THE hundreds of young people who got the opportunity to see President Barack Obama in person and hear him speak at last Thursday’s youth forum at the University of the West Indies left impressed and inspired by the man who holds the distinction of being the first black president of the United States.

Speaking with the Jamaica Observer after the event, several participants spoke glowingly of Obama, describing him as charismatic, dynamic, inspirational, diplomatic, and an “extraordinary human being”. For most of them, their only disappointment was that they didn’t get the chance to ask him any questions.

After a brief presentation, in which he focused on entrepreneurship and launched the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative, Obama allowed 11 random questions from the floor, but for the pool of 350, it was not nearly enough.

“I’m glad that we got this opportunity to engage with the president,” said Miss Jamaica Universe 2015 Kaci Fennel. “I’m sad that he didn’t get to choose me, but a lot of of questions got answered today and I’m happy that our voices were heard.”

Jermaine Case, who was representing the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network, the University of the West Indies STAT and the Inter-American Development Bank Civil Society Group, was in awe.

“I was very impressed with the level of eloquence of the president. He shared some very good views. I think he could have [allowed] a couple (more) questions but in the main he addressed some very critical views which I think will enure to the benefit of Jamaica-US relations,” he said.

For Gabrielle Elliott Williams, President Obama was not lacking in dynamism, charm or inspirational appeal.

“As usual, his presentation was very good. He is obviously very dynamic, charismatic and inspirational. I’m a little sorry that he wasn’t asked questions on a number of other areas, more to do with with trade, etc, but overall it was very good and persons left inspired,” she told the Observer.

That entrepreneurship was the theme of the president’s presentation spoke volumes to director of social services at Jamaica Association for the Deaf and former teenAGE Observer writer, Kimberley Sherlock.

“He spoke a lot on

youth development and entrepreneurship — two areas that we really do need to focus more on because the reality is that the economy cannot add all of us to mainstream business and I think it is good that it came from someone so high up. Maybe now our Government will listen a little bit more,” she said.

For Kristen Laing, public relations officer at the National Library of Jamaica, and also a former teenAGE Observer writer, diplomacy was what was key.

“I liked how the president answered displomatically because there were a lot of questions that maybe would have caused an uproar if he gave a different answer, but I appreciate how he answered diploamatically and I appreciate him allowing us to ask them,” she said.

She was referring to a question about America’s feelings regarding China’s growing interest in the Caribbean.

Asked if America was fearful of the Asian country’s rise, and the foreign direct investments it has been pumping into countries in the region, President Obama said the US welcomes China’s rise and added that it would be more fearful of a poor, collapsing China than a rich, prosperous one.

On the subject of the foreign direct investments, the US president said it was up to the individual governments to decide what’s best for their people and to ensure that they stand to benefit from the input in the long-term. To that, the crowd responded with applause.

Obama was in Jamaica for a one-day working visit during which he met with Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and other Caribbean Community heads of state, visited the famous Bob Marley museum, laid a wreath at National Heroes Park in honour of Jamaican veterans of World War I and II, and met with the young leaders from government and civil society.

He told the group: “Before my trip became all business, I wanted to come here and hear from young people like you, because it is your generation who will shape the future of our region and this planet that we share.”

For that, Jamaica’s Minister of Youth and Culture Lisa Hanna called him an extraordinary human being.

“It’s not often that you find leaders who get it that young people are the future generation of power and what he’s very clear about is not giving ad hoc things to make them feel good but he’s putting in place mechanisms to build that generation of power,” she told the Observer.

Obama left Jamaica Thursday evening, almost 24 hours after he had arrived.