When the Republican National Committee called Ashley Gunn out of the blue two weeks ago to speak at its convention, the Wharton junior said she was stunned.
With young people getting more involved than ever in politics this election year, the Republican Convention in St. Paul, Minn. did not want to be left behind.
Gunn's prime-time speech last night outlined her philanthropic work in her home state of Mississippi during high school.
Standing before thousands of Republican delegates, Gunn refuted the belief that "young people don't care" by describing her founding of Students Aiding Indigent Families, a non-profit organization dedicated to reaching out to needy families who can't afford to buy their own homes.
SAIF is an organization that buys dilapidated homes, invests in their refurbishment and then sells them to families who otherwise would not be able to afford housing.
In a phone interview, Gunn said she was given a vague explanation of how she was selected to speak, but she thought it was because she had been awarded a scholarship by a conservative business and entrepreneurship organization during high school.
Gunn said she was told her topic would be "putting others before myself," a theme being pushed this year by Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, whose campaign slogan is "Country First."
Her speech, which was pushed back from Monday to Tuesday due to Hurricane Gustav, was nearly canceled altogether.
With a delayed convention schedule, Gunn thought she might not speak, but the speech was rescheduled, along with other Monday night speakers, including President George W. Bush.
In the interview from St. Paul yesterday, Gunn said she was asked to write a five-minute speech and was put in touch with a Republican speechwriter before flying out to Minnesota over the weekend.
Despite interning for her congressman previously, and interning for the White House this past summer, Gunn does not consider herself particularly politically active.
"I've never worked for a political campaign before and had no plans to become involved this year," Gunn said. "But being at the convention has inspired me."
Gunn said she will likely become involved in the McCain campaign as a volunteer this fall. She spoke of him in her speech as having "just as much drive as a high-school student rebuilding a house."
But Gunn's involvement underscores the purpose of her role in last night's convention: There is a younger viewpoint in the Republican Party, and it wants to be represented, too.
