Victor Cedeno’s academic year began earlier than usual when he arrived in Denver in mid-August for seminars, lectures and volunteer opportunities with the Democratic National Convention. The Drake University sophomore has been taking part in a two-week academic and internship program organized by the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars in association with Denver-based Regis University.

One of many hundreds of college students in Denver for the Democratic National Convention, Cedeno sought access to it for both the historic achievement of a major national U.S. party nominating the first African-American as a presidential candidate and the value as a learning experience. Professors have also flocked to the Democratic party convention, using the experience as a teaching opportunity for students they’ve accompanied.

“There’s something about being part of history that attracts everyone. I knew there was a lot more to it than just the convention; I knew there would be a lot of events; a lot of opportunities to meet people and network, and I certainly have done that and benefited from it,” Cedeno says.

“I feel like I’ve learned more in these last two weeks than I have in a semester’s worth of school,” he adds.

In addition to attending lectures and volunteering as a security and housing aide for the Democratic National Committee, Cedeno, a politics and psychology major, has blogged about his convention experience along with several other Drake University students.

Preparing for his duties as a security aide, Cedeno wrote that a “group of us were volunteers as security for the first-ever open house event for the Democratic National Convention. We arrived an hour early (6:00 a.m.) so that we could tour the hall. As we entered the Pepsi Center, the excitement was in the air.”

He further observes that it’s known “that conventions are a lot more Hollywood than politics. The nominee has already been chosen. The purpose of the convention is to coronate the candidate and present him or her to the American public. It is a staged act and, this time, the Democrats have gone out of their way to make sure the stage is fit for a great act.”