Eight California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) students got a center stage seat at the California Democratic Party’s nationally televised 2019 Presidential Forum on Nov. 16.
Hosted by Univision, the forum was part of the party’s Fall Endorsing Convention that took place November 15-17 at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. Among the presidential hopefuls who participated in the two-hour event were U.S. Senators Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar, and Cory Booker; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro; billionaire activist Tom Steyer; and lawyer and philanthropist Andrew Yang. Each candidate field questioned from Univision journalists and audience members.
Univision approached CSUDH Government and Community Relations Office with an invitation for students to be among the few dozen people seated on stage during the forum. Along with experiencing a part of the campaigning process first-hand and representing CSUDH on a national level, the students were able to have personal interactions with the presidential candidates before the forum began.
“Being on that stage made me realize the unique opportunities that are available for CSUDH students,” said theatre arts major Jonny Martinez. “The most rewarding thing about the forum was being able to interact with each candidate as they walked off stage. I was able to experience their true personalities off camera.”
