What do you do after interviewing the president? If you're Dan Corey, you go back to your parents' house and look for a summer job.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- Two years ago, Daniel Corey wasn't even sure he wanted to go into journalism.
But since he had dabbled in writing for the literary magazine at Middletown High School South, Corey said he decided he might as well join the student newspaper when he began classes at Rutgers University in the fall of 2014.
"I just figured, why not?" said Corey, now a sophomore and the editor-in-chief of the paper, the Daily Targum.
Two years later, that same "why not" approach landed Corey the biggest interview of his young journalism career.
For 15 minutes on Monday afternoon, Corey conducted a telephone interview with President Barack Obama, who will deliver the keynote address at Rutgers commencement ceremony this Sunday.
Corey had time to ask the president five questions covering a range of topics from student debt to low voter turnout. The Targum published the interview today.
"I couldn't believe it happened when he agreed to it, and I can't believe it happened after it happened," Corey, 19, said Wednesday.
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It's highly unusual for any reporter, let alone a college student, to land an interview with a sitting president, said Lonnie Isabel, a senior lecturer at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Media access to presidents is carefully guarded and Obama rarely holds news conferences, said Isabel, a former deputy managing editor of Newsday who oversaw the paper's Washington bureau.
"Many White House correspondents spend their entire career never sitting down for a one-on-one with a sitting president," Isabel said.
Landing the interview
While Corey's persistence played a big part in the Targum securing the interview, the paper also "really lucked out," Corey said.
When the White House announced April 14 that Obama would speak at Rutgers Commencement on May 15, Corey had an idea, he said. Why not call the White House switchboard and ask for an interview with the president?
After a short conversation, Corey was directed to the press office and told to send a formal request to interview Obama.
The White House neither granted the interview nor officially rejected the request, he said. But, fortunately, for Corey, it invited him to the first-ever White House College Reporter Day on April 28, where dozens of student journalists would have a chance to meet with White House officials and participate in a news conference with Press Secretary Josh Earnest.
Corey was planning to ask Earnest if the Targum could get an interview with Obama, he said. But Earnest didn't call on him for a question, he said.
Then, Obama surprised the students by appearing at the podium. And, for his first question, the president called on Corey, pointing to the young man "right here in the red tie."
"I was just shocked," Corey said. "And I figured, well, I have the opportunity, I might as well take it."
Corey told Obama the Targum is the country's second oldest student newspaper and then posed the question: "In light of the news of you speaking at our commencement, I was wondering, would you be interested in being interviewed by our newspaper?"
Obama said he usually coordinates carefully with his press team before granting interviews but would make an exception for Corey.
"It may not be a really long interview," Obama said. "But I figured, give the college newspaper a little bit of play.
The element of surprise likely helped Corey secure the interview, Isabel said.
"I think he caught the president in a moment he was feeling generous about it, and I would imagine his press secretary and everyone else probably said 'Why are you doing this?'" Isabel said.
Talking to the president
Corey crafted his questions with the help of the Daily Targum staff and received plenty of input from friends and family who had their own questions for the president, he said.
Being on the other side of the news -- Corey participated in TV interviews and fielded phone calls from reporters between studying for finals -- also helped him prepare, he said.
Around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Corey sat in the studio of the campus radio station, where he could get a high quality recording of the interview, and waited for the phone to ring.
A White House staff member placed the phone call and then put Obama on the line.
"Hello, is this President Obama?" Corey asked, according to a transcript of the interview.
''It is," Obama replied.
Setting aside his nerves, Corey began to ask his questions, getting the president to talk about conflict with the Republican party, financial aid for college students and the role of journalists in politics.
"I was trying as hard as possible to stay tuned to what he was saying or stay glued to what he was saying while also trying to figure out what to say next," Corey said.
On Sunday, Corey and other Targum editors will briefly meet with Obama when he comes to campus, Corey said. Then, Corey will move back to his parents house in Middletown and look for a summer job.
Young journalists are often taught not to become part of the story, but Corey said he's comfortable with the fact that he made news.
"I guess it would be wrong to not at least try to get an interview with him, right?" Corey said. "It's weird having the newspaper make news, but, it's for a good cause, and I don't see why not."
Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.