President Barack Obama delivered a 23-minute speech at the Los Angeles Trade Technical College on Thursday and, fortunate enough to have been given press credentials from a local newspaper, I happened to have a front row seat.

Now, I’ve seen plenty of this President over the six years since he’s taken office. In fact, he’s been the leader of the free world for over a third of my years on the planet. But my experience of Barack Hussein Obama has been limited to network and cable news coverage, selected YouTube clips and the occasional political Vine. It’s a similar sensation to what a pre-teen girl finds after listening to endless hours of Bieber on Pandora, Spotify and iTunes, but suddenly gets VIP tickets to a live show.

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Seeing the President in the flesh, in front of what was described by the White House Press Office as a “rowdy crowd,” one gets a glimpse at his oratorical gifts, as well as his ability to keep his cool in the twin heats of both a sizzling Los Angeles summer day and a simmering American electorate. For example, before the President could even begin his official remarks, he was harassed by a heckler, in an exchange that went something like this:

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, L.A.! Now, if you’ve got a seat, sit down. I know that a couple people have been getting overheated. A tip for you -- if you’ve got some water, then drink. Standing in the sun is rough. Bend your knees a little bit. And I'm going to try to be fast.

HECKLER: Jesus Christ, creator of heaven and the universe… (Inaudible.) You will be destroyed…

AUDIENCE: Boo…!

THE PRESIDENT: (To the audience.) That’s okay.

AUDIENCE: Obama! Obama! Obama!

THE PRESIDENT: Alright. (Applause.) Thank you. Now, I have to admit that I've actually met that guy before. (Laughter.) That was a couple of years ago, and he had the same line. He needs to update his material.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I love you!

THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. (Applause.)

“I love you back.” This guy’s a rock star, not a mere political wonk. During a week of tension in Israel and Gaza, Russia and the Ukraine, Syria and Libya, as well as the enduring domestic strains over immigration and the economy, President Obama managed to be humorous, energetic and even intimate.

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The speech was supposed to be about “job-driven skills training” and, as a rising senior in high school, I thought that his words on the subject might be relevant to me. Although, I have to admit, as someone set to embark on college applications, inevitable student loan debt and, eventually, a labor market notorious for its harsh treatment of young people, I doubted that his remarks could relieve my fears.

Yet, I found myself completely in awe, as I was swept away by the moment. The “Yes We Can” sentiment was very present, as were his commanding voice and charisma on stage. It seemed as if that ‘08 magic had never left, despite the frustration and cynicism associated with the six years since Obama took office.

“Cynicism is a choice, and hope is a better choice,” the President said.

The President of the United States said that on Thursday, as I stood 30 feet away with a sub-par camera around my neck and a dumb smile plastered on my face. I mean, if that’s not magic...

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I think that I, as well as others, forgot that this President of the United States is (and I choose the word carefully) an awesome presence, and that he’s real. Too often, we see him on television where we are disconnected by distractions in our living room and by the immediate slicing and dicing of his comments by critics and analysts. But for me, this wasn’t a televised sound bite. Not a political football thrown by a Democrat, pinned against the goal line by Republicans. There was no “expert” analysis. There was only the moment of anticipation, the immediate afterglow and the President himself.

We’ve all seen the people who have the audacity to heckle the most important man in the Western Hemisphere. To his face. So, for many, the President isn’t the prodigious figure he once was, when he was Abraham Lincoln or Franklin Delano Roosevelt or John F. Kennedy. No, the President of this millennium isn’t untouchable, as he is often disrespected and berated by the public.

Yet, on Thursday, after Obama brushed off the heckler with ease, he turned on the charm, as well as all of the other qualities of an unquestionable leader. To me, he was the inspiring, amiable, powerful and breathtaking man that we want our president to be. He was, quite simply, untouchable. He delivered encouraging reports of an expanding job market, the affordability of student loans and an anticipated increase in the minimum wage. He inspired his audience to put their energy toward keeping big American businesses in America, pushing for bipartisanship in Congress and the improvement of the job-training skills necessary for an ever-progressing world.

“And I’m always impressed by people who have the courage to go back to school, especially later in life,” he said.

In one sentence, he might have motivated millions to further his     exact goal of an educated work force. That’s pretty cool. And, though his visit to Los Angeles was merely a fundraising effort, the President made his remarks feel important, thereby making those of us in the audience feel the same.

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“We've got every reason to be optimistic about America. We hold all the best cards. We’ve got the best hand,” he said. “But the decisions we make now are going to determine whether or not working Americans continue to feel trapped, or whether they get ahead; whether the economic gains that we make just go to a few at the top, or they help to grow an economy and grow incomes and growing middle- opportunities for everybody.”

Sure, as a high-school journalist, I expected the opportunity to cover a speech exploring several vital issues of modern-day America to be thrilling. It was clearly going to be another facet of my own job-skills training, a bit of preparation for a possible future occupation. What I got, in addition, was the humbling experience of witnessing the President of the United States of America live, with no auto-tune.

I highly recommend it.

Jackson Prince is a senior at Beverly Hills High School and co-Editor-in-Chief of the school's news publication, Highlights. Contact Jackson here or follow him on Twitter.