On November 3, 2016, my university, the University of North Florida, had the incredible honor of having President Barack Obama come and speak about the upcoming election in our arena. This was an announcement made three days before the event, and boy, did the school go into a frenzy.
Tickets were being passed out for two days, and over 1,000 students lined up to get one. You could have also RSVP'd online through Hillary Clinton's site, but neither were guaranteed admission. It was first come, first serve, which meant if you wanted to see him, you had to get there early.
My roommate and I got up at 8:30 a.m. and were in line by 9:30 a.m. and by that time, the line was circling around the Student Wellness Complex and down the road. People had been there since about 7 a.m., and there were rumors that some even camped outside the arena all night to make sure they were the first ones in. There were people from all over Jacksonville in line, some with small children, some who were elderly, some who had been waiting their entire lives to see an African American president. While the doors were supposed to open at noon and he was supposed to speak at 1:30 p.m., it was delayed by quite a bit. After waiting five hours in line, we finally entered, sat, and waited for our president to speak.
The arena was decorated with flags, signs that encouraged people to vote early, and tons of media outlets. The president of the UNF Feminist Club came out and spoke about her experience and emotions on voting for the first woman to run for president. After, she introduced Barack Obama, and in that moment, no matter who anyone was voting for, the arena exploded with applause and excitement.
When Barack Obama first ran in 2008, I was only 11 years old, far from being an eligible voter, but I hoped and prayed he became our president. He was kind, genuinely cared for the American people, and felt that we achieve more when we stand together. During the 2012 election, I was 15 years old, still too young to vote, but I encouraged everyone who was able to vote to choose him for a second term. He may not have been the absolute greatest president we've ever had, but he did more good than harm, and he tried his hardest to better this country.
Seeing him come out on stage, I almost broke into tears. I was seeing the first African American president we've ever had. Some people had waited their entire lives to see him. There were small children who looked up to him, and thought that if he could do it, they could do it too. I looked up to him in the same way. All I could think was, "I hope I get to be him someday."
He spoke about his time in the presidency, the successes and hardships that he had faced, and what is at stake in this coming election. He spoke on behalf of Clinton, calling her "the most qualified person to ever run for this position." He encouraged everyone that the only way we make our voices heard is to vote. He spoke for about an hour, and it was an hour that changed my life. He even did the famous swoop UNF has, and every student's day was made.
Whether students liked him as a president or not, and whether or not they were voting for Clinton, many said it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see our sitting president speak, and at our school, nonetheless. Our university has about 16,000 undergraduate students, and a smaller campus than many of Florida's popular universities. For the President of the United States to choose Jacksonville, and to choose our arena out of any other place here to speak, we were honored and thankful that he recognized us as a great higher education institution, and in my personal opinion, I think it'll make the public and students around the state, and even around the country, look at us as a respected place of learning.
After eight long years, I will be sad to see him leave office, as he was the best president he could possibly be. But, I am still eternally grateful for everything he has done for our troops, veterans, youth, and people without healthcare. I hope whoever becomes president continues the progress he has made, and still believes in his first campaign slogan, "Yes, We Can."
