When Maya Punjwani, 19, spotted Aja Naomi King on the Plaza of the Americas on Tuesday afternoon, she ran up to the actress.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere, and I love you,” the UF journalism and political science freshman told the actress, who was at UF encouraging students to vote for Hillary Clinton as part of the Clinton campaign. King stars in “How to Get Away with Murder” and “The Birth of a Nation.”
King walked through Turlington Plaza and the Plaza of the Americas as part of UF College Democrats’ event providing shuttles to the polls. She took pictures with students who walked up to her and joined students on their rides to the polls.
Punjwani, who said she knows King from her role on “How to Get Away with Murder,” said she heard King was on campus after seeing a friend’s Snapchat story.
“(King) was super casual, and she was talking about how she is going to different campuses to get people to vote,” she said.
Punjwani and her roommate, Sara Henley, 19, thought they had missed their chance to meet King when they didn’t see her on Turlington Plaza.
Henley, a UF political science and business administration freshman, said she believes it’s important to have the Democratic Party send celebrities encouraging people to vote.
“Most celebrities you’re scared to go up and talk to,” she said, “but she was really nice.”
Dana Molk, the 19-year-old programming director for UF College Democrats, walked around campus with King, who spoke about why she supports Clinton.
“She was really excited to help Hillary become the first female president,” Molk said.
Aja Naomi King