Berg said. "All I could think of to ask was, 'I love your shoes. Where did you get them?'"
The mutual appreciation of the Second Lady's 5-inch heels -- described by Berg as "the cutest heels I've ever seen" -- sparked a conversation between the two.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
That authenticity, paired with her humility, are traits she planned to bring to the State of the Union on Tuesday night.
"Just to be myself, pretty much. I don't know what to expect. I was myself when I first met her, so I'm not going to change," Berg said.
Back home, there were plenty of friends and family watching President Barack Obama address the nation. Berg's mother and sister live in Thousand Oaks and her father and stepmother live in Malibu.
Unfortunately, her husband Sgt. Matthew Berg could not watch the show, as he is currently deployed in Afghanistan.
"He was speechless, too," Berg said. "My whole office was like, 'Who are you?'"
Berg wasn't the only SoCal native sitting alongside the First Lady. Juan Jose Redin, an attorney in North Hollywood, was also invited.
"I was a little bit shocked when I first got contacted Friday night," Redin said. "I thought it was a scam email at first. Once it hit me, I was very humbled and honored."
While Berg's story is one of service, Redin's invite was attributed to his passion for educational access.
"I was a beneficiary of the California version (of the federal Dream Act), AB540," Redin said. "If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have been able to attend university, financially wise. So I really owe some of my success to that."
Redin (pictured, right) moved to the United States from Mexico at the age of 10. Thanks to California's Assembly Bill 540, he was able to earn undergraduate and law degrees from UCLA.
For him, the invite was "just a little surreal."
"It's even more humbling to be invited among such great people," Redin said.
"The guests of the First Lady each have uniquely American stories to tell, and in many cases their stories highlight not only the challenges we've overcome, but some of the ways in which we can move forward together as a nation and create an America built to last," White House spokesman Adam Abrams said in a statement.
Follow NBCLA for the latest LA news, events and entertainment: Twitter: @NBCLA // Facebook: NBCLA
