Of the Penn alumni making a difference in the world, two are currently in the spotlight.
2000 Wharton graduate Andrew Hohns and '85 College graduate and Rhodes Scholar Joe Torsella joined Sheila Ballen yesterday in speaking with the Penn College Democrats about their respective political campaigns in the state of Pennsylvania.
With the April Democratic primaries approaching, all three candidates hope to recruit volunteers.
Torsella has been busy in his campaign for the 13th Congressional District. In his talk with the College Democrats, he expressed his deep dissatisfaction with the current Bush administration, whose tactics he called "a systematic invasion of our future."
Among his proposals are efforts to reduce the federal deficit, increase access to health care and renew the use of abandoned factories and land.
He sees his campaign as critical to the future of the Democratic Party.
"We are trying to put together a field campaign like none this place has ever seen," he said.
Ballen, running for the 175th State Legislative District, has similar drive. Calling her volunteers "Sheiladelphians," Ballen has used her volunteers to help her campaign, using such techniques as door-to-door soliciting.
"I'm going to run the best grassroots campaign anyone's seen," she said, citing one time when she and her supporters knocked on 3,000 doors in only two hours.
Among her most important concerns are ensuring a quality education for every child, creating economic and academic opportunities and maintaining a woman's right to choose.
Hohns, the 182nd State Legislative District candidate, had a slightly different tone of address.
He stressed the collective energy of the current generation, which -- if harnessed and put to good use -- could put the country back on track.
"What can we do within our generation to contribute a verse to a prayer that's underway?" he asked of the audience.
By combining his fond Penn memories of beer and football with his ideas for the future, he projected an image of optimism and energy with a strikingly collegiate flavor.
Many audience members were not familiar with the candidates prior to the presentation.
"I don't know a whole lot about them and that's why I decided to come tonight. ... It's hard to tell ... from just a blurb," College sophomore Meg McIntosh said.
Penn College Democrat President and College junior Richard Eisenberg believed the candidates would have great appeal on campus.
