SOMERSWORTH — Savannah Malo won't be old enough to vote in the 2020 New Hampshire presidential primary on Feb. 11, but she will be for the general election in November.

So far, she's keeping her options open. On Friday she got a chance to see the political process up close and personal when she and some Somersworth High School classmates walked downtown to Teatotaller to see former Democratic U.S. congressman Beto O'Rourke of Texas talk about why he wants to be president.

"I have a passion for politics, so it was really nice to come see it in person," Malo said. "I'm trying to find my role in society and how I'm going to contribute."

Malo and a handful of students in Scott Seeley's 11th-grade U.S. Government class made the trip to hear O'Rourke speak before a packed house at Teatotaller. The former congressman was wrapping up his second campaign trip to New Hampshire.

"It's way too good an opportunity to pass up," Seeley said. "There's nothing better for civic engagement than having kids hear this stuff first-hand. They can form their own opinions about politics and where candidates align with them or not."

Student D'Artagnan Stein, 17, got a chance to ask the candidate a question. Stein asked O'Rourke his position on gun control.

"I honestly forgot his answer — it was pretty nerve-wracking," Stein said. "I was nervous. But he talked about some past bills to help with gun control."

It was the first such political event Natasha Starr, 16, got to witness in person. She said she hopes to see as many candidates as possible as primary season heats up.

"I was really impressed," Starr said. "The way he spoke and how he was so passionate, it gave me the chills. I wasn't expecting this big of a turnout, but it makes me happy to see so many people here."

During his remarks, O'Rourke spoke about inclusion, using his hometown of El Paso — which borders Ciudad Juárez, Mexico — as an example.

"Two languages, two histories, two cultures, joined — not separated — by the Rio Grande," O'Rourke said, "forming something absolutely magical, more powerful than the sum of our parts."

He also spoke about the need for getting a bill passed that would expand mental-health access for veterans.

"Donald J. Trump, a man with whom I agree on almost nothing," he said. "But we can find some common ground, to pursue the common cause, by working with anyone, anytime, anywhere, to advance the agenda of this country, the people we serve — we were able to do that."