Why is this 10-year old so excited to meet Hillary Clinton?

Macy Friday can’t remember what she was thinking when – mouth agape, eyes bugged – she shook hands with Hillary Clinton in Denver this week. It all happened so fast, she says.

What she does remember is the national response to the photo of her reacting with pure, unadulterated excitement to meeting the former secretary of state.

Media outlets pounced on the story. The Washington Post captured the reaction perfectly, writing that Macy had a “look on her face that has never been witnessed by anyone who is not a dad chaperoning a minivan full of teenagers at a One Direction concert.”

But why was Macy so excited? What does she like about Hillary Clinton? And who else would she react that way to meeting?

CNN spoke with Macy Friday over the phone Thursday. Here is our conversation:

CNN: How did you get to meet Hillary Clinton?

Macy: I went to Union Station unsuspecting that she would come. I had seen her in the elections and I have heard a lot about her. I was just like, ‘Wow.’ I was excited because, I thought, she was saying hi to a lot of people. I didn’t think she was going to say hi to me. They went into a coffee shop and we were like, ‘Oh no, they are going to leave.’ And then, she came out and she is like, ‘Hey you.’ And I didn’t know who she is talking to. And then I realized it was me and I went up and I turned back at my family. (long pause) I had never met anybody famous before. (long pause) I turned back at my family and I, like, I, you know, made the face.

CNN: What did you think about all the attention your photo received?

Macy: Well, I love it. Because, well, it is not just because… I think Hillary Clinton is a a really good role model for girls of all ages and it [the reason she liked the attention] isn’t just because it got a lot of cool places. I am just happy because people know that a younger girl still looks up to somebody like that.

CNN: What is it about Secretary Clinton that you look up to?

Macy: I like her because, like, she is running for president and a lot of people think that girls shouldn’t be president because they are not as smart or they shouldn’t have the same rights. And she is just a good role model for girls because, you know, she is just sort of, like, to everybody, ‘Girls can be awesome, too.’

[Editor’s note: Clinton herself has said she has yet to make a decision on whether she will run for president.]

CNN: You are 10. When you were born, Hillary Clinton had been well known for 20 years. How much did you know about her when you met earlier this week?

Macy: I didn’t know, too, too, too much. I knew that she was the first lady for a while. And her husband is Bill Clinton. And her daughter Chelsea just had a baby. And her niece’s name is Macy. And that is my name. And when I first went up to her, I said, ‘Macy,’ and she said that is one of her favorite names.

CNN: Who are some other famous people you would be as excited to see as you were with Secretary Clinton?

Macy: Oh gosh, well, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, probably Michelle Obama and Barack Obama. Hmmm… Taylor Swift. Did I already say Taylor Swift? Probably One Direction.

CNN: A local anchor in your hometown joked that you would be the first women president. Would you ever want to do that?

Macy: Maybe! It is a really hard job. I think, I think, maybe.

[Editor’s note: Macy will be eligible to run for president in 2040.]

CNN: Do you think you could do it?

Macy: Yeah!

CNN: If Hillary Clinton runs for president, what would your advice be to her?

Macy: I would say that even if you are different or you are a different gender, it doesn’t matter what you look like. I don’t know, like, if you wear glasses. Everybody can be awesome.

CNN: If you could vote in 2016, would you vote for Secretary Clinton?

Macy: Yes, totally.

CNN: Thanks Macy…

Macy: Thank you. And one more thing: Make sure if Finn [her 12-year old brother] does give you the permission to use the photo, give him photo cred!

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(CNN did use the selfie that Finn took of his family and Clinton. And, yes, he did get the photo cred. Also, some question and answers were edited for clarity.)