Khadija Lewis raised her hands high in the air and clapped and cheered as Barack Obama took the stage at last night's Democratic National Convention.

"[Obama's] bringing change to the system. He's not doing it for himself, he's doing it for everyone," Lewis (sophomore-forensic science) said.

Obama is the first black candidate to represent one of the major parties. The historical significance of his nomination was noted by Lewis and other black Penn State students who watched the speech.

"It shows that this country is changing ... if we have a president who is a person of color he can unite the country a little more," Dominique Reed (senior-international politics and African studies) said.

Thursday also marked the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. A video tribute was broadcast at the convention, after which civil rights movement veteran Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and King's son Martin Luther King III spoke.

"We gather in this magnificent stadium in Denver because we still have a dream," Lewis said, adding that Obama's nomination is a "down payment" on Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream.

The timing of Obama's speech is appropriate, said Rachael Kitabire (sophomore-economics).

"I don't think it's a coincidence," she said, "[Obama] holds promise just like Martin Luther King Jr. did."

Eva-Marie Bruce (senior-journalism) set aside her work to listen to the speech.

"Homework is on pause until he's done speaking," she said.

Bruce said she also watched other speakers like Michelle Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden throughout the week-long convention.

She would have supported Hillary or Obama, she said, but "because of [Obama] I'm more excited to vote."

At the end of his speech, Obama mentioned Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, causing the crowd to cheer louder than they did at any other moment during the speech.

In his "I Have a Dream" speech, King famously said he dreamt of a future where his children would "not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

"It's incredible that King foresaw those changes," Bruce said. "It shows that dreams can happen."