Not many college students can say that they have stood in the same spot as a presidential candidate or had a hand in preparing the stage for a debate between presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, but four Washington University students were given the once in a lifetime opportunity to act as stand-ins for the candidates and moderators of Sunday night’s debate.

Freshman Caroline Niesen and senior Daniel Meyerson played the parts of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, respectively, with freshman Taylor Emerson and senior Theodore Boozalis standing in for moderators Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper. The students stood on the stage where their real-life counterparts would later stand so that the lights, sound equipment, scenery and cameras could be adjusted, assuring that the real debate would go smoothly.

The debate stand-ins for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump practice prior to Sunday’s debate. The debate was the second of three presidential debates.

“The debate stand-ins are there because we have essentially converted an athletic space into a television studio,” Moira Kelly, associate producer and director of education and outreach for the Commission on Presidential Debates, said.

Stand-ins are common at any large, televised event, but they were particularly important for this debate. Due to the town hall style, there were many extra factors to consider while filming. According to Kelly, the number of people onstage was a challenge for the cameras, since only the moderators knew who would be asking questions of the candidates. Also, rather than being confined behind a podium, Clinton and Trump were able to walk around the stage during this debate. The cameras practiced how to film the moving candidates with the use of the stand-in students.

However, the jobs of these stand-ins went beyond simply standing on the stage while the camera and lighting crew set up. The stand-in team was told to get together and prepare sample questions on Friday night, which they would mock-debate on Saturday and Sunday morning.

“Our questions ranged from really serious ones about climate change and gun control, to questions that were really funny like ‘What’s the best superpower of all time?’ or ‘What pet would you have in the White House?’ We also asked questions about Wash. U. like ‘BD versus DUC,’” Emerson, Raddatz’s stand-in, said.

During the stand-in rehearsals, Niesen and Meyerson held two lively two-hour debates in which they impersonated their assigned candidates, even dressing up for the part. Niesen, who sported a smart pantsuit and a string of pearls, remarked that she was even given feedback on how to appear more like Clinton.

“They told me that yesterday, I was waving my microphone around like a wand to make a point. That’s not how Hillary Clinton does it, this is how Hillary does it. And then they showed me how to hold a microphone like Hillary Clinton, which is something I would’ve never thought about doing. She keeps it up front, close to her mouth, very closed and professional,” Niesen recalled.

None of the stand-ins applied directly for this specific position; they all went through the general volunteer application, which was open to all Washington University students. Kelly was provided with a list of students that had been chosen based on their availability to attend all of the meetings required of the stand-ins. After they were selected, the stand-ins were given their specific roles based on how closely their height matched either the candidates or the moderators.

Some of the most memorable experiences for the student volunteers included getting a tour of the debate hall, meeting the real Cooper and Raddatz, and even influencing the format of the debate. According to Niesen, her handshake with Meyerson was so awkward that the debate committee decided not to have Trump and Hillary shake hands before the debate.

The experience of being a debate stand-in is a once in a lifetime opportunity on its own, but these students were in for one more surprise come debate day. Each of the four stand-ins received a free ticket to the debate, where they would be able to see the real candidates debating where they had just stood hours before.

“It was [Moira’s] intent all along, that if we did a good job and came prepared, to surprise us at the end with the tickets, which was so sweet,” Niesen said.

According to Kelly, this kind of opportunity is part of the Commission’s educational outreach to get college students more involved in the political process.

“We want students to be involved in civics. We want them to be involved in the debate process, we want them to vote, and there are fascinating things that you can learn by being a part of this kind of endeavor,” Kelly said. “This can be a pretty transformational experience. It’s not unusual that people play volunteer roles, either with us or the media, and that that will change the direction of what they want to do in their life.”