It was an early morning for myself and the rest of the UDK news team assigned to cover the President’s speech. I woke up at 5 a.m. for the 45 minute drive to Claycomo, Mo., where just eight hours later, I would no longer wonder what Barack Obama’s voice sounds like in person.

The day was a blur. We spent those hours waiting for a speech that took maybe 30 minutes. Barack Obama walked onto the stage in a blue button-down shirt and presidential navy tie which almost blended with the shades of industrial gray of the warehouse. iPhone cameras flashed (my own included) as he smiled and approached the podium. The first few words that echoed in the gray over the amplified microphone mesmerized me before duty snapped me back to reality.

I sat down and started typing. I looked up when he was done, but he had already descended from the stage and had disappeared once more.