• Caption: Chestnut Hill, MA. September 16, 2005 - Barack Obama spoke to a crowd at Boston College's Conte Forum as part of Freshmen Convocation. Obama discussed dreaming big and going after those dreams. Although he sees problems with America, he explained that he is hopeful. That epiphany came when touring Southern Illinois, once wrought with racism in the 60s. He was assured when he saw many old white men wearing "Obama for Senator" buttons. America's diversity has allowed him, a half-Black "skinny kid with a weird name" to rise up. During the question and answer session, a student asked him if he had any "future ambitions." He told him that he would first worry about Illinois, and if he does his job well, "the rest will take care of itself."