Student Assembly Vice President and President of the Virginia Young Democrats Zach Pilchen ’09 got a taste of national politics this past week as a delegate to the Young Democrats Convention in Denver and as an observer at the Democratic National Convention.
In addition to representing the College of William and Mary’s Young Democrats and the Virginia Young Democrats, Pilchen spent the week at the convention center and volunteered as an usher at Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s acceptance speech last night.
“It’s been great to meet Young Democrats from across the country,” Pilchen said yesterday in a phone interview from Denver. “I’ve gotten to see everything.”
Pilchen described the set-up as a “theater-in-the-round” of gigantic proportions, fitting a candidacy that has been marked by an almost rock-star following, especially among college students.
“It’s almost like being in Los Angeles, where you’re on the street and just run into celebrities,” Pilchen said. “Only now it’s like, ‘Check it out, there’s Howard Dean.’”
Close contact with Democratic higher-ups gave Pilchen the chance to meet Washington, D.C. Mayor and Democratic Superdelegate Adrian Fenty.
The Virginia Young Democrats paid to have him flown out to Denver and obtained his floor credentials.
“It’s only from the grace of knowing people that I got to come here,” Pilchen said.