By Brian X. McCrone / Metro Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA - After months of putting off his college education to live as a
political hired gun, Rob Weaver is coming to terms with life again as a college
kid.
“I was supposed to graduate this semester but was convinced by the
person who hired me that it was worth putting off to work this campaign,”
the Temple University senior said of working the last few months as voter
persuasion director for PennEnvironment in Harrisburg. “He couldn’t
have been more right.”
Political science majors across the country missed a lot of class this fall,
and many picked up vital experience that may help them in future political
careers.
Campaigns employed hundreds of political wonks like Charlotte Jamison, who
are willing to travel to swing states with an army of other paid and volunteer
workers to lobby for a particular vote.
Jamison has worked for Environment America in Boston since graduating from
the University of Chicago. The North Carolina native said she’ll head
back to her job in Boston now that the election’s over, but left open the
possibility of returning to the political arena in the near future.
“I have a two-year fellowship but after that who knows,” she
said.
Some young people, energized by the atmosphere of a historic presidential
race, contributed their talents for nonpolitical organizations. Haverford
College senior Joe Anderson, a Washington state native, spent six hours Tuesday
working as a Spanish translator at a North Philadelphia polling place.
Anderson wouldn’t plot out exactly what he plans on doing in politics.
“I’m into the human rights angle to political science,” he
said. “I’m still very much undecided.”
