Not even a broken wrist could keep Seth Melchor from introducing President Barack
Obama on Wednesday.
The political science major at Bowling Green State University sustained the injury
during an ultimate Frisbee game Tuesday night.
"I went to the ER and they told me to come back in the morning to get a cast. I
told them that wasn’t going to work."
If there ever was an excuse to put off medical attention this was it, Melchor
thought.
He took the stage Wednesday sans cast, praising the president for his efforts to
support higher education.
"We want and have a president who will fight for all of us," Melchor said.

The Hamler resident commended Obama for increasing funding for Pell grants, something
that made his college experience possible.
Melchor, his older brother who graduated from BGSU in May and twin siblings who are
freshman, were given Pell grants to help finance their education.
The BGSU senior called Republican presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney "out
of touch."
He referenced Romney encouraging students to take a loan from their parents for
school. That brought loud boos from the crowd of more than 5,500 at the Stroh
Center.
After taking the stage, Obama joked that Melchor’s injury was sustained as the result
of some questionable "no calls" during the game, alluding to the NFL’s
controversial replacement referees.
"You’ve got to play through your injuries, Falcons," Obama told the crowd.

Obama used Melchor’s injury to promote voting.
"If Seth can come up here with a broken wrist then there is not a single student
who can’t register to vote," Obama said.
Melchor said he was asked to introduce Obama by the local Obama For America field
coordinator. He has been a volunteer for the campaign.
"It got really real once I started walking across the stage to introduce
him," Melchor said. "I realized I may never have that sort of
opportunity for the rest of my life."
He got to visit with the president for a bit before the speech started. They mostly
talked sports.
"It was cool because he wasn’t a politician. He didn’t take the five minutes to
tell me why I should vote for him."
Afterward, Melchor and his family got to go backstage and talk with the president and
take pictures.
Two other BGSU students also participated in the event, referred to in social media
circles as "Strohbama."
Eric Wilbert, of Toledo, led the Pledge of Allegiance. The sophomore gerontology
major took a semester off during his freshman year to join the National Guard to
serve the country and finance his education.
Lauren Allah, also a sophomore, gave a powerful performance of the National Anthem
before Obama took the podium. The Early Childhood Education major was a
contestant on NBC’s The Voice.