“He wants us to not give up on America. He wants to make sure we are still confident in our country, confident in our leadership, confident in our ability,” Osaremen F. Okolo ’17 said.

According to IOP spokesperson Esten Perez, more people entered the lottery for Thursday’s event than any other in the Institute’s history. The forum fits 750 people.

Law enforcement officials and secret service closed off JFK St. to all vehicular traffic between Eliot St. and Memorial Dr. from noon to 8 p.m. Trucks, police cars, and secret service vehicles lined the streets as attendees were forced to enter the Kennedy School from the John F. Kennedy Park.

Earlier in the day, Biden had attended an event for the Democratic National Committee in Boston.

—Staff writer Forrest K. Lewis contributed to the reporting of this story.

—Staff writer Mariel A. Klein can be reached at mariel.klein@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @mariel_klein.