Historical Witness "It was truly inspiring to see college students shed their traditional apathy and get active." Sffia I';ct'das I-man Nick Michael "Jane worked hard to tap brir>;) about change in America, and for that we are endlessly grateful, if not at least a bit jealous." Sq::::h::fn:xe 0"¥1S Ba1y Nick Michael 128 people ~ Working on the campaign trail The fall semester of 2008 was a pivotal period in history with the dection of a new president. For most srudents., the amount of acrual involvement in politics was limited to ralking aoout issues and voting But sophornore political science and history majorJane Messina took the semester off from school to hdp with President Barack Obama's political campaign trail. "1 \\lorked in a cold small office with no heat and no air 000ditioning," she said. "There were probablyabout 25 people in our room at one time. I shared my desk widl three other people." Herofficial tide in the campaign was Deputy Field Organizer, and the tab included a wide variety of duties. ''] worked seven days a week:, thirteen hours a day," Messina said. "1 recruited volunteers. organized the north side of Richmond, Virginia, knocked on doors, made thousands of phone calls, entered dara, invited people to events, organized events and trained volunteers." Messina was also involved with the faith outreach program for the campaign. "1 was a £"lith community contact, which means that 1 met with different leaders of faith in Richmond and tried to have them hold events at their churches," she said. ' '1 also spoke at a few churches aoout volunteer opporrunities." Messina said she thought Obama was the perfect CUldidate for whom she could campaign. ''1 have always wanted to \\Q[k on a campaign, and I believed that [Obama] should be the next president," Messina said. "I was doing everything I could to get him elected. 1 believe in his policies, and I believe they will work." Messina met Obama severa.! times. '''The first rime I met him was in the SUrrll11er of 2007 in Huntsville, Alabama," she said. "He shook my hand, and 1 told him 1 was going [0 vote for him, and then we talked aoout baseball. The amazing thing aoout him was that he was a normal guy. He joked \\lith me and laughed with me." Prior to her campaign work in Richmond, Messina had an internShip with Arkansas Representative Vic Snyder, which set the stage for her second Obama encounter. '''The second rime I met [Obama] was in Washington, DC on Capitol Hill this swnmerduringmy intems~" Mess.im said. "1 congratulated him because he had JUSt won the democmtic nomination. The third rime I saw him was 'when he was in Rich· mond a few weeks before the election holding a rnlly:" Though working for the campaign did not earn her college credit, Messina said there were countless benefits. '1leamed more aoout politics on that job than I ever would have in a cIassroom," she said. '1 leamed that politics is nothing without people being accive in their rn.vn government and that it rakes a lot of people and work to get someone decreet It's hard, and it will make you C11~ but the outcome is worth all the long hours and all the tears." Messina said she also used her time and influence as a way to shate Christ with odlers. "1 had to represent my morals ruld my faith to my C(}-workers that weren't Christians," she said. She said her most memorable moment of the campaign was when Obama was announced as the nation's ne.xc president. "On election nigheafter Ohama won, around three thousand srudems took [to] the Streets of Richmond and started chanting 'Yes We Did' and 'Ohama', and they were singing the n:uional anthem while holding hands," Messina said. ''All different races, genders. se.xual preferences and ages were there holding hands and walking to the Capitol building in Richmond.The cool thing is that Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy, and I was there when the first black President was dected. It was a huge moment in history and the most e.xciting moment in my life." Although Messina missed school for a semester, the experience, knowledge and memories she gathered from the campaign trail would benefit her foe life. Joseph Dickerson
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