Caio Esmeraldi put on his suit at 5 a.m. on the way to his first visit to the Florida Capitol, not knowing what to expect.

“Part of me thought we were going to stop by, take a look, wave and just walk away. But it was such a crazy opportunity,” said Esmeraldi, a junior psychology major.

During a trip to Tallahassee for USF Day at the Capitol on April 15, students got to tour government buildings, meet with state officials and advocate for campus concerns. 

Esmeraldi said the most memorable part was seeing how much lawmakers valued student engagement in politics.

“The overall feeling of the whole event was that they were happy to see students still care to engage with the government,” said the student vice president-elect. 

Related: USF SG presidential election unofficial results: Jadhav, Esmeraldi win

The group started their day at the Governor’s Club, a private club in downtown Tallahassee, for lunch and a panel discussion on advocacy in politics. 

Afterward, attendees visited the Florida House and Senate chambers and toured the state’s Supreme Court, where they spoke with Florida Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz.

The day ended with a reception and dinner at the DoubleTree Hotel, where students had the opportunity to speak with USF leaders, including President Rhea Law and Bill McCausland, director of the USF Alumni Association.

Attendees had the chance to discuss issues affecting the USF community, both during the panel discussion and in the House and Senate chambers. 

The panel featured three USF alumni – Rep. Lindsay Cross, legislative aide Amanda Suarez and Andrew Ketchel, a partner at Capital City Consulting. The Capitolist Editor-in-Chief Brian Burgess also joined the panel.

Jamar Blaze Smith, a first-year public administration graduate student, said topics discussed included making housing on and off campus more affordable and increasing the Activity & Service fee to provide more funding for student organizations and departments.

“It’s important that there’s students there to advocate for students,” said Smith, who also works as a campus councillor in Student Government. “I don’t know if it sends the same message if you have only staff pushing for more funding and trying to address concerns.”

Smith said legislators listened to their concerns but also asked students to come up with “tangible” plans, including strategy and cost estimates, to help guide future decisions on the issues.

Related: Demand for USF housing grew. Here’s how it’s affecting students.

Kade Kranjc, the student organizer of the event, said seeing the day come together was “amazing.” Around 80 students attended the event, alongside about 40 alumni, he said.

Kranjc said that speaking with politicians showed him the government is about people working together to “better their communities.”

“I think events like these are important for showing people that as divided as it can seem, there’s always a level of collaboration and compassion within the government,” said Kranjc, a junior political science and economics major.

The idea of collaboration also stuck with Smith after the visit.

Smith said lawmakers try to reach agreements in a bipartisan way, regardless of their political views.

“Despite what we might see on the highest level of politics at the state level, they are trying to address our concerns in the most efficient and practical ways that benefit the most people,” Smith said.

Related: USF international students concerned about Trump’s travel restrictions

Student body president-elect Sumit Jadhav, who feels a “natural calling” for public service, said watching government officials at work reaffirmed his interest in serving others.

“Looking at lawmakers and how different government machineries work is a source of motivation and inspiration,” said the first-year financial analytics graduate student.

Jadhav was also surprised at the dedication of the students, given some had only slept a few hours before leaving at 5 a.m., he said.

By bringing together students and lawmakers, the event gave the USF community a chance to be heard and show their commitment to improving the university, Jadhav said. 

“Seeing how USF is supported by the people, and all of the people who are rooting for USF,” Jadhav said. “Their energy was amazing to see.”