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Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert Credit: Tiffany Pham , Tiffany Pham

Dennis Hastert, the 59th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives , “never intended to do politics,” he said at an event in Houston Hall Wednesday night.

During his speech, Hastert spoke about his journey from growing up in a small town in Illinois to becoming an influential political figure. After 16 years of teaching government and history and coaching wrestling and football at a local high school in Yorkville, Ill. , Hastert’s career took a turn in 1986 after he saw an ad in a newspaper about running for public office. Thirteen years later, he was elected as the Speaker of the House.

The longest-serving Republican Speaker in American history, Hastert served from 1999-2007 through crucial events in American history like the September 11 attacks . He was instrumental in authoring the Health Care Reform Bill, Public Utility Act and the Patient Protection Act.

During the event, Hastert captured the attention of students as he recounted his past and how he came to be the third highest elected official in the U.S. government.

“Anybody can do something if they put their mind to it,” Hastert explained. “You never know what your next job is going to be ... but if you do the job you have with energy, sincerity and honesty, you don’t have to worry about [it].”

Hastert serves as an example of how anyone can delve into the world of politics if they have the “four P’s”: purpose, passion, persistence and patience. He spoke about the importance of finding a concrete goal and having a clear focus as the keys to success.

The event, hosted by Penn College Republicans, the Penn Government and Politics Association and the Penn Political Review, boasted approximately 150 attendees.

“Dennis Hastert was very excited to come to the event,” Sarah Simon, the vice president of the Government and Politics Association, said. “He thought it was important to speak to the next generation of leaders.”

The President of the College Republicans and College senior Anthony Cruz was enthusiastic about the turnout. “This is the largest event College Republicans has had in recent years,” Cruz said. “It shows that there is a Republican revival on campus. We’re really proud to host a great speaker.”

College freshman Nathaniel Rome shared his motivation for attending the event, saying “I thought it was incredibly fascinating to hear the personal evolution of one of the most influential Americans of the 21st century.”

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