It was an earlier morning than usual for many University of Colorado students today, as hundreds filed onto the Norlin Quad to pick up their tickets to see President Barack Obama at a rally on Sunday.
Obama campaign volunteers began handing the tickets out at 10 a.m., but most of the people in line started their day much earlier.
Freshmen Samantha Vidal and Nicholas Lacomb had to sit out on the Norlin Quad at 5 a.m. to secure the first spots in line, but they said it was well worth it to see Obama speak.
"I want to take advantage of the opportunity to see the president," Vidal said. "I'm pretty sold on voting for him, so I really want to support him and find other people who share my opinions and have the same interests."
Lacomb said he is still undecided on who he will be voting for in November.
"I just want to hear what he has to say," he said.
Many of the people in line were CU freshmen who will be voting in their first ever election, and many were excited about the chance to get to see one of the candidates in person.
"He has a reputation as a really good speaker, so I want to see how he handles himself," said freshman Griffin Midler.
Ryan Noble said he was waiting in line at 8:45 a.m. even though he didn't have any classes scheduled that day.
"It's why I got out of bed this morning," he said.
While many were seeing Obama for the first time, others were back for more after seeing the president speak about student loans at the Coors Events Center on campus in April.
"The last time he was here it was to talk about student loans, so this time I hope his speech is more geared toward the campaign," said freshman Jonathan Cooper, who skipped his high school classes in Longmont to see Obama in April. "It's really, really cool he's coming again."
Senior Hunter Coohill also saw Obama in April, but as a "big Democrat," he said he was looking forward to an encore.
"I hope he comes back whenever he wants," he said. "He's an excellent speaker and I want to hear what he has to say."
Fellow seniors Ember Patterson, Becca Manning and Taylor Meyers all said Obama's speaking prowess was the reason they were attending.
"I love to watch him on TV, but I've never seen him in person," Manning said. "I just like to hear him talk."
Added Meyers, "It's historic being here. I want to be able to say I was there watching."
It wasn't just CU students who were excited to get their tickets to see the president. At an Obama campaign office on Pearl Street, Boulder resident Alexa Sander said she jumped on the chance to see the president after missing his April visit.
"I was disappointed last time, but I think that made me extra excited to have him come back," she said. "I think it's great we have the opportunity to see the him in Boulder where I live. I'm definitely looking forward to the atmosphere and all the excitement."
Margaret Peterson said she had heard good things from other people who saw Obama in person and wanted to experience it for herself.
"I want to see what he's like in person," she said. "I heard he's a really good speaker. I just thought it was something I should do."
Kiley McInroy, a recent CU graduate, said she and her friend were among the few students allowed to film Obama's April visit, and she was hoping to do the same at his Norlin speech so she could finish her video.
"We want to create something we can put online that will get students more involved," she said. "A lot of students say, 'Oh it doesn't matter, they are all puppets so I'm not going to vote.' We are using digital media and trying to get them to see Obama is different."
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