Enrique Arroyo

Enrique Arroyo has been waiting since 6 a.m.

Arroyo received a graduate degree from USC in 2001, and he wanted to be sure he had a front-row place to see the president at his alma mater.

He said he is hopeful about the second half of Obama's term. "He's doing a great job with what he's got, and I think he's gonna make strides in the second part of his term."

Rosalyn Jones

Rosalyn Jones left La Canada at 6:30 and was in line by 8.

"The man is so inspiring. He's done so much and he doesn't get appreciated, and I wanted to show my appreciation today."

Jones, a nurse, said healthcare reform is one of the main reasons she still supports Obama and his administration. "I see every day people fighting for health insurance,I see the insurance companies making more profits, I see our poor going without healthcare, and that really is a painful thing to deal with."

Erica Silva

Erica Silva is a USC political science student who arrived at USC at 5:45 a.m. and waited in line for nearly six hours.

"I thought this was a once in a lifetime opportunity," she said. "I wanted to support the races and the president."

Carole Garland

Carole Garland, who had been waiting since 9:30 a.m., said she thinks Obama needs to do a better job at spreading the message about his policies.

"The White House needs to get a better public relations person, because they're doing all this hard work, they're passing legislation, and instead of getting kudos for it, they're being blamed for it."

Reza, last name withheld

Reza, who asked that we not use his last name, is an Iranian student at USC studying electrical engineering. He had been waiting since 8 a.m.

"This is the first rally I'm seeing, and I just wanted to see how these rallies work." He likes Obama because he's smart, and because he thinks his policies are generally good for U.S. citizens (which Reza is not.) However, he thinks Obama's policies on Iran leave something to be desired. "I think sanctions put pressure on the people, not on the government."

Shelby Simms

Shelby Simms is a USC sophomore studying international relations. She and her friends arrived late, at about 9:45, and were surprised they were so close.

Simms said she's sympathetic that some of Obama's policies haven't gone over well with Republicans.

"I feel like his situation is overwhelming, so he's been having to cover a lot of ground."