Jack Jenkins never meant to get into politics. Sure, he ran a campaign the day before election for sophomore class president and lost by a mere five votes. Besides that, the one political science class he took accounted for all of his political and government involvement in college. He double majored in history and religion and philosophy.

Jenkins does remember, however, watching Barack Obama deliver John Kerry’s keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. One of the students he was watching it with said, “That guy should be the next president.”

“It was the way (Obama) said there are no red states or blue states, just united states,” Jenkins said. “The idea that we are truly a united nation working together for a better America.”

After watching the speech, Jenkins subscribed to Obama’s podcast and began following the senator. Once he graduated from PC, Jenkins took a job as a field organizer for Obama’s campaign. Jenkins calls people and visits them in their homes, “anything to get out the vote for Barack Obama,” he says.

“It’s fantastic because I feel blessed to be a part of this movement,” he added. “It’s cool to bounce around the country for Obama.”

Jenkins began his part of the campaign in Iowa, educating voters about how to caucus. The Aiken, SC native then came back to his home state, where he organized the Obama campaign in Laurens county. From there, Jenkins bounced to Missouri and on to Texas, where he is now.

Although he wasn’t involved with government while at PC, Jenkins said that PC prepared him for his work on the campaign.

“The professors are brilliant,” Jenkins said. “They train your mind to think.”

Plus, he bases most of what he knows about politics from what he learned in that one political science class, a “fantastic class,” according to Jenkins.

“And you can’t talk about PC without talking about service,” Jenkins said. “When you get out, it’s true: working for a greater good, for a higher cause is important.”

Further, Jenkins said the sense of community that he felt at PC also prepared him for the campaign.

“My job as a field organizer is to build communities,” he said.

"I haven’t thought about anything past March 4^th,” Jenkins said, alluding to primaries in the delegate-rich states of Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont. He does, however, plan to apply to graduate schools and seminaries.

posted by sadyer@presby.edu

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